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Compare British Virgin Islands (2001) - Dominican Republic (2008)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2001) z Dominican Republic (2008)
| British Virgin Islands (2001) | Dominican Republic (2008) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Bahoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339) 15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309) 65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 32.1% (male 1,532,813/female 1,477,033)
15-64 years: 62.2% (male 2,971,620/female 2,851,207) 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 247,738/female 285,407) (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs |
| Airports | 3 (2000 est.) | 34 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 11 (2007) |
| Area | total:
150 sq km land: 150 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the island of Anegada |
total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire |
| Background | First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. | Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola 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 was conquered and ruled by the Haitians 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. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term. |
| Birth rate | 15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 22.91 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $7.014 billion
expenditures: $6.985 billion (2007 est.) |
| Capital | Road Town | name: Santo Domingo
geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall |
| Coastline | 80 km | 1,288 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | - |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $8.842 billion (31 December 2007 est.) |
| Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador P. Robert FANNIN
embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo
chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) |
| Disputes - international | none | Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the Dominican Republic to find work; illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find better work |
| Economic aid - recipient | $2.6 million (1995) | $76.99 million (2005) |
| Economy - overview | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. | The Dominican Republic has enjoyed strong GDP growth since 2005, with double digit growth in 2006. In 2007, exports were bolstered by the nearly 50% increase in nickel prices; however, prices are expected to fall in 2008, contributing to a slowdown in GDP growth for the year. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The economy is highly dependent upon the US, the source of nearly 80% of exports, and remittances represent about a tenth of GDP, equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed to in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation, lowereing inflation to less than 6%. A fiscal expansion is expected for 2008 prior to the elections in May and for Tropical Storm Noel reconstruction. Although the economy is growing at a respectable rate, high unemployment and underemployment remains an important challenge. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in March 2007, which should boost investment and exports and diminishes losses to the Asian garment industry. |
| Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 8.791 billion kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 12.22 billion kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m |
| Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment) | water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Ethnic groups | black 90%, white, Asian | mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11% |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Dominican pesos per US dollar - 33.113 (2007), 33.406 (2006), 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003) |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA) head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council |
chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA 8.7% |
| Exports | $6.2 million (2000 est.) | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | US 72.7%, UK 3.2%, Belgium 2.4% (2006) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
| Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) | a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 11.5%
industry: 28.3% services: 60.2% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 6% (2000 est.) | 7.2% (2007 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 19 00 N, 70 40 W |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti |
| Highways | total:
132 km paved: 132 km unpaved: 0 km (1997) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2004) |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions; significant amphetamine consumption |
| Imports | $220 million (2000 est.) | 116,700 bbl/day (2004) |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | US 46.9%, Venezuela 8.4%, Colombia 6.3%, Mexico 5.7% (2006) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | 5.5% (2007 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco |
| Infant mortality rate | 20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 27.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2000) | 5.8% (2007 est.) |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | ACP, Caricom (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 2,750 sq km (2003) |
| Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party congressional representative) |
| Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 3.986 million (2007 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture: 17%
industry: 24.3% services: 58.7% (1998 est.) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km |
| Land use | arable land:
20% permanent crops: 7% permanent pastures: 33% forests and woodland: 7% other: 33% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005) |
| Languages | English (official) | Spanish |
| Legal system | English law | based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5 |
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (178 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2008); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
75.64 years male: 74.74 years female: 76.59 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 73.07 years
male: 71.34 years female: 74.87 years (2007 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87% male: 86.8% female: 87.2% (2002 census) |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 6 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Merchant marine | total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
by type: cargo 1 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
| Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Dominicana, FAD) (2007) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 0.8% (2006) |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Independence Day, 27 February (1844) |
| Nationality | noun:
British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts |
| Natural resources | NEGL | nickel, bauxite, gold, silver |
| Net migration rate | 11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -2.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] | Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS) |
| Population | 20,812 (July 2001 est.) | 9,365,818 (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 42.2% (2004) |
| Population growth rate | 2.22% (2001 est.) | 1.5% (2007 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) |
| Radios | 9,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | total: 517 km
standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2006) |
| Religions | Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981) | Roman Catholic 95%, other 5% |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.042 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.868 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age; note - members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda |
general assessment: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network
domestic: fixed telephone line density is about 10 per 100 persons; multiple providers of mobile cellular service with a subscribership of roughly 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 1-809; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 897,000 (2006) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 4.606 million (2006) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 25 (2003) |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.81 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 15.5% (2007 est.) |
| Waterways | none | - |
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