多明尼加共和国(Dominican Republic)

西印度群岛共和国。占伊斯帕尼奥拉岛东部2/3地区，与海地共有。面积48,322平方公里。人口︰约8,693,000（2001）。首都︰圣多明哥。居民大多数为欧洲人和非洲人的混血种後裔。语言︰西班牙语（官方语）。宗教：主要信奉天主教。货币︰多明尼加披索（RD$）。该国境内多山，呈西北-东南走向。中部高地的杜阿尔特峰海拔3,175公尺，是西印度群岛最高点。北部的锡瓦奥谷地土地肥沃。西部为大片沙漠，较乾旱。是加勒比海各国中最贫穷的国家之一。混合型经济，大多依赖蔗糖的生产和出口。政府形式是共和国，两院制。国家元首暨政府首脑是总统。

多明尼加共和国原先是伊斯帕尼奥拉的西班牙殖民地的一部分。1697年该岛西部1/3的土地（後来成为海地）割让给法国。1795年该岛其余部分归法国所有。1809年该岛东部2/3的土地归还西班牙。1821年该殖民地宣布独立。惟数周内，共和国被海地军队占领，直到1844年。此後，除为时短暂的民主政府外，这个国家连续被几个独裁者统治。美国时常卷入其事务。1961年终结了特鲁希略的独裁政权，引起1965年内战和美国军事干预。1979和1998年该国遭强烈飓风侵袭。

English version：

Dominican Republic

Republic of the West Indies, occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. Area: 18,657 sq mi (48,322 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 7,802,000. Capital: Santo Domingo. The majority of the people are of mixed European and African ancestry. Language: Spanish (official). Religion: mainly Roman Catholicism. Currency: Dominican peso. The country is generally mountainous, with ranges and hills running from northwest to southeast. The Central Highlands reach a height of 10,417 ft (3,175 m) at Duarte Peak, the highest point in the West Indies. The Cibao Valley in the north is noted for its fertility; the western part of the country is generally dry with large stretches of desert. One of the poorest countries of the Caribbean, it has a mixed economy heavily dependent on the production and export of sugar. It is a republic with two legislative houses; its head of state and government is the president. The Dominican Republic was originally part of the Spanish colony of Hispaniola. In 1697 the western third of the island, which later became Haiti, was ceded to France; the remainder of the island passed to France in 1795. The eastern two-thirds of the island were returned to Spain in 1809, and the colony declared its independence in 1821. Within a matter of weeks it was overrun by Haitian troops and occupied until 1844. Since then the country has been under the rule of a succession of dictators, except for short interludes of democratic government, and the U.S. has frequently been involved in its affairs. The termination of the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in 1961 led to civil war in 1965, and U.S. military intervention. The country suffered from severe hurricanes in 1979 and 1998.