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National name: República Dominicana
Land area: 18,680 sq mi (48,381 sq km);
total area: 18,815 sq mi (48,730 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 9,183,984 (growth
rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 23.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 28.2/1000;
life expectancy: 71.7; density per sq mi: 492
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 (2005 est.):
$60 billion; per capita $6,,600. Real growth rate: 6.5%.
Inflation: 4.3%. Unemployment: 17%. Arable land: 23%.
Agriculture: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice,
beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef,
eggs. Labor force: 2.3 million to 2.6 million (2000 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: $5.818 billion f.o.b.
(2005 est.): ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco,
meats, consumer goods. Imports: $9.747 billion f.o.b. (2005
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:
901,800 (2003); mobile cellular: 2,120,400 (2003). Radio broadcast
stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998). Television broadcast
stations: 25 (1997). Internet hosts: 64,197 (2003).
Internet users: 500,000 (2003).
Transportation: Railways: total: 1,743 km
(2004). 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: 31 (2004 est.).
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