Dominican Republic

Region: Central America and Caribbean

Official language: Spanish

Population: 10,815,857 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Dominican(s) (noun), Dominican (adjective)

Land area: 48,320 sq km (18,656 sq miles)

Water area: 350 sq km (135 sq miles)

Capital: Santo Domingo

National anthem: "Himno Nacional" (National Anthem), by Emilio Prud"Homme/Jose Reyes

National holiday: Independence Day, February 27 (1844)

Population growth: 0.76% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC –4

Flag: The flag of the Dominican Republic is dominated by a large white cross, with blue filling the upper hoist (left) corner and lower right corners, and red in the upper right corner and the lower hoist corners. The white of the cross is said to symbolize salvation, the red stands for the blood of heroes, and the blue represents liberty. The country’s coat of arms is centered in the cross.

Motto: “Dios, Patria, Libertad” (God, Fatherland, Liberty)

Independence: February 27, 1844 (from Haiti)

Government type: presidential republic

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

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 is an island nation located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. Formerly a Spanish colony, the Dominican Republic gained its independence in 1844.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: The Dominican Republic’s population of over 10.8 million is young and ethnically diverse. According to 2014 estimates, 70.4 percent of the Dominican Republic’s people were of mixed African, Indigenous, and/or European descent, while 15.8 percent were Black, and 13.5 percent were White. Spanish is the official language, and English is a common second language.

Santo Domingo, the capital, is the country’s largest city, with a population in the metropolitan area of 3.524 million in 2023. As of 2023, 84.4 percent of the Dominican Republic’s population lived in urban areas.

Poverty is widespread, with 23.9 percent of the population living below the national poverty line in 2021. Because of poverty and high unemployment, many Dominicans attempt to enter Puerto Rico and the United States without the proper documents. Many Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic for the same reason, since the Dominican economy is more stable than that of its neighbor.

The official religion of the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholicism, though it is practiced by only about 30.1 percent of the population; about 50.2 percent are evangelical Protestant (2023 estimates). Catholicism was brought to the island by Spanish colonizers. When North Americans arrived in the country in the nineteenth century, they brought Protestant denominations with them.

Indigenous People: The Arawaks are the native people of Hispaniola. They numbered close to 1 million before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. It is estimated that the island’s Arawak population died out around 1550.

As a people, the Arawaks still have descendants in other nations, such as Honduras, but their influence in the Dominican Republic today is limited to a handful of words, such as huracán (hurricane). Spanish influences remain the strongest cultural factor. Some African influences can be found in the country’s music and dance.

Education: Primary school is mandatory in the Dominican Republic from the age of five. Public school tuition is free, though students must pay for their own uniforms and school supplies. Private schools are mostly Catholic and are considered to be superior to public schools. In general, only middle- and upper-class families are able to afford private school tuition. The Dominican Republic’s adult literacy rate was estimated at 95.5 percent in 2022.

The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo is the most respected university in the Dominican Republic. Since the government provides funding, the university is able to offer free tuition to many students.

Health Care: The Dominican Republic has a national health plan, administered by the secretariat for public health and social welfare. The agency places special emphasis on services for disadvantaged and rural populations. Among communicable diseases, bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and dengue remain common challenges.

The National Health Commission was formed in 1995 to determine how best to serve the basic health needs of all Dominicans. The National Food and Nutrition Plan, National Drinking Water Plan for Scattered Rural and Marginal Urban Areas, and the National Social Development Plan were all developed in an attempt to improve living conditions.

The birth rate among Dominicans is 17.3 births per 1,000 people (2024 estimate); this number is small when compared with other countries in Central America, thanks to government-sponsored family planning initiatives, begun in 1967.

Average life expectancy is 71 years for men and 74.3 for women (2024 estimate). The Dominican Republic ranked 82nd on the 2024 United Nations Human Development Index.

Food: Rice and beans are the staple foods of the Dominican Republic. Both are grown domestically, and meals involving a mixture of both ingredients are common. Beans are the chief source of protein for many people. Plantains are the most common fruit. They are inexpensive and easily found. A common way of eating them is fried.

As in other Central American countries, corn is a large part of Dominican cuisine. Traditional Dominican corn dishes include chenché, made with boiled cracked corn, and chacá, a corn-based dessert.

The national dish consists of rice, beans, and plantains, along with meat, vegetables, and manioc flour. It is called “bandera dominicana” or “la bandera” (“Dominican flag” or “the flag”), because it contains all of the colors of the Dominican flag.

