Country name conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republica Dominicana
local short form: none Background Explored and claimed by 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. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He 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. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere over the past decade.Location Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti Area total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire Coastline 1,288 km Climate tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall Terrain rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed Elevation extremes lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m Natural hazards lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts Environment - current issues water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage Geography - note shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti) Population 8,715,602 (July 2003 est.) Age structure 0-14 years: 33.6% (male 1,497,777; female 1,431,104)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 2,719,505; female 2,614,495)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 212,045; female 240,676) (2003 est.) Median age total: 23.5 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 23.7 years (2002) Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican Ethnic groups white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73% Religions Roman Catholic 95% Languages Spanish Internet country code .do Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.7%
male: 84.6%
female: 84.8% (2003 est.) Government type representative democracy National holiday Independence Day, 27 February (1844) Legal system based on French civil codes International organization participation ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Economy - overview The Dominican Republic"s economy experienced dramatic growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998. 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. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoy nearly 40% of national income. Growth probably will slow in 2003 with reduced tourism and expected low growth in the US economy, the source of 87% of export revenues. Exports - partners US 85%, Canada 1.6%, UK 1.6% (2002) Currency Dominican peso (DOP) Currency code DOP Exchange rates Dominican pesos per US dollar - 18.61 (2002), 16.95 (2001), 16.42 (2000), 16.03 (1999), 15.27 (1998) Airports 30 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 13
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2002) Airports - with unpaved runways total: 17
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 10 (2002) Disputes - international despite efforts to control illegal migration, destitute Haitians continue to cross into the Dominican Republic |
