CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Dominican Republic


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!| 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. 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 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Haiti 360 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 10.33% other: 67.02% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea !| Geography - note:
 * Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
 * 19 00 N, 70 40 W
 * Central America and the Caribbean
 * total: 48,730 sq km
 * slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
 * total: 360 km
 * 1,288 km
 * territorial sea: 6 nm
 * tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
 * rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
 * lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
 * nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
 * arable land: 22.65%
 * 2,590 sq km (1998 est.)
 * lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
 * water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
 * shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 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: male: 23.5 years female: 23.9 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: 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: female: 30.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 35.75 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 65.98 years female: 69.35 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Dominican !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.)
 * 8,833,634 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 33.3% (male 1,502,062; female 1,435,135)
 * total: 23.7 years
 * 1.33% (2004 est.)
 * 23.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 33.28 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 67.63 years
 * 2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 1.7% (2003 est.)
 * 88,000 (2003 est.)
 * 7,900 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Dominican(s)
 * white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%
 * Roman Catholic 95%
 * Spanish
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote !| Executive branch: 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: 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: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s): Mobile consulate(s) general: Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, 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: 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:
 * conventional long form: Dominican Republic
 * representative democracy
 * Santo Domingo
 * 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
 * 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
 * Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
 * 28 November 1966, amended 25 July 2002
 * based on French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system
 * 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age
 * 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
 * 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)
 * Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by a the National Judicial Council comprised of the President, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing party member)
 * Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Vicente Sanchez BARET]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN]
 * Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Foundation for Institution-Building (FINJUS)
 * ACP, 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), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Flavio Dario Espinal JACOBO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 31.5% services: 57.8% (2003) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 37.9% (1998) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $3.353 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy which enjoyed GDP growth of more than 7% in 1998-2000. Growth subsequently plummeted as part of the global economic slowdown. 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% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy, the source of 87% of export revenues. Resumption of a badly needed IMF loan was slowed due to government repurchase of electrical power plants.
 * purchasing power parity - $52.71 billion (2003 est.)
 * -0.7% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 10.7%
 * 19.9% of GDP (2003)
 * 25%
 * lowest 10%: 2.1%
 * 47.4 (1998)
 * 27.5% (2003 est.)
 * 2.3 million - 2.6 million (2000 est.)
 * agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government 58.7% (1998 est.)
 * 16.5% (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $2.601 billion
 * 59.4% of GDP (2003)
 * sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
 * tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
 * 2% (2001 est.)
 * 9.186 billion kWh (2001)
 * 8.543 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 129,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $867 million (2003)
 * $5.524 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
 * US 83.8%, Canada 1.5%, Haiti 1.5% (2003)
 * $7.911 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
 * US 52.1%, Venezuela 11.9%, Mexico 4.7%, Colombia 4.2% (2003)
 * $261 million (2003)
 * $6.567 billion (2003 est.)
 * $239.6 million (1995)
 * Dominican peso (DOP)
 * DOP
 * Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.8307 (2003), 18.6098 (2002), 16.9516 (2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.0331 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 901,800 (2003)
 * 2,120,400 (2003)
 * general assessment: NA
 * AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
 * 1.44 million (1997)
 * 25 (2003)
 * 770,000 (1997)
 * .do
 * 64,197 (2003)
 * 24 (2000)
 * 500,000 (2003)
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!| Railways: 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: paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 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: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
 * total: 1,743 km
 * total: 12,600 km
 * Barahona, La Romana, Manzanillo, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo
 * total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,230 GRT/17,011 DWT
 * 31 (2003 est.)
 * total: 13
 * total: 18
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy, Air Force
 * 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 2,354,800 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,474,978 (2004 est.)
 * males: 90,434 (2004 est.)
 * $180 million (1998)
 * 1.1% (1998)
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