CAPITAL: Santo Domingo.

FLAG: The national flag, adopted in 1844, consists of a white cross superimposed on a field of four rectangles, the upper left and lower right in blue, the upper right and lower left in red. The national seal is in the center of the white cross.

ANTHEM: Himno Nacional, beginning "Quisqueyanos valientes, alcemos nuestro canto" ("Valiant Dominicans, let us raise our song").

MONETARY UNIT: The Dominican peso (rd$) of 100 centavos is a paper currency. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavos and 1 peso, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 pesos. rd$1 = us$0.07258 (us$1 = rd$13.777).

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard, but US and Spanish weights are widely used in commercial transactions.

HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Epiphany, 6 January; Altagracia Day, 21 January; Duarte Day, 26 January; Independence Day, 27 February; Labor Day, 1 May; Restoration of Independence, 16 August; Day of Our Lady of Las Mercedes, 24 September; All Saints' Day, 1 November; Christmas, 25 December. Movable religious holidays include Good Friday and Corpus Christi.

TIME: Eastern Daylight Savings Time is maintained throughout the year; 8 am = noon GMT.

Source Database: Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations

Table of Contents
AGRICULTURE | ARMED FORCES | CLIMATE | DOMESTICATED ANIMALS | ECONOMY | EDUCATION | ENERGY AND POWER | ENVIRONMENT | ETHNIC GROUPS | FAMOUS DOMINICANS | FISHING | FORESTRY | FURTHER READINGS | GOVERNMENT | HEALTH | HISTORY | HOUSING | INCOME | INDUSTRY | JUDICIAL SYSTEM | LABOR | LANGUAGES | LOCATION AND SIZE | MEDIA | MIGRATION | MINING | PLANTS AND ANIMALS | POLITICAL PARTIES | POPULATION | RELIGIONS | SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | SOURCE CITATION | TOPOGRAPHY | TOURISM AND RECREATION | TRANSPORTATION | VIEW MULTIMEDIA FILE(S)

LOCATION AND SIZE

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti occupies the western part) and includes the islands of Beata, Catalina, and Saona, in the Caribbean Sea, and several islets. It has an area of 48,730 square kilometers (18,815 square miles), slightly more than twice the size of the state of New Hampshire. The Dominican Republic has a total boundary length of 1,563 kilometers (969 miles). Its capital city, Santo Domingo, is located on its southern coast.

TOPOGRAPHY

The Dominican Republic is generally mountainous, with deserts in the extreme western regions. The principal mountain range is the Cordillera Central, running from east to west. Between the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Septentriona lies a valley, known for the excellent quality of its soil. The country contains both the highest mountain in the West Indies, Pico Duarte at 3,174 meters (10,414 feet), and the lowest-lying lake, Lago Enriquillo, at 46 meters (151 feet) below sea level. The Yaque del Norte and the Yaque del Sur are the principal rivers.

GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Size ranking: 127 of 192

Highest elevation: 3,174 meters (10,414 feet) at Pico Duarte

Lowest elevation: -46 meters (-151 feet) at Lago Enriquillo

Arable land: 21%

Permanent crops: 9%

Permanent pastures: 43%

Forests: 12%

Other: 15%

Average annual precipitation: 138.6 centimeters (54.6 inches)

Average temperature in January: 23.9°c (75.0°f)

Average temperature in July: 26.7°c (80.1°f)

Arable land: Land used for temporary crops, like meadows for mowing or pasture, gardens, and greenhouses. Permanent crops: Land cultivated with crops that occupy its use for long periods, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, fruit and nut orchards, and vineyards. Permanent pastures: Land used permanently for forage crops. Forests: Land containing stands of trees. Other: Any land not specified, including built-on areas, roads, and barren land.

CLIMATE

Average minimum and maximum temperatures range from 18-29°c (64-84°f) in the winter and from 23-35°c (73-95°f) in the summer. The coastal plain has an annual mean temperature of 26°c (79°f), while in the Cordillera Central the climate is temperate and the mean is 20°c (68°f). Rainfall varies from 43 centimeters (17 inches) annually in the western areas to 208 centimeters (82 inches) in the northeast.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Dense rainforests are common in the wetter areas; scrub woodland thrives along the drier slopes; and savanna vegetation is found on the open plains. Dominican mahogany and resinous pine trees grow in the high mountains. The rare hutia (a small rodent) and herds of wild boar are found in the mountainous areas. Lake Enriquillo is the natural habitat of large flocks of flamingos. Spanish mackerel, mullet, bonito, and yellowtail snapper are found in the surrounding waters.