Arts & Entertainment: Merengue and bachata are two common forms of Dominican dance. The merengue is the country’s national dance, and even has its own festival each July. Traditionally, merengue music features fast African-inspired beats and crude lyrics, but the style has evolved over the years to include other different influences. Bachata music is slower than merengue, and is similar to the Cuban bolero.

Well-known writers of Dominican descent include Dominican American novelist Julia Alvarez, author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1994) and In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), which was adapted as a motion picture; and Dominican American novelist Junot Díaz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his 2008 novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Baseball is the national pastime. Many players from the Dominican Republic, such as Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, and Pedro Martinez, have become famous as professional baseball players in the United States. Many Dominican players also travel to Japan to play.

Santo Domingo hosted the Pan-American Games in 2003. The annual Encuentro Classic Surf Competition is held each December near Cabarete, and tests windsurfers’ skills against the elements.

Holidays: Dominicans celebrate the major Christian holidays, including Corpus Christi, Holy Week (Semana Santa), Easter, and Christmas. Catholic saints also receive special note; January 21 is a public holiday celebrating Our Lady of Altagracia, and September 24 is set aside for Our Lady of las Mercedes. Independence Day is observed on February 27, and Dominican Restoration Day on August 16. November 6 celebrates the establishment of the Dominican constitution. New Year's Day and Labor Day, celebrated on May 1, are also official holidays.

Environment and Geography

Topography: The terrain of the Dominican Republic is mountainous. The country’s largest mountain range is the Cordillera Central, which extends across Hispaniola from Haiti to the southern end of the Dominican. This range includes the country’s highest point, Pico Duarte. At 3,098 meters (10,164 feet) above sea level, the peak is also the highest point in the Caribbean.

Two smaller mountain ranges, the Cordillera Septentrional and the Cordillera Oriental, run parallel to and extend the Cordillera Central. The fertile Vega Real (royal valley) lies between the Septentrional and Central ranges. The valley is part of the Cibao lowlands, which support most of the country’s agriculture.

Yaque del Norte River is the country’s most important river, and Lago (Lake) Enriquillo is the largest body of water.

In country’s the numerous national parks, visitors can explore the wide variety of habitats that exist in the Dominican Republic, including cave formations, mangrove swamps, pine forests, cloud forests, rainforests and sand dunes.

Natural Resources: In addition to its fertile farmland and beautiful beaches, the Dominican Republic has significant mineral and metal resources, including deposits of gold, bauxite, nickel, and silver. Larimar is a semiprecious stone that is found only in the Dominican Republic. The country has no oil deposits, so petroleum is imported.

The country’s extensive mountains contain valuable pine and mahogany trees, however, much of the Dominican Republic’s untamed wilderness has now been converted into protected national parks. Some deforestation has occurred due to overpopulation.

Plants & Animals: Like the terrain, the vegetation found in the Dominican Republic is varied. Scrub brush predominates in the dry western areas, while rainforest vegetation and stands of pine and mahogany trees thrive elsewhere. Orchids are especially cultivated in the Dominican Republic; the country has over sixty-seven types and three hundred species of the flower.

Santo Domingo houses two museums of Dominican flora and fauna, the Jardín Botánico Nacional and the Museo de Historia Natural.

More than two hundred species of birds are found in the Dominican Republic, including the giant hummingbird, the flamingo, and the cotica parrot, the national bird. Small mammals and reptiles are also commonly found throughout the country.

In the ocean surrounding Hispaniola, there are many species of marine life, including sea turtles, pilot whales, humpback whales, and manatees. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists Hawksbill turtles, multiple species of frogs and toads, Ridgway's hawk, hammerhead sharks, and sawfish among the critically endangered plant and animal species that inhabit the Dominican Republic.

Climate: The Dominican Republic is mainly tropical, with a distinct rainy and dry season. Annual rainfall totals vary by region, from 350 millimeters (14 inches) in the western desert to 2,740 millimeters (108 inches) annually. The rainy season lasts from May to November.

The Dominican Republic lies right in the middle of hurricane territory, so hurricanes are a way of life from June to September. In general, major storms occur about once every two years, and hit the southern coast the hardest.

The average temperature is 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), though this also varies by region and altitude. The valleys and coastal regions tend to be warmer than the mountainous areas.

