DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Official name: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Date of membership: 04 June 1976

Capital: Santo Domingo

Government

Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde.

Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Constitution: 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002

Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age.
Note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote

Executive branch: Chief of state: President Danilo Medina (since 16 August 2016); Vice President Margarita Cedeño de Fernández (since 16 August 2016).
Note: The president is both the chief of state and head of government .

Legislative branch: Bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms).

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the President, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing party member).

Internet country code: .do

Official Portal Web: http://www.presidencia.gov.do

Geography

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

Area: 48.670 km2

Land boundaries: 360 km

Boarder countries: Haiti 360 km

Coastline: 1,288 km

Natural resources: Nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

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. Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Economic indicators 

Total at current prices (2013)

75838

Millions USD

2017

Total at current prices

6720

USD

2017

Growth rate per capita at constant prices

-4.6

%

2017

Country share in regional GDP

1.4

%

2017

Imports of goods and services

-28.1

%

2017

Exports of goods and services

24.8

%

2017

Source: Dominican Republic: Economic National Profile. CEPALSTAT.
Databases and Statistical Publications. ECLAC. 
On line. Inquiry: July,
07, 2019

Socio-demographic indicators  

Total population  

11005

(000)

2019

Life expectancy

ND

Years

ND

Women

ND

Years

ND

Men

ND

Years

ND

Public health expenditure
as a percentage of GDP

6.2

%

2015

Literacy rate for persons between
the ages of 15 to 24

98.8

%

2016

Net rate of enrolment in
primary education

86.1

%

2014

Net rate of enrolment in
secondary education

65.5

%

2014

Public expenditure on education
as a percentage of GDP

2.1

%

2007

Gini Coefficient

0.47

%

2017

Unemployment

6.1

%

2017

Source: Dominican Republic: National Socio-Demographic Profile.
CEPALSTAT. Data Bases and Statistical Publications.ECLAC. On line. 
Inquiry: July, 07, 2019.

Language: Spanish (official)