dominican_republic

=The Dominican Republic=

__Fast facts__
-water: 350sq km __**Location**__ The Dominican Republic is located in the northern hemisphere between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Carribean Sea. It lies to the coordinates of 19 degrees north and 70 degrees west and is in central Europe. Dominican Republic shares the Hispanola Island with Haiti in the Carribean islands. The bordering countries of Dominican Republic are Haiti and the neighbouring countries are Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba
 * Country:** Dominican Republic
 * Size:** -land: 48, 380sq km
 * Population:** 9, 365, 818
 * Capital city:** Santo Dimingo
 * Language:** Spanish
 * Currency:** The Dominican peso (RD$)
 * Head of country**: President Leonal Fernandez Reyna

__Geographical Features__
Dominican Republic has many unique landforms. About 80% of the country is covered in mountain ranges. The total area of Dominican Republic is 48 730 sq km. 22.49% of the land is arable, 10.26% is permanent crops and 67.25% is other. The environmental issues of Dominican Republic are that they have water shortages and soil goes into the sea causing the coral reefs to die. Cordillera central is one of Dominican Republics best mountain ranges and is the home of the Caribbean’s highest mountain, Pico Duarte. Pico Duarte is 3,078 meters in height and has a latitude of 19 degrees north and 70 degrees west. The longest river in Dominican Republic is Yaque Del Norte which is about 200 km in length.

__Climate__
The climate in Dominican Republic is tropical all year round. The average temperature is about 25 degrees. Dominican Republic’s climate is sometimes called ‘the endless summer’ because the sun and warmth all year around. The winter and summer in Dominican Republic have a slight difference. The winter lasts from November to April with the days around 28 degrees and the evenings around 20 degrees. The summer season is from May to October with the average day temperature round 31 degrees and the evening around 22 degrees. __**Economy**__ Up until 2003, Dominican Republic has had a strong and good economy growth but from 2003, the growth became negative. There was reduction in tourism and a major bank fraud. Although, in 2004, they got help and the economy was back to business. The economy of Dominican Republic grows at a good rate, they country still faces the high unemployment and inflation.

The Gross Domestic Product of the economy is $77.09 billion and the GDP per capita is $8, 400. The country of Dominican Republic suffers from inequality. The poorest of the country receives less that 1/5 of their GDP and the wealthiest 10% of the country receives nearly 40% of the national income. The major exports are ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods. The main export partners are US, UK and Belgium. Foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals are the major imports and the import partners are US, Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico.

__Government__ Dominican Republic is a democratic republic with Santo Domingo as its capital city. It has 31 provinces and 1 district. Dominican Republic received its independence on the 27th of February, 1844 from Haiti. The suffrage age is 18 years universal. Dominican Republic’s government has 3 branches, the executive, legislative and judicial. The chief of state is President Leonel Fernandez Reyna who has been chief of state since 16th of August. Not only is he chief of state he is also head of government. Elections for the President are held every 4 year terms. The cabinet is elected by the president. In the legislative branch is bicameral. The house of representatives holds 178 seats and the senate holds 32 seats. __**History**__ Dominica Republic was discovered by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492. He named it La Espanola. In 1496, Santo Domingo was found by Columbus's brother and is the oldest European settlement in the southern hemisphere. Soon the island was inhabited by Amer-Indians. The land was good but what was more important to the Spaniards was the gold that would soon be discovered on the island Several attempts were made to make colonies on the east coast of Hispaniola. Spain's first settlement was on what is now called Santo Domingo. In 1822, the Haitians invaded the colony for 22 years. In 1844, Dominican Republic delcared its independance once again, this time permanently