|
Basic Facts |
Country name |
conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana |
Gevernment type | representative democracy |
Capital |
name: Santo Domingo
geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Flag description | a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive 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 |
Currency | Dominican peso (DOP) |
Internet country code | .do |
Ports and terminals | Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo |
Agriculture products | sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs |
Industries | tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco |
Geography |
Location | Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
Coordinates | 19 00 N, 70 40 W |
Continent | Central America and the Caribbean |
Area |
total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km |
Boundaries |
total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km |
Coastline | 1,288 km |
Climate | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall |
Terrain | rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed |
Natural resources | nickel, bauxite, gold, silver |
Natural hazards | lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts |
People |
Population | 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.) |
Ethnic groups | mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11% |
Religions | Roman Catholic 95% |
Languages | Spanish |