The Dominican

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The Taino -- indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola prior to the arrival of Europeans -- divided the island now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti into five chiefdoms and territories. 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 the Haitians conquered and ruled it 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. <br><br>A legacy of unsettled and mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930 to 1961. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the US led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in the presidential election. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years, until international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held. 

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Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

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19 00 N, 70 40 W

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Central America and the Caribbean

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slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

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1,288 km

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<strong>note: </strong>measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

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tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

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rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

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nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

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2,981 sq km (2018)

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coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

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lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

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shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti); the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba); geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo

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mixed 70.4% (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%), Black 15.8%, White 13.5%, other 0.3% (2014 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> respondents self-identified their race; the term "indio" in the Dominican Republic is not associated with people of indigenous ancestry but people of mixed ancestry or skin color between light and dark

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Evangelical 50.2%, Roman Catholic 30.1%, none 18.5%, unspecified 1.2% (2023 est.)

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0.78% (2025 est.)

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17.4 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

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3.524 million SANTO DOMINGO (capital) (2023)

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20.9 years (2013 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

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124 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

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2.17 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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1.06 (2025 est.)

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2.43 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

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1.4 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

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27.6% (2016)

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3% (2019 est.)

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53.2% (2019 est.)

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soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation

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tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

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8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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23.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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presidential republic

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31 provinces (<em>provincias</em>, singular - <em>provincia</em>), 1 district* (<em>distrito</em>); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabón, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elías Piña, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Hermanas Mirabal, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, María Trinidad Sánchez, Monseñor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Samaná, Sánchez Ramírez, San Cristóbal, San José de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macorís, Santiago, Santiago Rodríguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde

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civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system

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accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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18 years of age; universal and compulsory; married persons can vote, regardless of age 

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<strong>note:</strong> members of the armed forces and national police by law cannot vote

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<strong>note:</strong> the president is both chief of state and head of government

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Alliance for Democracy or APD<br>Broad Front (Frente Amplio)<br>Country Alliance or AP<br>Dominican Liberation Party or PLD<br>Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD<br>Dominicans For Change or DXC<br>Independent Revolutionary Party or PRI<br>Institutional Social Democratic Bloc or BIS<br>Liberal Reformist Party or PRL (formerly the Liberal Party of the Dominican Republic or PLRD)<br>Modern Revolutionary Party or PRM<br>National Progressive Front or FNP<br>People's First Party or PPG<br>People's Force or FP<br>Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC

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ACP, ACS, AOSIS, BCIE, Caricom (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OAS, OIF (observer), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA (associated member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

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Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

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<strong>description:</strong> a centered white cross extends to the edges and divides the flag into four rectangles; the top ones are ultramarine blue (left side) and vermilion red, and the bottom ones are vermilion red (left side) and ultramarine blue; a small coat of arms with a shield supported by a laurel branch and a palm branch is at the center of the cross; above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the motto DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty); below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA is on a red ribbon; on the shield, a Bible is opened to a verse that reads "Y la verdad nos hara libre" (And the truth shall set you free)<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for liberty, white for salvation, and red for the blood of heroes

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palmchat (bird)

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red, white, blue

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surging middle-income tourism, construction, mining, and telecommunications OECS economy; major foreign US direct investment and free-trade zones; developing local financial markets; improving debt management; declining poverty

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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$124.282 billion (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices

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<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

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sugarcane, bananas, papayas, plantains, avocados, rice, milk, watermelons, vegetables, pineapples (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco, electrical components, medical devices

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3% (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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5.413 million (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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23% (2023 est.)

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<b>note:</b> % of population with income below national poverty line

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<b>note:</b> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

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<b>note:</b> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

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<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

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<b>note:</b> central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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14.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

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<b>note:</b> central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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USA 52%, Switzerland 7%, Haiti 6%, China 5%, India 3% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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medical instruments, tobacco, gold, garments, power equipment (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

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USA 40%, China 18%, Brazil 4%, Spain 4%, Mexico 3% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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refined petroleum, cars, natural gas, plastic products, crude petroleum (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

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<strong>note:</strong> present value of external debt in current US dollars

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combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media; 1 state-owned TV network and a number of private TV networks; networks operate repeaters to extend signals throughout country; over 300 state-owned and privately owned radio stations&nbsp; (2019)

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.do

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HI

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32 (2025)

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8 (2025)

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Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic: Army of the Dominican Republic (Ejercito de la República Dominicana, ERD), Navy (Armada de República Dominicana or ARD; includes naval infantry), Dominican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de la República Dominicana, FARD) (2025)

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<strong>note 1:</strong> in addition to the three main branches of the military, the Ministry of Defense directs the Specialized Border Security Corps (CESFRONT), the Specialized Corps in Port Security (CESEP), and the Specialized Corps in Airport and Civil Aviation Safety (CESAC); these specialized corps are joint forces, made up of civilians and personnel from all the military branches; they may also assist in overall citizen security working together with the National Police, which is under the Ministry of Interior

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approximately 55-60,000 Armed Forces; up to 35,000 National Police (2025)

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the military's equipment inventory comes largely from the US, with smaller quantities from such suppliers as Brazil and Spain (2025)

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17-early 20s for voluntary military service for men and women (ages vary depending on military service and position; under 18 admitted with permission of parents) (2025)

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<strong>note:</strong> as of 2024, women made up approximately 17% of the active-duty military

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the military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of the Dominican Republic; it also has an internal security role, which includes assisting with airport, border, port, tourism, and urban security, supporting the police in maintaining or restoring public order, countering transnational crime, and providing disaster or emergency relief/management; a key area of focus is securing the country&rsquo;s 217-mile (350-kilometer) long border with Haiti, where the Army in recent years has assigned thousands of troops to assist with security; these forces complement the personnel of the Border Security Corps permanently deployed along the border; the Air Force and Navy also provide support to the Haitian border mission; the Army has a brigade dedicated to managing and providing relief during natural disasters; the military also contributes personnel to the National Drug Control Directorate, and both the Air Force and Navy devote assets to detecting and interdicting narcotics trafficking; the Navy conducts regular bilateral maritime interdiction exercises with the US Navy (2025)