World Country Guide

General Information

Area
48,072 sq km (18,696 sq miles).

Population
8,230,722 (2002).

Population Density
175.9 per sq km.

Capital
Santo Domingo. Population: 1,822,028 (2002).

Geography
The Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean, sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and constituting the eastern two-thirds of land. The landscape is forested and mountainous, with valleys, plains and plateaux. The soil is fertile with excellent beaches on the north, southeast and east coasts, rising up to the mountains.

Government
Republic. Gained independence in 1884. Head of State and Government: President Hipolito Meja Domnguez since 2000.

Language
Spanish is the official language. Some English and French are spoken.

Religion
Almost all Christian, with 89 per cent Roman Catholic; there are small Protestant and Jewish minorities.

Time
GMT - 4.

Electricity
110 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style two-pin plugs are in use.

Communications

Telephone
Full IDD available. Country code: 1 809. Outgoing international code: 011. CODETEL, Dominican Republic’s telecommunications company, has produced the Comunicard, which enables tourists visiting the country to phone anywhere abroad from any touchtone phone. For further information, contact CODETEL, Av Tiradentes 1169, Santo Domingo (tel: 220 5168; fax: 549 4721; e-mail: ayuda@codetel.com.do; website: www.codetel.net.do).

Mobile telephone
GSM 1900 network exists; the main network provider is Orange (website: www.orange.com.do).

Fax
There are facilities at most locations and many hotels and telecommunications centres offer this service.

Internet
ISPs include Caribbean Internet (website: www.caribe.net), Tricom (website: www.tricom.net) and Verizon (website: www.verizon.net.do).

Telegram
These may be sent from RCA Global Communications Inc., Santo Domingo, or from ITT-America Cables and Radio Inc, Santo Domingo. Large hotels have facilities.

Post
Airmail takes about 10 days to reach western Europe. It is advisable to post all mail at the Central Post Office in Santo Domingo to ensure rapid handling.

Press
All daily papers are in Spanish and include Hoy, Listn Diario and El Nacional. The English-language Santo Domingo News is published weekly on Wednesday and may be obtained in hotels. Dominicana News, a monthly Tourism Promotion Council publication, has the main Dominicana tourism industry items.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.