|
Country
|
Dominican Republic | 
Australia |
|
Leader
|
President: Danilo Medina
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Quentin Bryce Prime minister: Julia Gillard
|
|
Population
|
10,088,598
| 22,015,576
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
77.440 years
| 81.900 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Santo Domingo
| Canberra
|
|
Largest city
|
| Juan Dolio (population: 8,581,480) | Sydney (population: 4,394,580) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.768
| 0.965
|
| GDP per capita |
$9,400 US
| $40,800 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
87%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
3
| 8.7
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
17.1%
| 29.6%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
NA
| Frank Lowy & family ($2.7bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
13.100%
| 5.100%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
democratic republic
| federal parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
| 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
| Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
|
| Languages |
Spanish
| English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
|
| Exports |
ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
| coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
|
| External Debt |
$14,420,000,000 $
| $1,376,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Dominican pesos (DOP) per US dollar - 34.775 (2008 est.), 33.113 (2007), 33.406 (2006), 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004)
| Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.700%
| 3.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
2
| 46
|
| Location |
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
| Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
|
| Area |
48,670 km sq
| 7,741,220 km sq
|
| Coastline |
1,288 km
| 25,760 km
|
| Climate |
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
| generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
|
|
|
|
