National name: República Dominicana

President: Leonel Fernández (2004)

Land area: 18,680 sq mi (48,381 sq km); total area: 18,815 sq mi (48,730 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 9,183,984 (growth rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 23.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 28.2/1000; life expectancy: 71.7; density per sq mi: 492

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Santo Domingo, 2,851,300 (metro. area), 2,252,400 (city proper)

Other large city: Santiago de los Caballeros, 501,800

Monetary unit: Dominican Peso

Language: Spanish

Ethnicity/race: white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%

Religion: Roman Catholic 95%

Literacy rate: 85% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $60 billion; per capita $6,,600. Real growth rate: 6.5%. Inflation: 4.3%. Unemployment: 17%. Arable land: 23%. Agriculture: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs. Labor force: 2.3 million to 2.6 million (2000 est); services and government 58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.). Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco. Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver. Exports: $5.818 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods. Imports: $9.747 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Major trading partners: U.S., South Korea, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 901,800 (2003); mobile cellular: 2,120,400 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 25 (1997). Internet hosts: 64,197 (2003). Internet users: 500,000 (2003).

Transportation: Railways: total: 1,743 km (2004). Highways: total: 12,600 km; paved: 6,224 km; unpaved: 6,376 km (1999). Ports and harbors: Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo. Airports: 31 (2004 est.).

International disputes: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work.

 

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