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NAVIGATION
Dominican Republic
Republica Dominicana
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Explored and claimed by 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. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He 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. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
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Geographic coordinates:
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19 00 N, 70 40 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km |
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Coastline:
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1,288 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 6 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall |
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Terrain:
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rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m |
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Natural resources:
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nickel, bauxite, gold, silver |
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Land use:
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arable land: 21.08%
permanent crops: 9.92% other: 69% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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2,590 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography - note:
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shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti) |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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8,721,594 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 33.7% (male 1,503,344; female 1,439,157)
15-64 years: 61.3% (male 2,720,308; female 2,621,539) 65 years and over: 5% (male 206,556; female 230,690) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.61% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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24.4 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-3.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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33.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.68 years
female: 75.91 years (2002 est.) male: 71.57 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.94 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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2.8% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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130,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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4,900 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
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Ethnic groups:
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white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 95% |
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Languages:
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Spanish |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.1% male: 82% female: 82.2% (1995 est.) |