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| Destinations >> Dominican Republic >> Dominican Republic Facts |
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Area: Total: 48,730 sq km, Land: 48,380 sq km, Water: 350 sq km
Land boundaries: Total: 275 k
Border countries: Haiti 275
Capital: Santo Domingo
Climate: Maritime semitropical, with an average yearly temperature of 80 F
Currency: Dominican peso
Ethnic groups: European - 16%
African origin - 11% Mixed - 73% Government type: Representative Democracy
Independence: February 27, 1844 (from Haiti)
Language: Spanish
Phone Code: International access code-809
Political parties and leaders: Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) - Leonel Fernandez Reyna Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC) Population: 8,950,034 (as of July, 2005) Religion Official: Roman Catholic (95%)
Other - Protestant, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist, and Mormon Tourism: In 2006, tourist arrivals increased by 16 percent with 4.4 million guests choosing the Dominican Republic as their top vacation spot. In addition, the number of visitors to the DR from the U.S. remains steady, with more than one million for the second consecutive year. The DR was also named “Caribbean's Number One Destination” in 2006, a title given by the World Tourism Organization and one that was owned by Puerto Rico for the last forty years. MORE FACTS Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed.
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m Highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use: Arable Land: 21% Permanent crops: 9% Permanent pastures: 43% Forests and woodland: 12% Other: 15% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 2,300 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: occasional hurricanes (July to October)
Environment--current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
Environment--international agreements:
Party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, 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 Population: 7,998,766 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35% (male 1,435,698; female 1,382,377) 15-64 years: 60% (male 2,452,310; female 2,379,991) 65 years and over: 5% (male 165,602; female 182,788) (July 1998 est.) Population growth rate: 1.63% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 26.42 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female (1998 est.) Infant mortality rate: 44.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 69.73 years
Male: 67.53 years Female: 72.04 years (1998 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.06 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: Noun: Dominican(s) Adjective: Dominican Ethnic groups: white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish
faf Literacy: Definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 82.1% Male: 82% Female: 82.2% (1995 est.) Government Country name: Conventional long form: Dominican Republic Local long form: República Dominicana
Data code: DR Government type: republic National capital: Santo Domingo
Administrative divisions:
29 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabón, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elías Piña, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, María Trinidad Sánchez, Monseñor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samaná, Sánchez Ramírez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro de Macorís, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde. Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Constitution: 28 November 1966
Legal system: based on French civil codes
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age. Note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote. |
Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti.