ENVIRONMENT

United Nations sources report that, as of 1993, the nation was losing 20,000 hectares per year of its forest lands largely due to commercial development. The problem of deforestation is linked to the nation's decreasing water supply since forests help stop the loss of surface water. As of 1994, the Dominican Republic has an inadequate water supply. The country has 4.8 cubic miles of water with 89% used for farming.

In 1994, one mammal species, five bird species, and four types of reptiles were considered endangered, as were 62 plant species in 1993.

HISTORY

The island of Hispaniola was first settled by the nomadic and warlike Carib Amerindians and later by the agricultural and peace-loving Arawaks. Christopher Columbus discovered the island and claimed it for Spain in 1492. Santo Domingo, the oldest city in the New World, was founded four years later. By 1517, Hispaniola had become the springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. The Amerindian population dwindled and was replaced by African slaves.

The importance of Hispaniola declined during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, now known as Haiti. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1795, Spain ceded the rest of the island--by then called Santo Domingo--to France. Haiti gained its independence from France in 1804, with the rest of the island gaining independence five years later in 1809. However, after a brief attempt at independence, the Dominicans once again fell to Spain, under the Treaty of Paris (1814).

INDEPENDENCE FROM HAITI

In 1821, the Dominicans, led by José Múñez de Cáceres, again proclaimed their independence. They sought to become part of Simón Bolívar's Republic of Gran Colombia, but in 1822 the Haitians conquered the entire island. The Dominicans withstood 22 years of harsh Haitian rule. Then, taking advantage of a Haitian civil war in 1843, they established the Dominican Republic as an independent state under the leadership of Juan Pablo Duarte.

For the remainder of the nineteenth century, the new republic had a succession of leaders. Each leader sought foreign protection against Haiti. As the twentieth century began, the Dominican Republic entered a stormy period characterized by political instability and increasing debt to the United States. A treaty signed after 1905 provided for repayment of the debt and in 1916 the United States set up a military government on the island. It ruled until 12 July 1924, when sovereignty was restored to the nation.

TRUJILLO'S ERA

In 1930, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina was elected president. For the next 31 years, he ruled the Dominican Republic either directly or indirectly. At one point Trujillo arranged for his brother to become president and then, in 1960, installed Joaquín Balaguer as president. However, no matter who was the president, Trujillo was in control. Under Trujillo and his associates, the country achieved some economic progress. However, they brutally suppressed fundamental human rights. Only one party was allowed, the press was totally controlled, and constant purges weeded out all but his most loyal supporters.

Trujillo was assassinated on 30 May 1961. A period of instability followed as various military and political factions competed for power. With anarchy--and rumored communist intervention--threatening, the United States sent 23,000 troops into the Dominican Republic. Balaguer went into exile. Within weeks, the Organization of American States (OAS) had set up an Inter-America Peace Force in the country, and order was restored to the country. After the 1966 elections, all US and OAS troops left the island.

In the 1978 elections, the major opposition parties remained active and vocal. Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández of the PRD (Dominican Revolutionary Party) won with a 158,000-vote plurality, and his party gained a majority in the Chamber of Deputies.

During Guzmán's term, political prisoners were freed, press censorship was practically abolished, and political parties engaged in open activity. At the same time, however, there were mounting economic difficulties. These economic problems were aggravated by two hurricanes in 1979, which together left 1,300 people dead, 500 missing, and 100,000 homeless. In May 1982, a left-wing PRD senator, Salvador Jorge Blanco, was elected president.

President Blanco's administration struggled with the country's growing foreign debt and other economic difficulties. In May 1986, former president Joaquín Balaguer was returned to office with 41.6% of the vote. Balaguer embarked on an ambitious program of public works that created employment for nearly 100,000 people. But by 1988, inflation was on the rise, and the peso had become unstable.

In 1990, Balaguer won a narrow, hotly contested victory amid claims of fraud by the opposition. His unpopular economic reforms brought national strikes in August and November of 1990, and demands for resignation. Balaguer won another term in 1994 but the electoral board voided the election results. A new election in 1996 brought Leonel Fernandez to power.

