eso (plural--pesos); 1 Dominican peso
(RD$) = 100 centavos

_#_Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US$1--11.850 (January 1991),
8.290 (1990), 6.3400 (1989), 6.1125 (1988), 3.8448 (1987), 2.9043 (1986),
3.1126 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 1,655 km total in numerous segments; 4 different gauges
from 0.558 m to 1.435 m

_#_Highways: 12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and
improved earth, 600 km unimproved

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km

_#_Ports: Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata

_#_Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,326
GRT/38,661 DWT

_#_Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 44 total, 30 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: relatively efficient domestic system based on
islandwide radio relay network; 190,000 telephones; stations--120 AM, no
FM, 18 TV, 6 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,963,260; 1,241,370 fit for
military service; 81,083 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $70 million, 1% of GDP (1990)
_%_
_@_Ecuador
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes
Galapagos Islands

_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada

_#_Land boundaries: 2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

_#_Coastline: 2,237 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and
Galapagos Islands;

Territorial sea: 200 nm

_#_Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute

_#_Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland

_#_Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands
(Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)

_#_Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber

_#_Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures
17%; forest and woodland 51%; other 23% ; includes irrigated 2%

_#_Environment: subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic
activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts

_#_Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in wo