The World Factbook (1982)/Dominican Republic

by the Central Intelligence Agency

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

(See reference map III)

LAND

48,692 km²; 14% cultivated, 4% fallow, 17% meadows and pastures, 45% forested, 20% built on or waste

Land boundaries: 361 km

WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed): 6 nm (fishing 200 nm; 200 nm exclusive economic zone)

Coastline: 1,288 km

PEOPLE

Population: 6,013,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.7%

Nationality: noun—Dominican(s); adjective—Dominican

Ethnic divisions: 73% mulatto, 16% white, 11% Negro

Religion: 95% Roman Catholic

Language: Spanish

Literacy: 68%

Labor force: 1.3 million; 73% agriculture, 8% industry, 19% services, and other

Organized labor: 12% of labor force

GOVERNMENT

Official name: Dominican Republic

Type: republic

Capital: Santo Domingo

Political subdivisions: 26 provinces and the National District

Legal system: based on French civil codes; 1966 constitution

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February Branches: President popularly elected for a four-year term; bicameral legislature consisting of Senate (27 seats) and Chamber of Deputies (91 seats) elected for four-year terms; Supreme Court Government leader: President Antonio (Silvestre) GUZMAN Fernández

Suffrage: universal and compulsory, over age 18 or married, except members of the armed forces and police, who cannot vote

Elections: last national election May 1978; next election May 1982

Political parties and leaders: Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Ivelisse Prats de Pérez Reformist Party (PR), Joaquin Balaguer; Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Bosch; Democratic Quisqueyan Party (PQD), Elias Wessin y Wessin; Social Christian Revolutionary Party (PRSC), Rogelio Delgado Bogaert; Movement for National Conciliation (MNC), Jaime Manuel Fernández Gonzalez; Antireelection Movement of Democratic Integration (MIDA), Francisco Augusto Lora; National Civic Union (UCN), Guillermo Delmonte Urraca; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Luis Julián Pérez; Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Homero Lajara Burgos; Fourteenth of June Revolutionary Movement (MR-1J4), Héctor Aristy Pereyra; Dominican Communist Party (PCD), Narciso Isa Conde, central committee, legalized in 1978; Dominican Popular Movement (MPD), illegal; 12th of January National Liberation Movement (ML-12E), Plinio Matos Moquete, illegal; Communist Party of the Dominican Republic (PACOREDO), Luis Montas González, illegal; Popular Socialist Party (PSP), illegal; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic Union (UPA), Franklin Franco Pichardo; Democratic Union (UD), Ramón Antonio Flores; Revolutionary League of Workers (LRT), Claudio Tavárez; several additional small leftist parties

Voting strength (1978 election): 51.7% PRD, 40.9% PR, 7.4% thirteen minor parties

Communists: an estimated 7,000 to 9,000 members in several legal and illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences and organizational inadequacies

Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, ISO, ITU, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

ECONOMY

GNP: $6.8 billion (1980 prelim.), $1,256 per capita; real growth rate 1980, 5.4%

Agriculture: main crops—sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, rice, corn

Major industries: tourism, sugar processing, nickel mining, bauxite mining, gold mining, textiles, cement

Electric power: 890,000 kW capacity (1981); 3.0 billion kWh produced (1981), 519 kWh per capita

Exports: $962 million (f.o.b., 1980); sugar, nickel, coffee, tobacco, cocoa, bauxite

Imports: $1,515 million (f.o.b., 1980); foodstuffs, petroleum, industrial raw materials, capital equipment

Major trade partners: exports—46% US including Puerto Rico (1980); imports—45% US including Puerto Rico (1980)

Aid: economic—bilateral commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), from US, $414 million; (1970-79) ODA and OOF from other Western countries, $103 million; military-authorized from US (1970-80), $18 million

Budget: revenues, $891 million; expenditures, $1,094.1 million (1980 est.)

Monetary conversion rate: 1 peso=US$1

Fiscal year: calendar year

COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads: 1,600 km total; 104 km government owned common-carrier 1.065-meter gauge; 1,496 km privately owned plantation lines of four different gauges ranging from 0.60 m to 1.43 m, 0.760-meter gauge predominating

Highways: 11,400 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved earth

Pipelines: refined products, 69 km

Ports: 4 major (Santo Domingo, Barahona, Haina, San Pedro de Macon's), 17 minor

Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft, including 1 leased in

Airfields: 47 total, 37 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: relatively efficient domestic system based on islandwide radio-relay network; 139,000 telephones (2.5 per 100 popl.); 135 AM, 31 FM, and 22 TV stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station

DEFENSE FORCES

Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,423,000; 939,000 fit for military service; 75,000 reach military age (18) annually