The Dominican

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

19 00 N, 70 40 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

1,288 km

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

2,981 sq km (2018)

coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti); the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba); geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo

mixed 70.4% (Mestizo/Indio 58%, Mulatto 12.4%), Black 15.8%, White 13.5%, other 0.3% (2014 est.)

Evangelical 50.2%, Roman Catholic 30.1%, none 18.5%, unspecified 1.2% (2023 est.)

0.78% (2025 est.)

17.4 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

3.524 million SANTO DOMINGO (capital) (2023)

20.9 years (2013 est.)

124 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

2.17 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.06 (2025 est.)

2.43 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

1.4 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

27.6% (2016)

3% (2019 est.)

53.2% (2019 est.)

presidential republic

civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal and compulsory; married persons can vote, regardless of age 

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, BCIE, Caricom (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OAS, OIF (observer), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA (associated member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

palmchat (bird)

red, white, blue

surging middle-income tourism, construction, mining, and telecommunications OECS economy; major foreign US direct investment and free-trade zones; developing local financial markets; improving debt management; declining poverty

$124.282 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, bananas, papayas, plantains, avocados, rice, milk, watermelons, vegetables, pineapples (2023)

tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco, electrical components, medical devices

3% (2024 est.)

5.413 million (2024 est.)

23% (2023 est.)

14.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

USA 52%, Switzerland 7%, Haiti 6%, China 5%, India 3% (2023)

medical instruments, tobacco, gold, garments, power equipment (2023)

USA 40%, China 18%, Brazil 4%, Spain 4%, Mexico 3% (2023)

refined petroleum, cars, natural gas, plastic products, crude petroleum (2023)

combination of state-owned and privately owned broadcast media; 1 state-owned TV network and a number of private TV networks; networks operate repeaters to extend signals throughout country; over 300 state-owned and privately owned radio stations  (2019)

.do

HI

32 (2025)

8 (2025)

Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic: Army of the Dominican Republic (Ejercito de la República Dominicana, ERD), Navy (Armada de República Dominicana or ARD; includes naval infantry), Dominican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de la República Dominicana, FARD) (2025)

approximately 55-60,000 Armed Forces; up to 35,000 National Police (2025)

the military's equipment inventory comes largely from the US, with smaller quantities from such suppliers as Brazil and Spain (2025)

17-early 20s for voluntary military service for men and women (ages vary depending on military service and position; under 18 admitted with permission of parents) (2025)

the military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of the Dominican Republic; it also has an internal security role, which includes assisting with airport, border, port, tourism, and urban security, supporting the police in maintaining or restoring public order, countering transnational crime, and providing disaster or emergency relief/management; a key area of focus is securing the country’s 217-mile (350-kilometer) long border with Haiti, where the Army in recent years has assigned thousands of troops to assist with security; these forces complement the personnel of the Border Security Corps permanently deployed along the border; the Air Force and Navy also provide support to the Haitian border mission; the Army has a brigade dedicated to managing and providing relief during natural disasters; the military also contributes personnel to the National Drug Control Directorate, and both the Air Force and Navy devote assets to detecting and interdicting narcotics trafficking; the Navy conducts regular bilateral maritime interdiction exercises with the US Navy (2025)