Dialing code ++1-809 and 1-829
ISO 2 code DO
ISO 3 code DOM
Capital Santo Domingo
Main Language Spanish
Currency Peso (DOP)
GDP $77.4 billion 73rd
Population 9,823,821 86th

Geography

Continent North America
Location Caribbean eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean east of Haiti
Land 48,730 km2 132nd
Terrain Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Climate Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Natural Hazards Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Note: Shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

Neighbouring Countries

Haiti

History

Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492 the island of Hispaniola 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 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965 the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966 Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. 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 (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term.
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Demographics

Life Expectancy 73.7 years 89th
Median Age 24.9 years 120th
Birth Rate 22.39 births/1,000 population 76th
Death Rate 5.28 births/1,000 population 168th
Sex Ratio 0.86 male(s)/female 57th
Literacy 87.0% 127th
Population

9.8 million

Transportation

Roadways 19705 km 109th
Railways 1784 km 76th
Airports 36 107th
Waterways None km
Heliports None
Airports paved 1 162nd

Economy

Currency Peso (DOP)
GDP $77.4 billion 73rd
GDP per capita (PPP) $8100 107th