The Facts

 República Dominicana

President: Leonel Fernández (2004)

Land area: 18,680 sq mi (48,381 sq km); total area: 18,815 sq mi (48,730 sq km)

Population (2008 est.): 9,507,133 (growth rate: 1.4%); birth rate: 22.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 26.9/1000; life expectancy: 73.3; density per sq mi: 196

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Santo Domingo, 2,851,300 (metro. area), 2,252,400 (city proper)

Other large city: Santiago de los Caballeros, 501,800

Monetary unit: Dominican Peso

Language: Spanish

Ethnicity/race: white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%

National Holiday: Independence Day, February 27

Religion: Roman Catholic 95%

Literacy rate: 85% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: 

GDP/PPP(2007 est.): $85.4 billion; per capita $9,200. 

Real growth rate: 7.2%.

Inflation: 5.8%. 

Unemployment:15.5%. 

Arable land: 23%.

Agriculture: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs. 

Labor force: 3.9 million (2007 est); services and government 58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.).

Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco.

Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver. 

Exports: $6.881 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods.

Imports: $12.89 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. 

Major trading partners: U.S., UK, Belgium, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico (2006).

Communications:

Telephones:main lines in use: 897,000 (2007); mobile cellular: 4.606 million (2006). 

Radio broadcast stations:AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998). 

Television broadcast stations: 25 (1997). 

Internet hosts: 81,218 (2007). 

Internet users: 1.232 (2006).

Transportation: Railways: total: 517 km (2006). 

Highways: total: 12,600 km; paved: 6,224 km; unpaved: 6,376 km (1999). 

Ports and harbors: Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo.

Airports: 34 (2007).

International disputes: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work.

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