Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: none
representative democracyIndependence 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Dominican Republic as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free and open elections ushered in a new government.
Geography
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
18 fieldsLocation
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Land use
arable land: 21% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 43% forests and woodland: 12% other: 15% (1993 est.)
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
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note
shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti)
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 34.11% (male 1,495,477; female 1,431,406) 15-64 years: 60.99% (male 2,664,679; female 2,569,398) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 199,240; female 221,277) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 73.44 years male: 71.34 years female: 75.64 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.1% male: 82% female: 82.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Representative democracy; President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 149 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: none
Administrative divisions
- 29 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 Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde
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 Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000);
- Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000);
- note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000);
- Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000);
- 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 term;
- election last held 16 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2004) election results: Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected president;
- percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6%
Legislative branch
- bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2002);
- Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2002) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3;
- Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17
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 [Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo]
International organization participation
ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto Bienvenido SALADIN-SELIN chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280
FAX
[1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulate(s): Houston, Jacksonville, Mobile, and Ponce (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles T. MANATT 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
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 is at the center of the cross
Economy
The Dominican economy experienced dramatic growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
The Dominican 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 ten percent enjoy 40% of national income. In December 2000, the new MEJIA administration passed broad new tax legislation which it hopes will provide enough revenue to offset rising oil prices and to service foreign debt.
Labor force - by occupation
services and government 58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.)
Budget
revenues: $2.3 billion expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $867 million (1999 est.)
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Exchange rates
Dominican pesos per US dollar - 16.888 (January 2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.033 (1999), 15.267 (1998), 14.265 (1997), 13.775 (1996)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- NA domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave radio relay network international: 1 coaxial submarine cable;
- satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
9 fieldsRailways
total: 757 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge (Central Romana Railroad) narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic Government Railway) note: 240 km operated by sugar companies in various gauges (0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (2000)
Merchant marine
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsIllicit 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Dominican Republic.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/dominican-republic/2001.