Compare Northern Mariana Islands (2008) - Dominican Republic (2005)

Compare Northern Mariana Islands (2008) z Dominican Republic (2005)

	Northern Mariana Islands (2008)	Dominican Republic (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian	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
Age structure	0-14 years: 18.9% (male 8,354/female 7,612) 15-64 years: 79.5% (male 27,334/female 39,860) 65 years and over: 1.6% (male 717/female 669) (2007 est.)	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.)
Agriculture - products	coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle	sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Airports	5 (2007)	31 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)	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.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 477 sq km land: 477 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian	total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Background	Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24 March 1976. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978.	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.
Birth rate	19.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	23.28 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $193 million expenditures: $223 million (FY01/02 est.)	revenues: $2.625 billion expenditures: $3.382 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2004 est.)
Capital	name: Saipan geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Santo Domingo
Climate	tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October	tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Coastline	1,482 km	1,288 km
Constitution	Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986	28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002
Country name	conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands abbreviation: CNMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District	conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana
Death rate	2.29 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$7.745 billion (2004 est.)
Dependency status	commonwealth in political union with the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs	-
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
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)
Disputes - international	none	increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work
Economic aid - recipient	extensive funding from US	$239.6 million (1995)
Economy - overview	The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown. The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment production is by far the most important industry with the employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions.	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.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	8.912 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2007 est.)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2007 est.)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	NA kWh	9.583 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m	lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
Environment - current issues	contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development	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 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census)	white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73%
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Dominican pesos per US dollar - 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001), 16.415 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Benigno R. FITIAL (since 9 January 2006); Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. VILLAGOMEZ (since 9 January 2006) cabinet: the cabinet consists of the heads of the 10 principal departments under the executive branch who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; other members include Special Assistants to the governor and office heads appointed by and reporting directly to the governor elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Benigno R. FITIAL elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Benigno R. FITIAL 28.07%, Heinz HOFSCHNEIDER 27.34%, Juan BABAUTA 26.6%, Froilan TENORIO 17.99%	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%
Exports	$NA	NA
Exports - commodities	garments	ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
Exports - partners	US (2006)	US 80%, South Korea 2.1%, Canada 1.9% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath	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 - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture: 10.7% industry: 31.5% services: 57.8% (2003)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA%	1.7% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	15 12 N, 145 45 E	19 00 N, 70 40 W
Geography - note	strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean	shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
Heliports	1 (2007)	-
Highways	-	total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (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
Imports	$214.4 million (2001)	129,900 bbl/day (2003)
Imports - commodities	food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products	foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners	US, Japan (2006)	US 48.1%, Venezuela 13.5%, Colombia 4.8%, Mexico 4.8% (2004)
Independence	none (commonwealth in political union with the US)	27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	2% (2001 est.)
Industries	tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts	tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Infant mortality rate	total: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-0.8% (2000)	55% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	Interpol (subbureau), SPC, UPU	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
Irrigated land	NA	2,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court	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)
Labor force	44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000)	2.3 million - 2.6 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government 58.7% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km
Land use	arable land: 13.04% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 82.61% (2005)	arable land: 22.65% permanent crops: 10.33% other: 67.02% (2001)
Languages	Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census)	Spanish
Legal system	based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation	based on French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system
Legislative branch	bicameral Legislature consists of the Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2009); House of Representatives - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Covenant Party 3, Republican Party 3, Democratic Party 1, independents 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 12, Covenant Party 4, Democratic Party 1, independents 3 note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)	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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.29 years male: 73.7 years female: 79.05 years (2007 est.)	total population: 71.44 years male: 69.94 years female: 73.03 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 96% (1980 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines	Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Map references	Oceania	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	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: 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 the US	-
Military branches	-	Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$180 million (1998)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.1% (1998)
National holiday	Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)	Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Nationality	noun: NA (US citizens) adjective: NA	noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican
Natural hazards	active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)	lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Natural resources	arable land, fish	nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Net migration rate	7.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-3.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]; Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S. REYES]	Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Vicente Sanchez BARET]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Foundation for Institution-Building (FINJUS)
Population	84,546 (July 2007 est.)	8,950,034 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	25%
Population growth rate	2.461% (2007 est.)	1.29% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2005)	AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (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	Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)	Roman Catholic 95%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.097 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.686 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.072 male(s)/female total population: 0.756 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	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.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections	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: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	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)
Telephones - main lines in use	21,000 (2000)	901,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	20,500 (2004)	2,120,400 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (on Saipan; in addition, 2 cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006)	25 (2003)
Terrain	southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic	rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Total fertility rate	1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)	2.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	3.9% (2001)	17% (2004 est.)

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