660 kWh (1992)
Industries:
tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles,
cement, tobacco
Agriculture:
accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 49% of labor force; sugarcane is
the most important commercial crop, followed by coffee, cotton, cocoa,
and tobacco; food crops - rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; animal
output - cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not self-sufficient
in food
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and
Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-89), $575 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $655
million
Currency:
1 Dominican peso (RD$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
Dominican pesos (RD$) per US$1 - 12.841 (January 1994), 12.679 (1993),
12.774 (1992), 12.692 (1991), 8.525 (1990), 6.340 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

@Dominican Republic, Communications

Railroads:
1,655 km total in numerous segments; 4 different gauges from 0.558 m
to 1.435 m
Highways:
total:
12,000 km
paved:
5,800 km
unpaved:
gravel or improved earth 5,600 km; unimproved earth 600 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 96 km; petroleum products 8 km
Ports:
Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata
Merchant marine:
1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
Airports:
total:
36
usable:
31
with permanent-surface runways:
12
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
8
Telecommunications:
relatively efficient domestic system based on islandwide microwave
relay network; 190,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 120 AM, no FM,
18 TV, 6 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station

@Dominican Republic, Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,114,606; fit for military service 1,333,049; reach
military age (18) annually 81,919 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $110 million, 0.7% of GDP (1993 est.)

@Ecuador, Geography

Location:
Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator
between Colombia and Peru
Map references:
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
283,560 sq km
land area:
276,840 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than