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Compare Dominican Republic (2006) - China (2005)

Compare Dominican Republic (2006) z China (2005)

 Dominican Republic (2006)China (2005)
 Dominican RepublicChina
Administrative divisions 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, 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 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural)

provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang

autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)

municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin


note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Age structure 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076)


15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608)


65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 21.4% (male 148,134,928/female 131,045,415)


15-64 years: 71% (male 477,182,072/female 450,664,933)


65 years and over: 7.6% (male 47,400,282/female 51,886,182) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed, pork, fish
Airports 33 (2006) 472 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 14


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
total: 383


over 3,047 m: 53


2,438 to 3,047 m: 116


1,524 to 2,437 m: 141


914 to 1,523 m: 23


under 914 m: 50 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 19


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 5


under 914 m: 10 (2006)
total: 89


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 13


914 to 1,523 m: 32


under 914 m: 35 (2004 est.)
Area total: 48,730 sq km


land: 48,380 sq km


water: 350 sq km
total: 9,596,960 sq km


land: 9,326,410 sq km


water: 270,550 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire slightly smaller than the US
Background 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 1930-1961. 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. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
Birth rate 23.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 13.14 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $5.322 billion


expenditures: $5.485 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2005)
revenues: $317.9 billion


expenditures: $348.9 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital name: Santo Domingo


geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Beijing
Climate tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Coastline 1,288 km 14,500 km
Constitution 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
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: People's Republic of China


conventional short form: China


local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo


local short form: Zhong Guo


abbreviation: PRC
Death rate 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $7.687 billion (2005 est.) $233.3 billion (3rd quarter 2004 est.)
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.


embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing


mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002


telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831


FAX: [86] (10) 6532-6929


consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang
Diplomatic representation in the US 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)
chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Jiechi


chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco


consulate(s): Los Angeles
Disputes - international increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work in 2005, China and India initiate drafting principles to resolve all aspects of their extensive boundary and territorial disputes together with a security and foreign policy dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside primarily in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratlys but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans; in 2004, China and Russia divided up the islands in the Amur, Ussuri, and Argun Rivers, ending a century-old border dispute; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province
Economic aid - recipient $571.6 million (2004) NA
Economy - overview The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. 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. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004 and 2005. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a respectable rate, unemployment 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 Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005. In late 1978 the Chinese leadership began moving the economy from a sluggish, inefficient, Soviet-style centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented system. Whereas the system operates within a political framework of strict Communist control, the economic influence of non-state organizations and individual citizens has been steadily increasing. The authorities switched to a system of household and village responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization, increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprises in services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a quadrupling of GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2004 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still poor. Agriculture and industry have posted major gains especially in coastal areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan and in Shanghai, where foreign investment has helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. The leadership, however, often has experienced - as a result of its hybrid system - the worst results of socialism (bureaucracy and lassitude) and of capitalism (growing income disparities and rising unemployment). China thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at intervals. The government has struggled to (a) sustain adequate jobs growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned enterprises, many of which had been shielded from competition by subsidies and had been losing the ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 100 to 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. Popular resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which is essential to maintaining long-term growth in living standards. At the same time, one demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. As part of its effort to gradually slow the rapid economic growth seen in 2004, Beijing says it will reduce somewhat its spending on infrastructure in 2005, while continuing to focus on poverty relief and through rural tax reform. Accession to the World Trade Organization helps strengthen its ability to maintain strong growth rates but at the same time puts additional pressure on the hybrid system of strong political controls and growing market influences. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer Internet use, with 94 million users at the end of 2004. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable economic growth. Shortages of electric power and raw materials may affect industrial output in 2005. More power generating capacity is scheduled to come on line in 2006. In its rivalry with India as an economic power, China has a lead in the absorption of technology, the rising prominence in world trade, and the alleviation of poverty; India has one important advantage in its relative mastery of the English language, but the number of competent Chinese English-speakers is growing rapidly.
Electricity - consumption 11.71 billion kWh (2003) 1.63 trillion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 10.38 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 2.3 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 12.6 billion kWh (2003) 1.91 trillion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m


highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m


highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Environment - current issues water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species
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
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11% Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Exchange rates Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001) yuan per US dollar - 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001), 8.2785 (2000)
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)


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 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 (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%
chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)


head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Vice Premiers HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)


cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)


elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress


election results: HU Jintao elected president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates voted against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the Tenth National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); two seats were vacant
Exports NA bbl/day 427,800 bbl/day (2002)
Exports - commodities ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel
Exports - partners US 79%, Netherlands 2.4%, Mexico 1.9% (2005) US 21.1%, Hong Kong 17%, Japan 12.4%, South Korea 4.7%, Germany 4% (2004)
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 red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 11.2%


industry: 30.6%


services: 58.2% (2003)
agriculture: 13.8%


industry and construction: 52.9%


services: 33.3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 9.3% (2005 est.) 9.1% (official data) (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 19 00 N, 70 40 W 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Geography - note shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak
Heliports - 15 (2004 est.)
Highways - total: 1,765,222 km


paved: 395,410 km (with at least 25,130 km of expressways)


unpaved: 1,369,812 km (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.1%


highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)
lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
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 major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine
Imports 129,900 bbl/day (2003) 2.414 million bbl/day (2002)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical and medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel
Imports - partners US 50.2%, Colombia 6.2%, Mexico 5.8% (2005) Japan 16.8%, Taiwan 11.4%, South Korea 11.1%, US 8%, Germany 5.4% (2004)
Independence 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2001 est.) 17.1% (2004 est.)
Industries tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals; coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles and satellites
Infant mortality rate total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 24.18 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.21 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 27.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4.2% (2005 est.) 4.1% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), 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 AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 2,750 sq km (2003) 525,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch 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) Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts)
Labor force 2.3 million-2.6 million (2000 est.) 760.8 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 17%


industry: 24.3%


services: 58.7% (1998 est.)
agriculture 49%, industry 22%, services 29% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries total: 360 km


border countries: Haiti 360 km
total: 22,117 km


border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km


regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
Land use arable land: 22.49%


permanent crops: 10.26%


other: 67.25% (2005)
arable land: 15.4%


permanent crops: 1.25%


other: 83.35% (2001)
Languages Spanish Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Legal system based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law
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 House of Representatives 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 in May 2006); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36
unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-February 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.73 years


male: 70.21 years


female: 73.33 years (2006 est.)
total population: 72.27 years


male: 70.65 years


female: 74.09 years (2005 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: 90.9%


male: 95.1%


female: 86.5% (2002)
Location Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Asia
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


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 (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2006)
total: 1,649 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 18,724,653 GRT/27,749,784 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 362, cargo 696, chemical tanker 38, combination ore/oil 1, container 135, liquefied gas 30, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 81, petroleum tanker 246, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 11, vehicle carrier 10


foreign-owned: 9 (Hong Kong 4, Japan 2, South Korea 2, United States 1)


registered in other countries: 872 (2005)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes Airborne Forces), and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police Force (internal security troops considered to be an adjunct to the PLA); Militia (2003)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $0 (2002 est.) $67.49 billion (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0% (2002 est.) 4.3% (2004)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 February (1844) Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949)
Nationality noun: Dominican(s)


adjective: Dominican
noun: Chinese (singular and plural)


adjective: Chinese
Natural hazards lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence
Natural resources nickel, bauxite, gold, silver coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Net migration rate -2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 15,890 km; oil 14,478 km; refined products 3,280 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders 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 ATUN] Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao, General Secretary of the Central Committee]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure groups and leaders Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS) no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive groups
Population 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.) 1,306,313,812 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 25% 10% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 1.47% (2006 est.) 0.58% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai
Radio broadcast stations AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)
Railways 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 (2005)
total: 71,898 km


standard gauge: 71,898 km 1.435-m gauge (18,115 km electrified)


dual gauge: 23,945 km (multiple track not included in total) (2002)
Religions Roman Catholic 95% Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Muslim 1%-2%, Christian 3%-4%


note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
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 (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 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: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns


domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place


international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 894,500 (2005) 263 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 3.623 million (2005) 269 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations 25 (2003) 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997)
Terrain rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Total fertility rate 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 17% (2005 est.) 9.8% in urban areas; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at 20% (2004 est.)
Waterways - 121,557 km (2002)
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