| World Regions |
|
Africa Middle East Europe Asia North America Central America The Caribbean South America Oceania World Map Cities Maps Flags Embassies Consulates |
| |
| Introduction | Dominican Republic |
| 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. |
| People | Dominican Republic |
| Population: | 8,833,634 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 33.3% (male 1,502,062; female 1,435,135) 15-64 years: 61.4% (male 2,767,880; female 2,658,861) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 219,230; female 250,466) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 23.7 years male: 23.5 years female: 23.9 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.33% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 23.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| 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 (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 33.28 deaths/1,000 live births female: 30.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 35.75 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 67.63 years male: 65.98 years female: 69.35 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.7% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 88,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 7,900 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican |
| Ethnic groups: | white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 95% |
| Languages: | Spanish |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Dominican Republic |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: none |
| Government type: | representative democracy |
| Capital: | Santo Domingo |
| Administrative divisions: | 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, 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, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde |
| Independence: | 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 27 February (1844) |
| Constitution: | 28 November 1966 |
| Legal system: | based on French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote |
| 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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; 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 Chamber of Deputies 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 NA May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected by a Council made up of members of the legislative and executive branches with the president presiding) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Eduardo ESTRELLA] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania) |
| International organization participation: | ACP, Caricom (observer), 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, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo GUILIANI Cury consulate(s): Mobile and Ponce (Puerto Rico) consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437 |
| Flag description: | a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon |
| Communications | Dominican Republic |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 901,800 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2,120,400 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | 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) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios: | 1.44 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 25 (2003) |
| Televisions: | 770,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .do |
| Internet hosts: | 64,197 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 24 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 500,000 (2003) |
| Transportation | Dominican Republic |
| Railways: | total: 1,743 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076-m, 0.889-m, and 0.762-m gauges (2003) narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge |
| Highways: | total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999) |
| Ports and harbors: | Barahona, La Romana, Manzanillo, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo |
| Merchant marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,230 GRT/17,011 DWT by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2 registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 |
| Airports: | 31 (2003 est.) |
| 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 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Dominican Republic |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 2,354,800 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,474,978 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 90,434 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $180 million (1998) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.1% (1998) |
| Transnational Issues | Dominican Republic |
| Disputes - international: | despite efforts to control illegal migration, destitute Haitians fleeing poverty and violence continue to cross into the Dominican Republic; illegal migration of Dominicans and other nationals across the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico has increased in the last year |
| 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
| Categories | |
|