Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo. Source: Edwin Casado Baez/Wikimedia Commons
| Topics: |  Geography |
The Dominican Republic is a nation of ten million people on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region.
The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other.
Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean island nation, after Cuba.
Its major environmental issues include:
- water shortages;
- soil eroding into the sea damaging coral reefs; and,
- deforestation.
The Dominican Republic lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October. There is occasional flooding and periodic droughts.
The Taino - indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of the Europeans - divided the island into five chiefdoms and territories.
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Christopher Columbus explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it 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 new term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term, and was since reelected to a second consecutive term.
Geography
Location: Eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Geographic Coordinates: 19 00 N, 70 40 W
Area: 48,730 sq km (48,380 sq km of land, 350 sq km of water)
arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops: 10.26%
other: 67.25% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 360 km border with Haiti
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime Claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 6 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Natural Hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Terrain: Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys intersperse. The lowest point is Lago Enriquillo (-46 meters) and the highest point is Pico Duarte (3,175 meters).
Climate: Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall.
Capital: Santo Domingo
Topography of the Isalnd of Hispaniola. The western two-thirds of the island is the Dominican Republic. Source: NASA
Ecology and Biodiversity
The Caribbean Islands hotspot consists mainly of three large groups of islands between North and South America: the Bahamas, the Lesser Antilles, and the Greater Antilles (Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, and Hispaniola, which includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti).
The Dominican Republic hosts four distinct ecoregions and some of the greatest biodiversity in the Caribbean.
Ecoregions of Hispaniola. The western two-thirds of the island is the Dominican Republic. Source: World Wildlife Fund
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Hispaniola dry forests (yellow)
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The pine forests of Hispaniola (green) are located on slopes with shallow soils and higher elevations of the mountain systems of both Dominican Republic and Haiti. Located primarily in the central Dominican mountain range with the highest point in the Antilles then continuing in the northern massif of Haiti. This ecoregion is mainly in mountainous areas of the Cordillera Caentral, the Sierra de Bahoruco and other small patches of both countries. In the Dominican Republic, this ecoregion is protected in parts of the Armando Bermúdez National Park (766 km2), the José del Carmen Ramírez National Park (764 km2), the Valle Nuevo Scientific Reserve (409 km2), the Ébano Verde Natural Scientific Reserve (23 km2), the Sierra de Neiba National Park (407 km2), and the Sierra Bahoruco National Park (1,027 km2I).
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The wet forests of Hispaniola (purple) originally occupied more than half (~60%) of the original vegetation on the island of Hispaniola, from the lowlands particularly on the eastern coast of the island (Haiti) to the valleys, plateaus, slopes and foothills of the many mountain ranges, up to an altitude of about 2,100 meters. In the Dominican Republic, moist forest frequently occur covering most of the eastern half of the country all along these shores till ending at the higher elevations of the mountains. Between the slopes of the eastern range and along the northern range in Haiti, the moist forests continue across the entire island of Hispaniola only lacking distinct presence in the southern extension of the island.
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It is estimated that the Dominican Republic has about 325 km2of mangroves that are part of the Greater Antilles mangroves (also Bahamoan-Antillean mangroves) ecoregion (pink) and it also is home to much biodiversity.
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Consisting of a series of lagoons, the Enriquillo wetlands ecoregion (blue) corresponds to the remains of an old marine channel that divided the island of Hispaniola into two paleoislands more than 5,000 years ago. The largest lake in this ecoregion, Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic is the largest and most hypersaline lake in all of the Antilles. It consists of a depression that is approximately 44 meters (m) below sea level, surrounded by thorny subtropical mountains and dry forests of great biological interest. This lake is home to the largest population of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), although currently its populations are at risk. It is also the habitat for the iguana cornuda, which is endemic to the island of Hispaniola and the iguana de Ricord, the latter being at risk of extinction due to its limited distribution. In addition, it is a resting, feeding, and reproductive location for the flamenco and many other species of migratory birds. There are three islands on the lake: Cabritos Island, Islita, and Barbarita Island. There are also other smaller lakes near Enriquillo, with highly valuable biota, including the manatí in Lake Saumatre and the island's endemic Hispaniolan slider, particularly in Lake Rincón .
See also: Common coral reef fishes of the Dominican Republic and Biological diversity in the Caribbean Islands
National Parks
The Domininican Republic has numerous National Parks, including:
- Del Este National Park (Parque Nacional Del Este)
- El Choco National Park (Parque Nacional El Choco)
- Jaragua National Park (Parque Nacional Jaragua)
- Armando Bermúdez National Park (Parque Nacional Armando Bermúdez) in the mountains of the Cordillera Central.
- José del Carmen Ramírez National Park (Parque Nacional José Del Carmen Ramírez): in the center of the island
- Los Haitises National Park (Parque Nacional Los Haitises) at Samaná bay
- Monte Cristi National Park (Parque Nacional Monte Cristi) iin the north-west, close to Haiti border.