Although economic reforms were introduced in 1994, unemployment remained a problem and many Dominicans left for the United States and Puerto Rico. In 1996, the government announced that it would sell off 27 state-owned enterprises to private companies. In the mid-1990s, the Dominican Republic became the main shipping point for illegal drugs smuggled into the eastern United States. In September 1998, Hurricane Georges left an estimated 180 people dead and destroyed 90% of food crops.

MIGRATION

The number of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic has been estimated at between 500,000 and 1 million. In 1990 there were 357,000 Dominican-born people living in the United States (estimates of the Dominican population in the United States ranged as high as 1 million).

ARMED FORCES

The army of 15,000 is organized into 4 infantry brigades and 4 independent battalions. The air force has 5,500 personnel and is equipped with 10 combat aircraft of United States and United Kingdom origin. Four thousand people serve in the navy. They have 17 coastal defense ships and 2 auxiliaries. The national police number 15,000. In 1995, the armed forces budget was $112 million.

GOVERNMENT

The constitution of 28 November 1966 established a republic consisting of 26 provinces and a single National District. The government is controlled by the chief executive, a president directly elected for a four-year term. The National Congress consists of a 30-member Senate and a 120-member Chamber of Deputies.

JUDICIAL SYSTEM

The judicial system is headed by a Supreme Court with nine judges, and serves as the highest court of appeals. There are 26 provincial courts.

POLITICAL PARTIES

The Dominican Republic's four major parties are all closely linked to specific political leaders. The Social Christian Reform Party (Partido Reformista Social Christiano--PRSC) is led by Trujillo-era politician Joaquín Balaguer.

The Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano--PRD) was founded by Juan Bosch, although he eventually resigned from it to form the Dominican Liberation Party (Partido de la Liberación Dominicana--PLD). The Independent Revolutionary Party (PRI) was the vehicle for Jacobo Majluta Azar, who served as president briefly in 1982.

TOURISM AND RECREATION

The Dominican Republic has more world-class hotels than any other Caribbean nation. The country was estimated to have attracted 1.71 million visitors in 1994 and to have generated revenues of approximately $1.14 billion. In 1991, hotel rooms numbered 22,555. The Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center is one of the best-equipped sports facilities in the Caribbean.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Social assistance is administered by the Department of Public Health and Welfare, which administers medical, disability, maternity, old age, and survivors' benefits, as well as workers' compensation. An Institute for the Development of Women was created in 1975.

Haitian immigrants face discrimination. Human rights violations include police brutality, arbitrary detention, and mistreatment of suspects in custody.

ETHNIC GROUPS

Ethnic divisions were estimated in 1986 at 16% white, 11% black, and 73% mulatto.

LANGUAGES

Spanish is the official language, although some English is spoken in the capital. A Creole dialect is used along the Haitian border.

RELIGIONS

In 1993, over 90% of the population said they were Roman Catholics. Protestants, including Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists, accounted for another 1%. Followers of spirit worship and voodoo number about 60,000.

TRANSPORTATION

The national highway system is the dominant means of inland public transportation. In 1996 there were 5,800 kilometers (3,600 miles) of paved roads. In 1995, 120,000 passenger cars and 80,000 commercial vehicles were licensed. During the same year, 757 kilometers (470 miles) of railways were in service.

The Santo Domingo, Andrés, and Haina Arriba harbors handle the vast majority of imports. The Dominican merchant fleet had one ship of 1,587 gross registered tons in 1995. Dominicana de Aviación provides international service from Las Americas International Airport, east of Santo Domingo. There are also international airports at Puerto Plata and La Romana.

FAMOUS DOMINICANS

Juan Pablo Duarte (1813-76) is a hero of the Dominican Republic's fight for independence from Haiti in 1844. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (1891-1961) was the country's dominant political figure from 1930 until his assassination on 30 May 1961.

Juan Bautista Alfonseca (1810-75), the father of Dominican music, was the first composer to make use of Dominican folklore. Juan Marichal (b.1938) achieved fame in the United States as a baseball pitcher. In 1998, Sammy Sosa (b.1969) hit 66 home runs while playing for the Chicago Cubs, earning him second place in home runs hit in a single season.

EDUCATION

The 1995 estimated adult illiteracy rate was 18%. Nine years of education is compulsory. In 1994 there were 4,001 primary schools with 42,135 teachers and 1.5 million students. In addition to the state-run Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, there are four private universities.

HEALTH

During 1985-95, 80% of the population had access to health care services. There is 1 doctor for every 949 people. Average life expectancy is 71 years.

