Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, with its capital Santo Domingo, is located in the Caribbean. The eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola is between the Caribbean Sea and the north Atlantic Ocean; east of Haiti. The total area is 48, 730 sq. km. and is slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire. Its climate is tropical maritime with little seasonal temperature and rainfall variation. The terrain has rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed. Some of its natural resources include: nickel, bauxite, gold, and silver. Current environmental issues in the country are: water shortages, soil eroding into the sea (which damages the coral reefs), deforestation, and Hurricane George's damage.

In July 2001, the population was estimated at 8,581,477. The official language is Spanish. Their industries include: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, and tobacco. Some of their agriculture products are: sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas, cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, and eggs

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