Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation, with an area of 18,704 square miles. The eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola are occupied by the Dominican Republic, with Haiti occupying the western third. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Factbook estimates the population at 9,956,648. The Dominican Republic, with the second-largest economy in Central America and the Caribbean, is classified as a middle-income, developing country by the World Bank. Natural resources and government services support the economy. Most Dominicans are employed in the agriculture or tourism industries. The Dominican Republic's gross [Page 201]domestic product (GDP) in terms of purchasing power parity is $9,922 per capita. Approximately 42 percent of the Dominican population lives below the poverty line, according to the CIA World Factbook. The ...