Dominican Republic

• tropical maritime;
• little seasonal temperature variation;
• seasonal variation in rainfall

• 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, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.038 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.042 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.868 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

noun:

Dominican(s)

adjective:

Dominican

conventional long form:

Dominican Republic

conventional short form:

The Dominican

local long form:

Republica Dominicana

local short form:

La Dominicana

name:

Santo Domingo

geographic coordinates:

18 28 N, 69 54 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• based on French civil codes;
• Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system;
• accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

• 18 years of age, universal and compulsory;
• married persons regardless of age;
• note - members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote

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)

cabinet:

Cabinet nominated by the president

elections:

• president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second consecutive term);
• election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008)

election results:

Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA 8.7%

• Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna];
• Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE];
• National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO];
• Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN]

• Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania);
• Collective of Popular Organizations or COP;
• Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo

chancery:

1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 332-6280

FAX:

[1] (202) 265-8057

consulate(s) general:

Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Roland W. BULLEN

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

• 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

agriculture:

17%

industry:

24.3%

services:

58.7% (1998 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.4%

highest 10%:

41.1% (2004)

general assessment:

relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network

domestic:

fixed telephone line density is about 10 per 100 persons; multiple providers of mobile cellular service with a subscribership of roughly 50 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 1-809;
• landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and US;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

total:

517 km

standard gauge:

375 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

142 km 0.762-m gauge

note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2006)

total:

12,600 km

paved:

6,224 km

unpaved:

6,376 km (1999)

total:

1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT

by type:

cargo 1

registered in other countries:

1 (Panama 1) (2007)

males age 18-49:

2,133,142

females age 18-49:

2,032,840 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

1,671,493

females age 18-49:

1,536,257 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

91,699

females age 18-49:

87,550 (2005 est.)

• Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the Dominican Republic to find work;
• illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find better work

• 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;
• significant amphetamine consumption