Economy

Traditionally, the Dominican economy has relied on agricultural products (particularly coffee, tobacco, and sugar). In recent years, however, the economic emphasis has shifted to the service sector as tourism to the country has increased. Still, the country is considered poor, and it relies on loans from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP, purchasing power parity) was US$261.616 billion, with a per capita GDP of US$23,100. The unemployment rate was an estimated 5.56 percent in 2023.

Industry: Industry employs about one-fifth of the Dominican labor force. The major industries include tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textile production, cement, tobacco, and manufacturing of electronic parts and medical devices. Mining has been profitable for foreign companies as well as local ones.

Construction is also an important industry, partly because almost all of the necessary materials can be found locally. Most construction jobs in the Dominican Republic are the result of private contracts.

Agriculture: Dominican agriculture is subject to fluctuations on the world market, which can have a damaging effect on the economy. The main cash crop is sugarcane, which is a seasonal, labor-intensive product. Among the other high-value crop exports are tobacco, cocoa, bananas, and other tropical fruits.

The country is generally self-sufficient with rice and beans, two staple food crops. Other crops include coffee, cotton, potatoes, and corn. Livestock products include beef, pork, eggs, and dairy products.

Tourism:Tourism is one of the chief industries in the Dominican Republic, employing or supporting the employment of 16.8 percent of the work force in 2022. The country’s prime location in the center of the Caribbean Sea and its many beaches draw tourists, as do the nature reserves and natural parks.

The World Bank reported that by 2022, 26.4 percent of the country was protected land. This has become national parks and monuments. Some of the major national parks include Los Haitises National Park, which contains both a wet forest and a subtropical rainforest, and Jaragua National Park, the largest park, which includes a lagoon and a desert-like area.

The country’s tourist infrastructure has expanded to include new hotels, restaurants, and other amenities. This, combined with relatively inexpensive prices, has begun to lure more tourists to the Dominican Republic.

Government

The Dominican Republic is, as its name implies, a democratic republic. It received its independence from Haiti in 1844. However, the republic has frequently shifted between democracy and authoritarian leadership. Every time a constitutional amendment is ratified, a whole new constitution is drafted. Thus, there have been more than three dozen constitutions since 1844.

In 1930, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina overthrew the democratic government and engineered his election as president. He ruled the Dominican Republic as a dictator, renaming the capital Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City), until his death in 1961. In 1965, a brief civil war erupted after another military coup, but this was quelled by American troops.

The executive branch consists of a president and a vice president elected by popular vote. The office of president brings with it an enormous amount of executive power.

The legislative branch consists of the National Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected by simple majority, while representatives are elected by proportional representational vote. Terms are four years in length.

The judicial branch consists of a sixteen-member Supreme Court of Justice and a thirteen-member Constitutional Court, as well as lesser courts of the law. Judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary. Dominican law is based on the French system, which is a code-based legal system. This is in contrast to the common law system of the United States, in which the law may be interpreted based on the outcomes of prior cases.

There are three main political parties: the Dominican Liberation Party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party, and the Social Christian Reformist Party. Suffrage is universal for citizens age eighteen and older and for married persons of any age.

Interesting Facts

• The United States Marines introduced baseball to the Dominican Republic when the United States occupied the country from 1916 to 1924. In the twenty-first century, more Major League Baseball players came to the United States from the Dominican Republic than from any other country.
• Founded in 1496, Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the Americas.
• The silk-cotton tree found in the Dominican Republic can live for over three hundred years.
• The city of Sosúa, in the province of Puerto Plata, was founded by German and Austrian Jewish refugees during World War II.

Bibliography

“Dominican Republic.” Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, 2020, www.healthdata.org/dominican-republic. Accessed 28 Sept. 2020.

"Dominican Republic." The World Bank, 2023, data.worldbank.org/country/dominican-republic.Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

“Dominican Republic.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 6 Nov. 2023, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominican-republic/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.

“Dominican Republic Country Profile.” BBC News, 29 Mar. 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19246340. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

"Dominican Republic—2023 Annual Research: Key Highlights." Economic Impact 2023 Factsheet, World Travel and Tourism Council, 2023, researchhub.wttc.org/factsheets/dominican-republic. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 2022, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.

Lagesse, David. “Baseball Is a Field of Dreams—and Dashed Hopes—for Dominicans.” NPR, 3 Apr. 2016, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/04/03/472699693/baseball-is-a-field-of-dreams-and-dashed-hopes-for-dominicans. Accessed 19 July 2018.

“2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Dominican Republic.” US Department of State, 2020, www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominican-republic. Accessed 15 Sept. 2020.‌