Today, let's visit
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country in North America, home to about 10.6 million people. Its capital is Santo Domingo.
It covers 48,730 square kilometres (18,815 square miles). That's slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey.
A little history
The Taino – indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of Europeans – divided the island now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti 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 the Haitians conquered and ruled it 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 and 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, until international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held.
What's it like there?
The weather is tropical maritime.
- Location
-
- Caribbean
- Eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola
- Between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean
- East of Haiti
- Size
-
Slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
- Climate
-
- Tropical maritime
- Little seasonal temperature variation
- Seasonal variation in rainfall
- Landscape
-
Rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys
- Natural resources
-
- Nickel
- Bauxite
- Gold
- Silver
- Arable land
- Land use
-
Agricultural land 55.4%
Arable land 20.2%
Permanent crops 11.3%
Permanent pasture 23.8%
Forest 46.6%
Other 0%
2023 estimate
- Good to know
-
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
Who lives there?
About 10.6 million people live in the Dominican Republic, and the biggest city is Santo Domingo.
- Largest cities
-
Santo Domingo Capital 2,201,941 Santiago de los Caballeros 1,200,000 Santo Domingo Oeste 701,269 Santo Domingo Este 700,000 San Pedro de Macorís 217,899 La Romana 208,437 Bella Vista 175,683 San Cristóbal 154,040 Puerto Plata 146,000 San Francisco de Macorís 124,763 - Languages
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Spanish (official)
- Religions
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Evangelical 50.2% Roman Catholic 30.1% None 18.5% Unspecified 1.2% 2023 estimate
- Ethnic groups
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Mixed (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%) 70.4% Black 15.8% White 13.5% Other 0.3% 2014 estimate
Note: Respondents self-identified their race; the term "indio" in the Dominican Republic is not associated with people of indigenous ancestry but people of mixed ancestry or skin color between light and dark
- Where people live
-
- 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)
- Cities and towns
-
Urban population 84.4% of total population
2023
Rate of urbanization 1.64% annual rate of change
2020-25 estimate
- Reading and writing
-
Total population 94%
Male 93.6%
Female 94.4%
2024 estimate
- What people are called
-
Noun Dominican(s)
Adjective Dominican
Who's in charge?
Its government is a presidential republic.
- Leaders
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Leader President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (since 16 August 2020)
- Parliament
-
Legislature name National Congress of the Republic (Congreso Nacional de la República)
Legislative structure Bicameral
- Courts
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Highest court(s) - Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia (consists of a minimum of 16 magistrates)
- Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional (consists of 13 judges)
Judge selection and term of office Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary composed of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and a non-governing party congressional representative
Supreme Court judges appointed for 7-year terms
Constitutional Court judges appointed for 9-year terms
Subordinate courts - Courts of appeal
- Courts of first instance
- Justices of the peace
- Special courts for juvenile, labor, and land cases
- Contentious Administrative Court for cases filed against the government
- Constitution
-
History - Many previous (38 total)
- Latest proclaimed 13 June 2015
Amendment process Proposed by a special session of the National Congress called the National Revisory Assembly
Passage requires at least two-thirds majority approval by at least one half of those present in both houses of the Assembly
- Passage of amendments to constitutional articles
- Such as fundamental rights and guarantees
- Territorial composition
- Nationality
- Or the procedures for constitutional reform
- Also requires approval in a referendum
- Legal system
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- Civil law system based on the French civil code
- Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system
- Who can vote
-
- 18 years of age
- Universal and compulsory
- Married persons can vote, regardless of age
Note: Members of the armed forces and national police by law cannot vote
How does it make a living?
- In short
-
- Surging middle-income tourism, construction, mining, and telecommunications OECS economy
- Major foreign US direct investment and free-trade zones
- Developing local financial markets
- Improving debt management
- Declining poverty
- Industries
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- Tourism
- Sugar processing
- Gold mining
- Textiles
- Cement
- Tobacco
- Electrical components
- Medical devices
- Farming
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- Sugarcane
- Bananas
- Papayas
- Plantains
- Avocados
- Rice
- Milk
- Watermelons
- Vegetables
- Pineapples
2023
Note: Top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
- Exports
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- Medical instruments
- Tobacco
- Gold
- Garments
- Power equipment
2023
Note: Top five export commodities based on value in dollars
- Sells most to
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USA 52% Switzerland 7% Haiti 6% China 5% India 3% 2023
Note: Top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
- Imports
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- Refined petroleum
- Cars
- Natural gas
- Plastic products
- Crude petroleum
2023
Note: Top five import commodities based on value in dollars
- Buys most from
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USA 40% China 18% Brazil 4% Spain 4% Mexico 3% 2023
Note: Top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
- Workforce
-
5.413 million
2024 estimate
Note: Number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
- Below the poverty line
-
23%
2023 estimate
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
- Electricity
-
Electrification - total population 98.1%
2022 estimate
Electrification - urban areas 98.8%
Electrification - rural areas 95%
- Government budget
-
Revenues $20.418 billion
Expenditures $24.348 billion
2023 estimate
Note: Central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Want to read more? Try the Wikipedia article, the Wikipedia portal or the Human Rights Watch report.
Have a great day!
I'll look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.
The more we all learn about the world, the better a place it becomes. Thank you for your curiosity!