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NAVIGATION
Dominican Republic
Republica Dominicana
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: none local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: none |
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Government type:
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representative democracy |
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Capital:
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Santo Domingo |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 27 February (1844) |
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Constitution:
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28 November 1966 |
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Legal system:
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based on French civil codes |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and police cannot vote |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); 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; election last held 16 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2004) election results: Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected president; percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6% |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected by a Council made up of members of the legislative and executive branches with the president presiding) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Collective of Popular Organizations or COP |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo GUILIANI Cury
consulate(s): Mobile and Ponce (Puerto Rico) consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Jacksonville, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL
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 |
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Flag description:
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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 is at the center of the cross |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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The Dominican economy experienced dramatic growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoy 40% of national income. A US $500 million foreign bond issue in September 2001 will contribute to increased public investment spending. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $50 billion (2001 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.5% (2001 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 11%
industry: 34% services: 55% (2000) (2000) |
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Population below poverty line:
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25% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 40% (1989) (1989) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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47 (1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.3 million - 2.6 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services and government 59%, industry 24%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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15% (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.9 billion
expenditures: $3.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2% (2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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9.475 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 87%
hydro: 13% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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8,812.029 million kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs |
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Exports:
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$5.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods |
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Exports - partners:
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US 87.3%, Netherlands 1.1%, Canada 0.7%, France 0.7% (2000 est.) |
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Imports:
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$8.7 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals |
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Imports - partners:
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US 60.5%, Japan 10.4%, Mexico 4.7%, Venezuela 3% (2000 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$5.4 billion (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$239.6 million (1995) (1995) |
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Currency:
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Dominican peso (DOP) |
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Currency code:
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DOP |
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Exchange rates:
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Dominican pesos per US dollar - 17.310 (January 2002), 16.952 (2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.033 (1999), 15.267 (1998), 14.265 (1997) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |