The 2004 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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
Flag description:
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 featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a
palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield
a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God,
Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
appears on a red ribbon
Economy Dominican Republic
Economy - overview:
The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy
which enjoyed GDP growth of more than 7% in 1998–2000. Growth
subsequently plummeted as part of the global economic slowdown.
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% enjoys
nearly 40% of national income. Growth turned negative in 2003 with
reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US
economy, the source of 87% of export revenues. Resumption of a badly
needed IMF loan was slowed due to government repurchase of
electrical power plants.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $52.71 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
−0.7% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.7% industry: 31.5% services: 57.8% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
25%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
47.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
27.5% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
2.3 million - 2.6 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government 58.7%
(1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
16.5% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.601 billion
expenditures: $3.353 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1
billion (2003 est.)
Public debt:
59.4% of GDP (2003)
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
Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
9.186 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
8.543 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
129,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$867 million (2003)
Exports:
$5.524 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats,
consumer goods
Exports - partners:
US 83.8%, Canada 1.5%, Haiti 1.5% (2003)
Imports:
$7.911 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners:
US 52.1%, Venezuela 11.9%, Mexico 4.7%, Colombia 4.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$261 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$6.567 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$239.6 million (1995)
Currency:
Dominican peso (DOP)
Currency code:
DOP
Exchange rates:
Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.8307 (2003), 18.6098 (2002),
16.9516 (2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.0331 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Dominican Republic
Telephones - main lines in use:
901,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,120,400 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave
radio relay network
international: country code - 1–809; 1 coaxial submarine cable;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
1.44 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: