Dominican Republic
Republica Dominicana
representative democracyIndependence 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Dominican Republic as the 2003 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 119 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
18 fieldsLand useshare of 48,730 sq km
Location
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
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
19 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2003 est.)
Male · female
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.)
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.)
Government
Representative democracy; President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 149 seats, elected 16 May 2002one 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 terms; 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 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 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 [Eduardo ESTRELLA]
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
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
Economy
The Dominican Republic's economy experienced dramatic growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998.
37 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2001)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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.
Labor force - by occupation
services and government 58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.)
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Exports - commodities
ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
Exchange rates
Dominican pesos per US dollar - 18.61 (2002), 16.95 (2001), 16.42 (2000), 16.03 (1999), 15.27 (1998)
Communications
8 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 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 1,503 km
- standard gauge:
- 375 km 1.435-m gauge; note:: 986 km also operated by sugar companies in 1.076-m, 0.889-m, and 0.762-m gauges (2002)
- narrow gauge:
- 142 km 0.762-m gauge
Merchant marine
- total:
- 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
- ships by type:
- cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
despite efforts to control illegal migration, destitute Haitians continue to cross into the Dominican Republic
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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Dominican Republic.” The World Factbook 2003. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/dominican-republic/2003.