The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of the Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories. Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821 but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the US led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in the presidential election. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (first term 1996-2000) won election to a new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was later reelected to a second consecutive term. In 2012, Danilo MEDINA Sanchez became president; he was reelected in 2016.

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

19 00 N, 70 40 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

1,288 km

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

highest point: Pico Duarte 3,098 m

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

arable land 16.6%; permanent crops 10.1%; permanent pasture 24.8%

3,070 sq km (2012)

coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation

shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti); the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba); geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo

10,734,247 (July 2017 est.)

mixed 70.4% (mestizo/indio 58%, mulatto 12.4%), black 15.8%, white 13.5%, other 0.3%

Spanish (official)

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

1.18% (2017 est.)

18.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

SANTO DOMINGO (capital) 2.945 million (2015)

21.3 years

92 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.29 children born/woman (2017 est.)

69.5% (2014)

4.4% of GDP (2014)

1.49 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

1.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

urban: 85.4% of population

rural: 81.9% of population

total: 84.7% of population

urban: 14.6% of population

rural: 18.1% of population

total: 15.3% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 86.2% of population

rural: 75.7% of population

total: 84% of population

urban: 13.8% of population

rural: 24.3% of population

total: 16% of population (2015 est.)

1% (2016 est.)

67,000 (2016 est.)

2,200 (2016 est.)

27.6% (2016)

4% (2013)

2.1% of GDP (2007)

presidential republic

10 regions (regiones, singular - region); Cibao Nordeste, Cibao Noroeste, Cibao Norte, Cibao Sur, El Valle, Enriquillo, Higuamo, Ozama, Valdesia, Yuma

27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

many previous (38 total); latest proclaimed 26 January 2010; note - the Dominican Republic Government has a practice of promulgating a "new" constitution whenever an amendment is ratified (2016)

civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age can vote; note - members of the armed forces and national police by law cannot vote

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 106, PRM 42, PRSC 18, PRD 16, PLRD 3, other 5

Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]

Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Miguel VARGAS Maldonado]

Institutional Social Democratic Bloc or BIS

Liberal Reformist Party or PRL

Modern Revolutionary Party or PRM [Andres BAUTISTA Garcia]

National Progressive Front or FNP [Vinicio CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]

Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Federico ANTUN]

Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania)

Collective of Popular Organizations or COP

Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice or FINJUS

ACP, AOSIS, BCIE, Caricom (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OAS, OIF (observer), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA (associated member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are ultramarine blue (hoist side) and vermilion red, and the bottom ones are vermilion red (hoist side) and ultramarine blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by a laurel branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon; in the shield a bible is opened to a verse that reads "Y la verdad nos hara libre" (And the truth shall set you free); blue stands for liberty, white for salvation, and red for the blood of heroes

palmchat (bird); national colors: red, white, blue

The Dominican Republic was for most of its history primarily an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, but in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in construction, tourism, and free trade zones. The mining sector has also played a greater role in the export market since late 2012 with the commencement of the extraction phase of the Pueblo Viejo Gold and Silver mine, one of the largest gold mines in the world. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GDP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of GDP. High unemployment, a large informal sector, and underemployment remain important long-term challenges.

The economy is highly dependent upon the US, the destination for approximately half of exports. Remittances from the US amount to about 7% of GDP, equivalent to about a third of exports and two-thirds of tourism receipts. The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement came into force in March 2007, boosting investment and manufacturing exports.

The Dominican Republic's economy rebounded from the global recession in 2010-16, and the fiscal situation is improving. A tax reform package passed in November 2012, a reduction in government spending, and lower energy costs helped to narrow the central government budget deficit from 6.6% of GDP in 2012 to 2.6% in 2016. A liability management operation in January 2015, in which the government paid down over $4 billion of the country’s Petrocaribe debt at a discount of 52% with proceeds from the sale of $2.5 billion in global bonds, reduced the country’s debt load by approximately by 4% of GDP. Since 2015 the Dominican Republic has posted the fastest economic growth in Latin America.

$161.9 billion (2016 est.)

$149.9 billion (2015 est.)

$138.5 billion (2014 est.)

$71.67 billion (2016 est.)

6.6% (2016 est.)

7% (2015 est.)

7.6% (2014 est.)

$16,100 (2016 est.)

$15,200 (2015 est.)

$14,400 (2014 est.)

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

tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco, electrical components, medical devices

7.3% (2016 est.)

4.639 million (2016 est.)

5.5% (2016 est.)

14% (2015 est.)

30.5% (2016 est.)

47.1 (2013 est.)

45.7 (2012 est.)

14.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

-2.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

47.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

44.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

1.6% (2016 est.)

0.8% (2015 est.)

15.08% (31 December 2016 est.)

14.88% (31 December 2015 est.)

$6.491 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$5.986 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$19.81 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$18.43 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$33.6 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$30.9 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

$-1.066 billion (2016 est.)

$-1.299 billion (2015 est.)

$9.86 billion (2016 est.)

$9.442 billion (2015 est.)

gold, silver, cocoa, sugar, coffee, tobacco, meats, consumer goods

US 47.3%, Haiti 12%, Canada 7.8%, India 6.2% (2016)

$17.48 billion (2016 est.)

$16.91 billion (2015 est.)

petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals

US 40.4%, China 12.5%, Mexico 5.2% (2016)

$6.134 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$5.266 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$27.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$26.63 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$33.56 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$31.04 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$387.8 million (31 December 2016 est.)

$272 million (31 December 2015 est.)

Dominican pesos (DOP) per US dollar -

46.078 (2016 est.)

46.078 (2015 est.)

45.052 (2014 est.)

43.556 (2013 est.)

39.34 (2012 est.)

15.53 billion kWh (2015 est.)

13.25 billion kWh (2015 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

3.732 million kW (2015 est.)

80.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

16.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

5.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

27,440 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)

27,060 bbl/day (2014 est.)

114,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

84,370 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

1.895 billion cu m (2015 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

1.108 billion cu m (2015 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

22 million Mt (2013 est.)

combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media; 1 state-owned TV network and a number of private TV networks; networks operate repeaters to extend signals throughout country; combination of state-owned and privately owned radio stations with more than 300 radio stations operating (2015)

.do

HI (2016)

36 (2013)

1 (2013)

gas 27 km; oil 103 km (2013)

0.64% of GDP (2016)

0.67% of GDP (2015)

0.67% of GDP (2014)

0.62% of GDP (2013)

0.65% of GDP (2012)

Army (Ejercito Nacional, EN), Navy (Marina de Guerra, MdG, includes naval infantry), Dominican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Dominicana, FAD) (2017)

17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; recruits must have completed primary school and be Dominican Republic citizens; women may volunteer (2012)

Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the Dominican Republic to find work; illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find better work

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money laundering activity in particular by Colombian narcotics traffickers; significant amphetamine consumption