The 2003 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
none
Ports and harbors:
Portsmouth, Roseau
Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)
Airports:
2 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
Military Dominica
Military branches:
Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (including Special Service
Unit, Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA%
Transnational Issues Dominica
Disputes - international:
protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island,
which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a
large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe;
minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak,
making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Dominican Republic
Introduction Dominican Republic
Background:
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 over the past
decade.
Geography Dominican Republic
Location:
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 70 40 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km
Coastline:
1,288 km
Maritime claims:
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
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: 21.08% permanent crops: 9.92% other: 69% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
2,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs;
deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage
Environment - international agreements:
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
Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the
Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti)
People Dominican Republic
Population:
8,715,602 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 33.6% (male 1,497,777; female 1,431,104)
15–64 years: 61.2% (male 2,719,505; female 2,614,495)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 212,045; female 240,676) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 23.5 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 23.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.36% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
23.94 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
−3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant