Compare Dominican Republic (2005) - French Guiana (2004)

Compare Dominican Republic (2005) z French Guiana (2004)

	Dominican Republic (2005)	French Guiana (2004)

Administrative divisions	31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, 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, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde	none (overseas department of France)
Age structure	0-14 years: 32.9% (male 1,505,964/female 1,438,809) 15-64 years: 61.7% (male 2,815,544/female 2,703,012) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 226,372/female 260,333) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 29.6% (male 28,959; female 27,657) 15-64 years: 64.5% (male 66,388; female 57,020) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 5,736; female 5,549) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs	corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports	31 (2004 est.)	11 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)	total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km	total: 91,000 sq km land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire	slightly smaller than Indiana
Background	Explored and claimed by 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 for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He 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. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere over the past decade.	First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou.
Birth rate	23.28 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	21 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $2.625 billion expenditures: $3.382 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2004 est.)	revenues: $225 million expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996)
Capital	Santo Domingo	Cayenne
Climate	tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall	tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline	1,288 km	378 km
Constitution	28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002	28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name	conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana	conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane
Currency	-	euro (EUR)
Death rate	7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$7.745 billion (2004 est.)	$1.2 billion (1988)
Dependency status	-	overseas department of France
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL 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	none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador-designate 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: Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)	none (overseas department of France)
Disputes - international	increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work	Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Economic aid - recipient	$239.6 million (1995)	NA (1995)
Economy - overview	The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy which enjoyed GDP growth of more than 7% in 1998-2000. Growth subsequently plummeted as part of the global economic slowdown. 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 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. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 85% of export revenues), but recovered slightly in 2004. Resumption of a badly needed IMF loan, slowed due to government repurchase of electrical power plants, is basic to the restoration of social and economic stability. Newly elected President FERNANDEZ in mid-2004 promised belt-tightening reform. His administration has passed tax reform and is working to meet preconditions for a $600 IMF standby arrangement to ease the country's fiscal situation.	The economy is tied closely to the larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.
Electricity - consumption	8.912 billion kWh (2002)	423.2 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	9.583 billion kWh (2002)	455 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Environment - current issues	water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation	NA
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 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	-
Ethnic groups	white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%	black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Exchange rates	Dominican pesos per US dollar - 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001), 16.415 (2000)	Euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999)
Executive branch	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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008) election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%	chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002) head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
Exports	NA	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods	shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners	US 80%, South Korea 2.1%, Canada 1.9% (2004)	France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	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	the flag of France is used
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $1.551 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 10.7% industry: 31.5% services: 57.8% (2003)	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1.7% (2004 est.)	NA
Geographic coordinates	19 00 N, 70 40 W	4 00 N, 53 00 W
Geography - note	shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti	mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent
Highways	total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999)	total: 722 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	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	small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
Imports	129,900 bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals	food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners	US 48.1%, Venezuela 13.5%, Colombia 4.8%, Mexico 4.8% (2004)	France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.)
Independence	27 February 1844 (from Haiti)	none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate	2% (2001 est.)	NA
Industries	tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco	construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Infant mortality rate	total: 32.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 34.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 29.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 12.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	55% (2004 est.)	1.5% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	UPU, WCL, WFTU
Irrigated land	2,590 sq km (1998 est.)	20 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by a the National Judicial Council comprised of the President, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing party member)	Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Labor force	2.3 million - 2.6 million (2000 est.)	58,800 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government 58.7% (1998 est.)	agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980)
Land boundaries	total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km	total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use	arable land: 22.65% permanent crops: 10.33% other: 67.02% (2001)	arable land: 0.14% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001)
Languages	Spanish	French
Legal system	based on French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system	French legal system
Legislative branch	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 Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held May 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36	unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 71.44 years male: 69.94 years female: 73.03 years (2005 est.)	total population: 76.89 years male: 73.57 years female: 80.38 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.)
Location	Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti	Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	South America
Maritime claims	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	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,230 GRT/17,011 DWT by type: cargo 3 (2005)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches	Army, Navy, Air Force	no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$180 million (1998)	NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.1% (1998)	NA
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 52,294 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 33,914 (2004 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 27 February (1844)	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality	noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican	noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese
Natural hazards	lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts	high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Natural resources	nickel, bauxite, gold, silver	bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay
Net migration rate	-3.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	6.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Vicente Sanchez BARET]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN]	Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
Political pressure groups and leaders	Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Foundation for Institution-Building (FINJUS)	NA
Population	8,950,034 (July 2005 est.)	191,309 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	25%	NA
Population growth rate	1.29% (2005 est.)	2.25% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo	Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni
Radio broadcast stations	AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)	AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Railways	total: 1,743 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 (2004)	-
Religions	Roman Catholic 95%	Roman Catholic
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: NA domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	901,800 (2003)	51,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	2,120,400 (2003)	138,200 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	25 (2003)	3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain	rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed	low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Total fertility rate	2.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)	3.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	17% (2004 est.)	22% (2001)
Waterways	-	3,760 km note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)

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