- Isabel De Torres National Park (Parque Nacional Isabel De Torres)
- Isla Cabritos National Park (Parque Nacional Isla Cabritos) on Cabritos Island in the Enriquillo Lake, in the south-west close to Haiti.
- Sierra De Baoruco National Park (Parque Nacional Sierra De Baoruco)
- Perez Rancier National Park (Parque Nacional Pérez Rancier)
- Cueva de las Maravillas National Park (Cueva de las Maravillas) - "Cave of miracles"
Government
Government Type: Democratic republic
Capital: Santo Domingo - 2.138 million (2009)
Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Bahoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, 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, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Independence Date: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Legal System: civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system. The Dominican Republic accepts compulsory International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction; and accepts International criminal court (ICCt) jurisdiction
International Environmental Agreements
The Dominican Republic is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.
People and Society
Population: 9,956,648 (July 2011 est.)
Ethnic groups: mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%
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| South shore of Lago Enriquillo, looking northward to the Sierra de Neiba mountains; Independencia Province, Dominican Republic. Source: Tim Ross/Wikimedia Commons |
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The only saltwater lake in the world inhabited by crocodiles, Lake Enriquillo can be seen in this near-nadir looking view. Lake Enriquillo is located in a rift valley that extends 79 miles (127 km) from Port-au-Prince Bay in Haiti in the west (not visible on the image) to near Neiba Bay in the Dominican Republic in the east (not visible on the image). The rift valley, a former marine strait, is 9 to 12 miles (15-20 km) wide. Known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic, parts of the rift valley are below sea level and are covered by large salt lakes. Lake Enriquillo covers an area of 102 sq. miles (265 sq. km) and is the lowest point in the Caribbean falling 144 feet (44 meters) below sea level. Its drainage basin includes ten minor river systems. The rivers that rise in the Neiba Mountains to the north (lower center and lower right of the image) are perennial. Those rivers that rise in the Baoruco Mountains to the south (upper center and upper left of the image) are intermittent. Lake Enriquillo has no outlet. The lake’s water level varies because of the high evaporation rate. Earthquakes in the region are common. Just above the right center of the image, the other salt lake in the rift valley, Etang Suamatre located in the country of Haiti, is visible. Source: NASA |
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| The city of Santiago in the northwest of the Dominican Republic. Source: Wikimedia Commons. |
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Los Haitises National Park. Source: Mike Deslauriers |
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 29.5% (male 1,493,251/female 1,441,735)
15-64 years: 64% (male 3,251,419/female 3,120,540)
65 years and over: 6.5% (male 300,245/female 349,458) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.331% (2011 est.)
Birthrate: 19.67 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death Rate: 4.35 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -2.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 77.31 years (2011 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: 87%
Urbanization: 69% of total population (2010) growing at an annual rate of change of 2.1% (2010-15 est.)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 21 cu km (2000)
Freshwater Withdrawal: 3.39 cu km/yr (32% domestic, 2% industrial, 66% agricultural)
Per Capita Freshwater Withdrawal: 381 cu m/yr (2000)
Access to improved sources of drinking water: 86% of population
Access to improved sanitation facilities: 83% of population
Agriculture
Agricultural products: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Irrigated Land: 2,750 sq km (2008)
Resources
Natural Resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land Use:
arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops: 10.26%
other: 67.25% (2005)
Economy
The Dominican Republic has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, but in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in telecommunications, tourism, and free trade zones.
The economy is highly dependent upon the US, the destination for nearly 60% of exports.
Remittances from the US amount to about a tenth of GDP, equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts.
The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GDP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of GDP.
High unemployment and underemployment remains an important long-term challenge.
The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in March 2007, boosting investment and exports and reducing losses to the Asian garment industry.
The growth of the Dominican Republic's economy rebounded in 2010-11 from the global recession, and remains one of the fastest growing in the region.
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $93.23 billion (2011 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $54.4 billion (2011 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $9,300 (2011 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.3%
industry: 27.9%
services: 64.8% (2011 est.)
Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Natural Resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Currency: Dominican pesos (DOP)
Energy
The Dominican Republic's frequent blackouts, lasting at times up to 20 hours per day, have sparked public demonstrations, some of which have been violent. The current situation arises from a lack of investment in generating capacity. The government has opened the sector to foreign companies, but many have liquidated their investments there due to chronic payment arrays from the government-owned electricity distribution company. As a result, the government has begun to re-nationalize generation assets. It remains unclear whether the situation will improve in the near-term, particularly when the government reportedly owes power companies over $400 million. The devalued peso, in particular, continues to hurt the solvency of private companies, which receive payments in pesos, but pay debts and other services in U.S. dollars.
See Energy profile of Caribbean
Further Reading
- World Wildlife Fund Homepage
- FAO Water profile (Spanish only)
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administra, World Wildlife Fund (Lead Author);Conservation International (Contributing Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Dominican Republic". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth May 13, 2009; Last revised Date February 8, 2012; Retrieved February 8, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Dominican_Republic>
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