permanent pastures: 43%

forests and woodland: 12%

other: 15% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,300 sq km (1993 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)

Dominican Republic People

Population: 8,581,477 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.11% (male 1,495,477; female 1,431,406)

15-64 years: 60.99% (male 2,664,679; female 2,569,398)

65 years and over: 4.9% (male 199,240; female 221,277) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.63% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 24.77 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: 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 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 34.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.44 years

male: 71.34 years

female: 75.64 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.8% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,900 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Dominican(s)

adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups: white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%

Religions: Roman Catholic 95%

Languages: Spanish

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 82.1%

male: 82%

female: 82.2% (1995 est.)

Dominican Republic Government

Country name: conventional long form: Dominican Republic

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republica Dominicana

local short form: none

Government type: represen