anuary 2002

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Dominican Republic

Introduction

Dominican Republic

Background: A legacy of unsettled, mostly nonrepresentative, rule for
much of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free and
open elections ushered in a new government.

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% permanent crops: 10% 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: 8,721,594 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.7% (male 1,503,344; female 1,439,157)
15-64 years: 61.3% (male 2,720,308; female 2,621,539) 65 years and over:
5% (male 206,556; female 230,690) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.61% (2002 est.)

Birth rate