Irrigated land: 2,300 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional hurricanes (July to October)
Environment-current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Geography-note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti)
@Dominican Republic:People
Population: 7,998,766 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35% (male 1,435,698; female 1,382,377) 15-64 years: 60% (male 2,452,310; female 2,379,991) 65 years and over: 5% (male 165,602; female 182,788) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.63% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 26.42 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)