and:
2,750 sq km (2003)

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

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

People Dominican Republic

Population:
9,183,984 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076)
15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.1 years
male: 24 years
female: 24.3 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.47% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
23.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.73 years
male: 70.21 years
female: 73.33 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
88,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,900 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

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

Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%

Languages:
Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.7%
male: 84.6%
female: 84.8% (2003 est.)

Government Dominican Republic

Country name:
conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: The Dominican
local long form: Republica Dominicana