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?
Religion: Roman Catholic 95?
Literacy rate: 85?2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2006 est.): $77.09 billion; per capita $8,400. Real growth rate: 10.7?Inflation: 8.2?Unemployment: 16?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 (2006 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: $6.495 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods. Imports: $11.39 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Major trading partners: U.S., South Korea, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 894,500 (2005); mobile cellular: 3.623 million (2005). Radio broadcast stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998). Television broadcast stations: 25 (1997). Internet hosts: 91,895 (2006). Internet users: 938,300 (2005).
Transportation: Railways: total: 517 km (2005). 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: 33 (2006 est.).
International disputes: increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work.
Answered By: Pop N Fresh - 12/5/2007 |