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Language: Español

Country Profile Dominican Republic

Capital: Santo Domingo
Population: 9,650,054 (July 2009 est.)
Currency: Dominican pesos (DOP)
Language: Spanish
Time zone: UTC-4
Government: democratic republic
Chief of State: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna

GDP real growth rate :
- 4.5% (2008 est.)
- 8.5% (2007 est.)
- 10.7% (2006 est.)
Exports: $7.17 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Main Export Partners(2007):
- US 66.4%
- Belgium 3.7%
- Finland 3.2%
Imports: $16.02 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
Main Import partners(2007):
- US 46%
- Venezuela 8.1%
- Mexico 5.9%
- Colombia 4.7%
Dialing Country code: +1-809
Emergency numbers: 911
National Airline: Air Dominicana
Voltage: 110 volts-recommended surge protection

Detailed country profile

ECONOMY

GDP real growth rate:

4.5% (2008 est.)
8.5% (2007 est.)
10.7% (2006 est.)

GDP-Composition by sector(2008)

Agriculture: 11.3%
Industry: 23.5%
Services: 65.2%

Labor force by occupation(2005):

Agriculture: 14.6%
Industry: 22.3%
Services: 63.1%

Agriculture products:

Sugarcane
Coffee
Cotton
Cocoa
Tobacco
Rice
Beans
Potatoes
Corn
Bananas
Cattle
Pigs
Dairy products
Beef
Eggs

Industries:

Tourism
Sugar processing
Ferronickel and gold mining
Textiles
Cement
Tobacco

Exports: $7.17 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Export Commodities

Ferronickel
Sugar
Gold
Silver
Coffee
Cocoa
Tobacco
Meats
Consumer goods

Main Export Partners(2007):

US 66.4%
Belgium 3.7%
Finland 3.2%

Imports:$16.02 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Import commodities:

Foodstuffs
Petroleum
Cotton and fabrics
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals

Import partners(2007):

US 46%
Venezuela 8.1%
Mexico 5.9%
Colombia 4.7%

Ports and Terminal:

Boca Chica
Caucedo
Puerto Plata
Rio Haina
Santo Domingo

Unemployment rate:15.4% (2008 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Government Type: Democratic republic

Executive Branch:

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
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 2008 (next to be held in May 2012)

Legal system:

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

GEOGRAPHY

Land Boundaries: Total: 360 km

Border country:Haiti 360 km

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

Environment and international agreement:

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

Environment and current issues:

Water shortages
Soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs
Deforestation

PEOPLE

Ethnic groups:

Mixed 73%
White 16%
Black 11%

Languages:Spanish

Religion:

Roman Catholic 95%
Other 5%

HISTORY

Express History

Explored and claimed by Christopher 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. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER 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. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term.

Source: The world factbook www.cia.gov