HOUSING

Rapid population growth and migration to urban areas have combined to create an increasingly serious housing shortage. The 1979 and 1998 hurricanes prompted a construction boom to replace units that had been destroyed by the storms.

POPULATION

The population in mid-1998 was estimated at 8 million. For the year 2005, a population of 8.9 million is projected. The estimated population density in 1998 was 165 persons per square kilometer (427 persons per square mile). Santo Domingo, the capital and largest city, had an estimated metropolitan population of 3.2 million in 1995; the Santiago de los Caballeros area had 1.3 million residents.

MEDIA

In 1995 there were 120 AM and 40 FM radio stations and 18 television stations. There were also approximately 1.3 million radios and 650,000 televisions. In 1995 there were some 552,200 telephones.

The daily newspapers of the Dominican Republic are rated by the Inter-American Press Association as among the freest in Latin America. The leading daily is El Caribe (circulation 75,000 in 1995). Two other major newspapers are El Nacional (circulation 45,000), and the Listín Diario (about 60,000).

AGRICULTURE

After Cuba, the Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean producer of sugarcane, the nation's most important commercial crop. In 1995, sugarcane production was 544.2 million tons.

Coffee, cocoa and tobacco are also grown for export. In 1996, production of coffee was 47,400 tons. In 1996, 58,000 tons of cocoa beans and 17,000 tons of tobacco were produced. Production of other crops in 1995 (in thousands of tons) included rice paddy, 523; coconuts, 185; and tomatoes, 94.

DOMESTICATED ANIMALS

In 1995, Dominican livestock included 570,000 goats, 135,000 sheep, and 950,000 hogs. In that year, 48,000 tons of beef and about 429,000 tons of milk were produced.

ENERGY AND POWER

With no coal and little petroleum, the country has depended upon imported diesel oil for its electrical energy. Electricity production in 1994 was 6.18 billion kilowatt hours. Steam thermal units supply about 70% of the nation's energy needs.

FISHING

The fishing industry is relatively undeveloped, and fish for local consumption are imported. In 1994, the total marine catch was 19,435 tons. Marlin, barracuda, kingfish, mackerel, tuna, sailfish, and tarpon are found in the Monte Cristi Bank and Samaná Bay.

FORESTRY

Practically all the timber cut is for land clearing and fuel.

MINING

The Dominican Republic has a variety of mineral resources. Production, however, has stagnated since the mid-1980s. In 1994 about 30,050 tons of nickel were mined, production of gold was 1,300 kilograms (2,860 pounds), and silver output was 10,000 kilograms (22,000 pounds).

ECONOMY

Manufacturing and agriculture are the mainstays of the economy.

Light manufacturing contributes an important share of national production, exports, and employment. In 1994 and 1995, the country's economy rapidly grew, due to the expansion of tourism, mining, and the export processing zones. Overall economic performance was positive in 1996, with the economy growing by 7.3%. Hurricane Georges in 1998 destroyed an estimated 90% of agricultural crops, and triggered a setback in the growth of the economy.

INCOME

In 1995, the Dominican Republic's gross national product (GNP) was $11.4 billion at current prices, or about $1,600 per person. For the period 1985-95 the average inflation rate was 26.3%, resulting in a real growth rate in GNP of 2.1% per person.

INDUSTRY

Manufacturing is limited largely to the processing of agricultural and mineral commodities. Including the processing of sugar, food processing represents more than half of total industrial production. Smaller plants, directed mainly toward the local market, produce flour, textiles, powdered and condensed milk, ceramics, aluminum furniture, concrete blocks, earthenware pipes and tiles, air conditioners, barbed wire, and other products.

Manufacturing accounts for 17% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Output increased by 4% in 1996, aided by an improvement in the sugar industry.

LABOR

The labor force in 1992 consisted of about 3.24 million persons. In 1991, 50% were engaged in agriculture (producing 13% of the gross domestic product or GDP); 18% in industry (producing 32% of GDP); and 32% in services and government (producing 55% of GDP). Unemployment was estimated at 30% of the work force in 1995. In 1996, only 10% of the Dominican work force was unionized.

FOREIGN TRADE

The country's trade balance has traditionally been in deficit. The country remains subject to rising and falling export revenues, since the government's efforts to free exports from the ups and downs of the commodities market have not yet succeeded. In 1996, exports amounted to $88 million while imports totaled $3.30 billion. Principal trade partners include the United States, Venezuela, Netherlands Antilles, and Mexico.