Dominican Republic

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The state occupies the western part of the island of Haiti, as well as a number of small islands in the Greater Antilles group, between North and South America. Area - 48.4 thousand km². Capital - Santo Domingo (2.6 million). Administrative-territorial division - 31 provinces and 1 district. Population - 8.6 million (2005); Dominicans, 73% - mestizos and mulattos, 16% - whites, 11% - blacks. Official language - Spanish. Religion: the majority of the population (95%) profess Catholicism. Currency - peso = 100 centavos.

It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on March 8, 1945. In March 1991, an agreement was reached on the exchange of ambassadors, concurrently).

National holiday - February 27 - Independence Day (1844).

Presidential republic. The constitution of 1966 is in effect. The head of state and government is the president (since August 2004 - L. Fernandez), elected by popular vote for 4 years. Legislative power belongs to the National Congress, consisting of the Senate (32 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (151 deputies), elected by popular vote for a term of 4 years (the last elections were held in 2004). Executive power belongs to the cabinet of ministers headed by the president.

Political parties: Reformist Social Christian Party (RSCP) - founded in 1986 as a result of the merger of the Reformist Party (founded in 1964) and the Revolutionary Social Christian Party (founded in 1962). In the May 2004 elections, it received 34 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 2 seats in the Senate. It represents the interests of the bourgeoisie, clergy, and military circles oriented towards the USA. Leader - A. Castillo Pantaleon. Pro-presidential Dominican Liberation Party (DLP) - founded in late 1973, with a center-right orientation. Leader - L. Fernandez. 41 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 1 in the Senate. Dominican Revolutionary Party (DRP) - founded in 1939 in exile to fight against the regime of dictator Trujillo. It has been active in the country since 1961, uniting representatives of the petty urban and rural bourgeoisie, intelligentsia, and students. It is a member of the Socialist International. Chairman - R. Subervi Bonilla. It has 72 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 29 in the Senate. Several other political parties and organizations are also active.

Trade union associations: Autonomous Confederation of Christian Trade Unions, General Trade Center of Workers, National Confederation of Dominican Workers.

X. Columbus discovered the island in 1492. Its western part (the current territory of the country) was a colony of Spain until 1795, then belonged to France, and in 1809 returned to Spanish control. Independence was proclaimed on November 30, 1819, but the following year the country was occupied by neighboring Haiti, which lasted until 1844, when the Dominican Republic was formed as a result of a rebellion. In 1861,

Spain reoccupied the country and held it until 1865.

From 1930 to 1961, General R. Trujillo was in power, establishing a regime of repression (he was assassinated in May 1961). In the context of a rise in the national liberation movement, power passed to X. Balaguer - the founder and leader of the Reformist Party (since 1986 - Reformist Social Christian Party). He was succeeded in 1963 by X. Bosch, who was soon overthrown by the military. In 1965, armed struggle began in the country between supporters and opponents of restoring constitutional order, and the USA sent its troops to the Dominican Republic. From 1966 to 1996 (except for 1978-85), X. Balaguer was the president of the country.

The Dominican Republic is a member of the UN (since 1945), OAS (since 1948), LAES (since 1975), and the Union of Banana Exporting Countries.

In recent years, the country's economy has been steadily developing. The government adheres to a course of reform within the framework of a neoliberal stabilization program. The average annual GDP growth rates from 1990 to 1997 were 3.8%, from 1998 to 2000 - 7%, from 2001 to 2002 - 3%, and from 2003 to 2004 - 2%.

The basis of the economy is agriculture, which employs 50% of the country's workforce. It provides about 50% of export revenues; a characteristic feature is the high concentration of land ownership. Main agricultural crops: sugar cane, bananas, rice, cocoa, coffee, beans, tobacco.

Industry is mainly represented by small enterprises engaged in the processing of agricultural raw materials and the production of consumer goods. However, the country's industrialization is gradually gaining momentum. The most developed sector is sugar production. In recent years, chemical industry enterprises and those producing fabrics from synthetic fibers have emerged. There are large deposits of bauxite, as well as iron and copper ores, marble, gold, cobalt, and titanium. The foundation of the mining industry is the extraction of iron-nickel ore and bauxite for export. Deposits of copper and iron ores, gold, silver, and table salt are also being developed. Several free industrial and economic zones have been created in the country, where clothing, electrical goods, and footwear are produced. In recent years, foreign tourism (2.5-3 million tourists annually) has become an important source of foreign currency (25%).

External debt - 7.2 billion dollars. Inflation rate - 28.7% (2004). Exports include sugar, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, gold, silver, bauxite, and products of the light and electrical engineering industries. Imports include industrial goods, metal products, cotton, food products, petroleum products, and chemicals. The main trading partner is the USA.

The standard of living for workers is low, with 25% living below the poverty line, 16.5% of the self-employed population unemployed, and 15.3% of the population illiterate.

The length of railways is over 1.7 thousand km, and highways are about 12 thousand km.

There are several universities in the country, the largest of which is the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. Seven daily morning newspapers are published, including "Listin Diario" (88 thousand copies), "Ultima Hora" (40 thousand), as well as one evening newspaper ("Nacional"). There are over 300 radio stations and 7 television stations controlled by a government organization.