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Background: Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term.
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Common Name: Dominican Republic
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Local Official Name: Dominican Republic
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Abbreviated Name: Dominican Republic
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Official Name: Dominican Republic
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Official Script Name: Dominican Republic
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Local Common Name: Dominican Republic
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Former Name: Dominican Republic
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna
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Government Type: representative democracy
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Independence: 1844 February 27 (from Haiti)
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Constitution: 1966 November 28
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 27 February
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International Organization Participation: ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008)
election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%
Legislative Branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party congressional representative)
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Party Leaders: Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN]
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International Disputes: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work
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Illicit Drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions
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Location of Dominican Republic: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
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Continent: North America
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Land Area Total: 48,730 sq km
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Region: Caribbean |
Land Area Land: 48,380 sq km
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Capitol City: Santo Domingo
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Land Area Water: 350 sq km
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Current: -4
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Latitude: 019 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 360 km
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Longitude: 070 40 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 1,288 km
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Arable Land: 22.49 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 10.26 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 3,175 m
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Location: Pico Duarte
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Lowest Elevation: -46 m
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Location: Lago Enriquillo
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Largest City in Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Largest City Population: 3,523,000
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Threatened Species: 73
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Environmental Issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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Irrigated Land: 2,750
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Bordering Countries: Haiti 360 km
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Natural Resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
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Geographical Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
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Comparative Area of Dominican Republic: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
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Dominican Republic's Geography: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Dominican Republic.
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General Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
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Natural Hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
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Economic Overview: The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004 and 2005. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a respectable rate, unemployment remains an important challenge. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005.
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GDP: $67,440,000,000 USD
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Currency: Dominican peso
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GDP per Capita: $7,500 USD
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Currency Code: DOP
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GDP Growth Rate: 9.30 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% DOP
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 11.20 %
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GDP of Industry: 30.60 %
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GDP of Services: 58.20 % |
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Inflation Rate: 4.20 % |
Population in Poverty: 25.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 17.00 %
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Tourism: 2,649,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 2.10 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $5,322,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 37.90 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $5,485,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 12,600,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 11,710,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 87.21%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 12.53%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.26%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 128,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 300,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 129,900 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $7,687,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $571,600,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
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Primary Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
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Industrial Growth Rate: 2.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $9,747,000,000 USD - foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
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Import Partners: US 50.2%, Colombia 6.2%, Mexico 5.8%
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Export Amount in USD: $5,818,000,000 USD - ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
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Export Partners: US 79%, Netherlands 2.4%, Mexico 1.9%
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GINI Index: 47.40%
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Labor Force Number of People: 2,300,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: services and government 58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 180 |
Number of People with Radios: 1,440,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 25 |
Number of People with Televisions: 770,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 894,500 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 3,623,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 91,895 |
Internet Users: 938,300 |
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Internet Country Code: .do |
Newspapers: 27 |
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Two Letter Country Code: DR |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 1-809 |
Electricity Voltage: 110 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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Highways: 6,224 km |
Railways: 517 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 14 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 82 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 13,224,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 1.70 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
by type: cargo 1
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Ports and Harbors: Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo
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Population: 9,183,984 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 23.22 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 179.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 5.73 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.47% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.83 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 1,531,145 |
Population Female 0-14: 1,464,076 |
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Population Male 15-64: 2,902,098 |
Population Female 15-64: 2,782,608 |
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Population Male 65+: 235,016 |
Population Female 65+: 269,041 |
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Population 0-14: 32.60% |
Literacy Rate: 84.70% |
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Population 15-64: 61.90% |
Literacy rate of Males: 84.60% |
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Population 65+: 5.50% |
Literacy rate of Females: 84.80% |
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Population that is Male: 51.50
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Population that is Female: 48.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 71.73 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 28.25 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 70.21 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 73.33 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 1.70%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 88,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 7,900 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -2.79
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Nationality: DOMINICAN
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Ethnic Groups: white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%
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Primary Language: Spanish
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Other Languages: Spanish
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 4,165,982 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 3,207,750 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 179,249 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.00
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Dominican Republic Spa and Resort Directory
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Dominican Republic Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Dominican Republic Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Dominican Republic City Information Game Earn Real Money
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