Dominican Republic

Airports

44 total, 30 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

14 major transport aircraft

Highways

12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved earth, 600 km unimproved

Merchant marine

4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,326 GRT/38,661 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km

Ports

Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata

Railroads

1,655 km total in numerous segments; 4 different gauges from 0.558 m to 1.435 m

Telecommunications

relatively efficient domestic system based on islandwide radio relay network; 190,000 telephones; stations--120 AM, no FM, 18 TV, 6 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

Defense expenditures

$70 million, 1% of GDP (1990)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 1,963,260; 1,241,370 fit for military service; 81,083 reach military age (18) annually

Agriculture

accounts for 15% of GDP and employs 49% of labor force; sugarcane most important commercial crop, followed by coffee, cotton, cocoa, and tobacco; food crops--rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; animal output--cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not self-sufficient in food

Budget

revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million, including capital expenditures of $218 million (1988)

Currency

Dominican peso (plural--pesos); 1 Dominican peso (RD$) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-89), $576.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $569 million

Electricity

1,445,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates

Dominican pesos per US$1--11.850 (January 1991), 8.290 (1990), 6.3400 (1989), 6.1125 (1988), 3.8448 (1987), 2.9043 (1986), 3.1126 (1985)

Exports

$922 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--sugar, coffee, cocoa, gold, ferronickel; partners--US 60%, EC 19%, Puerto Rico 8% (1990)

External debt

$4.2 billion (1990 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$6.68 billion, per capita $940; real growth rate 4.2% (1989)

Imports

$1.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals; partners--US 50%

Industrial production

growth rate 2.3% (1989 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP

Industries

tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

70% (1990 est.)

Overview

The economy is largely dependent on trade; imported components average 60% of the value of goods consumed in the domestic market. Rapid growth of free trade zones has established a significant expansion of manufacturing for export, especially wearing apparel. Over the past decade tourism has also increased in importance and is a major earner of foreign exchange and a source of new jobs. Agriculture remains a key sector of the economy. The principal commercial crop is sugarcane, followed by coffee, cotton, cocoa, and tobacco. Domestic industry is based on the processing of agricultural products, durable consumer goods, minerals, and chemicals. Unemployment is officially reported at about 30%, but there is considerable underemployment. An increasing foreign debt burden and galloping inflation are the economy's greatest weaknesses.

Unemployment rate

29% (1990 est.)

Climate

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Coastline

1,288 km Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 6 nm

Comparative area

slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Environment

subject to occasional hurricanes (July to October); deforestation

Land use

arable land 23%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 43%; forest and woodland 13%; other 14%; includes irrigated 4%

Natural resources

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Note

shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

Terrain

rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Total area

48,730 km2; land area: 48,380 km2

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

Capital

Santo Domingo

Communists

an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members in several legal and illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences, organizational inadequacies, and severe funding shortages

Constitution

28 November 1966

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (serves concurrently as Vice President); Chancery at 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6280; there are Dominican Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Charlotte Amalie (Virgin Islands), Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, Mobile, Ponce (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Paul D. TAYLOR; Embassy at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo (mailing address is APO Miami 34041-0008); telephone [809] 541-2171

Executive branch

president, vice president, Cabinet

Flag

a centered white cross that extends to the edges, divides the flag into four rectangles--the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross

Independence

27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo (since 16 August 1986, fifth elected term began 16 August 1990); Vice President Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (since 16 August 1986) Major parties-- Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo; Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Jose Francisco PENA Gomez; Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan BOSCH Gavino; Independent Revolutionary Party (PRI), Jacobo MAJLUTA; Minor parties-- National Veterans and Civilian Party (PNVC), Juan Rene BEAUCHAMPS Javier; Liberal Party of the Dominican Republic (PLRD), Andres Van Der HORST; Democratic Quisqueyan Party (PQD), Elias WESSIN Chavez; Constitutional Action Party (PAC), Luis ARZENO Rodriguez; National Progressive Force (FNP), Marino VINICIO Castillo; Popular Christian Party (PPC), Rogelio DELGADO Bogaert; Dominican Communist Party (PCD), Narciso ISA Conde; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic Union (UPA), Ivan RODRIGUEZ; note--in 1983 several leftist parties, including the PCD, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID); however, they still retain individual party structures

Legal system

based on French civil codes

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Long-form name

Dominican Republic (no short-form name)

Member of

CARICOM (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (guest), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age 18 or if married; members of the armed forces and police cannot vote President--last held 16 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results--Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 35.7%, Juan BOSCH Gavino (PLD) 34.4%; Senate--last held 16 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(30 total) PRSC 16, PLD 12, PRD 2; Chamber of Deputies--last held 16 May 1990 (next to be held May 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(120 total) PLD 44, PRSC 41, PRD 33, PRI 2

Type

republic

Birth rate

27 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic divisions

mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%

Infant mortality rate

60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

2,300,000-2,600,000; agriculture 49%, services 33%, industry 18% (1986)

Language

Spanish

Life expectancy at birth

65 years male, 69 years female (1991)

Literacy

83% (male 85%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican

Net migration rate

- 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor

12% of labor force (1989 est.)

Population

7,384,837 (July 1991), growth rate 2.0% (1991)

Religion

Roman Catholic 95%

Total fertility rate

3.1 children born/woman (1991)