Dominican Republic - geography
The Dominican Republic is located on the island of Hispaniola, strategically
located at the entrance of the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, from
where Columbus ' and his successors' first exploration and conquest of the New
World emerged.
Several mountain ranges cut through the land along fertile valleys in
between; Pico Duarte, the highest point in the Caribbean (3175 m), is located in
the middle of the island. The salt lake Enriquillo near the Haitian border is
located 44 m below sea level. The climate is tropical and large areas are
covered by forest. The country is not nearly as deforested as the neighboring
republic of Haiti, and the border between the two can therefore be quite clearly
recognized from the air.
Population
The native Native American people of Taino succumbed in the first
decades of Spanish colonization and have left no traces. According to
AllCityPopulation.com,
official statistics
show a population of 16% white, 11% black and 73% of mixed African-European
descent, but the boundaries are fluid. The black population are descendants of
the many African slaves who were imported to the sugar plantations; Hispaniola
was among the world's largest sugar producers. The population is young, but in
the context of developing countries, growth is moderate and also slightly
declining. Many immigrate legally or illegally in the United States, and New
York is probably the city in the world with the second most Dominicans,
surpassed only by the capital Santo Domingo. From the poorer neighboring
country Haiti many permanent or temporary and often illegal immigrants come to
the Dominican Republic. As loose workers in the sugar fields, they form an
oppressed group.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Dominican
Republic? Check this site to see population pyramid and resident density
about this country.
Economy
GDP per per capita is about $ 1,000, and the country is among the poorest in
Central America. However, the infrastructure is quite well developed and the
country has benefited from the rapid development of the Caribbean tourism
sector. While Cuba has been closed to the Americans for political reasons,
tourism has developed into the largest contribution to the Dominican Republic's
economy. Sugar remains a significant export commodity, but nickel is more
important just like commodities made in the over 30 industrial zones,
where foreign investors are offered almost total tax exemption and are attracted
by the low wages. Since the late 1990's, the country has enjoyed significant
economic growth, mainly due to revenues from tourism and export production in
the country's free zones.. Poverty and unemployment, however, are still
pronounced, among the many immigrants from Haiti. In 2001, 25% of the
population had an income below the UN poverty line.
Agriculture is characterized by low productivity due to limited investment
and a skewed land distribution. A significant part of imports is made up of
food. In addition to sugar cane, coffee, cocoa, rice and corn. Demands for
land reforms have been met by conservatives as a manifestation of communism; it
was the background to a military intervention by the United States in 1965.
Persistent deficits in the state budget and in the current account of the
balance of payments caused major problems with the external debt in the early
1990's, and the IMF's (International Monetary Fund) demands for savings had to
be complied with, leading to significant social unrest.
As a former Spanish colony, the Dominican Republic is a party to the EU Lomé
Convention, where sugar exports have preferential access to the EU
market. The country is also part of the United States Caribbean Basin
Initiative Project on developing trade in the region.
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