The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation located in the Greater Antilles, with a population of around 10.7 million people. The main ethnic group is Mestizo, making up around 73% of the population. Other ethnic groups include African, European, and East Indian descent. The majority of Dominicans are Roman Catholic, with other Protestant denominations making up much of the remaining population. Additionally, there is also a small Jewish minority living in the Dominican Republic as well. The literacy rate in the Dominican Republic is around 95%, and the average life expectancy is 78 years. Check hyperrestaurant to learn more about Dominican Republic in 2009.
Social conditions
The Dominican Republic is one of the poorest countries in Central America with widespread poverty and large social divisions. Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of DOM and acronym for Dominican Republic. Two thirds of the population is estimated to live in poverty. Unemployment and underemployment affect the majority of the population, and child labor is common, such as crime, drug trafficking and prostitution. The number of people with AIDS is among the highest in the Caribbean.
The country lacks a comprehensive state safety net in the form of social or unemployment insurance, but since 1947 there is a voluntary health insurance system. Health care is inadequate and concentrated in the cities. Health conditions are poor, especially in rural areas, where poor sanitary conditions mean that infectious and parasitic diseases are common. Child mortality is high, and about 25 percent of the population does not have access to clean drinking water. Check to see Dominican Republic population.
In July 1988, former President Jorge Blanco was convicted of fraud – he had sold weapons at an overpriced price to the armed forces.
The following election on May 16, 1990, was once again won by Joaquín Balaguer, but his counterpart, Juan Bosch of the PLD, accused the ruling party of massive fraud. In the most recent polls before the election, Bosch had 36% of the vote against Balaguer’s 26%. On the proposal of the third candidate – Peña Gómez of the PRD – a recount of the votes was made. This mention gave 35% to Balaguer, 34% to Bosch and 23% to Peña Gómez. Despite this, the opposition continued its criticism of the irregularities in the elections.
In 1991, the country’s two most important political leaders – President Joaquín Balaguer of 85 years and 82-year-old Juan Bosch who founded the country’s 2 most important left-wing parties – declared that they would both definitely step down from the political scene.
Meanwhile, the deterioration of the country’s economic and social situation continued. A new recession had erupted in 1990 and continued in 1991. Unemployment rose and so did inflation. Meanwhile, agricultural and mineral production fell. The trade balance deteriorated as the price of the country’s most important export products fell while the price of oil rose – as a result of the Gulf War.
With the crisis, conditions for the hundreds of thousands of Haitian guest workers who worked as seasonal workers in Dominican sugar production also deteriorated. In June 1991, Balagaguer declared that the “illegal emigrants” should be immediately thrown out of the country. For most of the century, the sugar plantations had used the practice of bringing tens of thousands of Haitians to the country during the sugar harvest. That way, the daily salary of a sugar worker could be squeezed from the Dominican level of $ 3-5 a day down to $ 1.