Dominican Republic Facts

48,730 square kilometers, slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
The Dominican Republic occupies the Eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti

58% of the population works in services and government
Main crops: sugar, coffee and cocoa
Main imports: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton, fabric, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
48% of imports from the US
Main exports: ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, tobacco and cocoa
80% of the exports go to the US

In 1496 Christopher Columbus founded a settlement which is now known as Santo Domingo
Until 1526 the Dominican Republic was used as a base for explorers of the New World
In 1697 Spain relinquished the Western portion of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti) to France
The DR and Haiti were temporarily joined in 1822
The DR and Haiti became separate nations again in 1844
The US Military occupied the DR from 1916-1924 due to unstable political and economic conditions
In 1962 Bosch became the first democratic president elected in the DR
During the 1970s many Haitians were "imported" to the DR to work in sugar cane fields
Fernandez was elected president in 1996
Since 1996 regular, competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency