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General Information Area: 48,422 sq km (18,696 sq miles). Population: 8,518,483 (official estimate 2000). Population Density: 175.9 per sq km. Capital: Santo Domingo. Population: 1,609,699 (1993). GEOGRAPHY: The Dominican Republic is in the Caribbean, sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and constituting the eastern two-thirds of land. The landscape is forested and mountainous, with valleys, plains and plateaux. The soil is fertile with excellent beaches on the north, southeast and east coasts, rising up to the mountains. Government: Republic. Gained independence in 1884. Head of State and Government: President Hipolito Mejía Domínguez since 2000. Language: Spanish is the official language. Some English and French are spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic; small Protestant and Jewish minorities. Time: GMT - 4. Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style two-pin plugs are in use. Communications:   Telephone Full IDD available. Country code: 1 809. Outgoing international code: 011. CODETEL, Dominican Republic’s telecommunications company has produced the Caribe Card, which enables tourists visiting the country to phone anywhere abroad from any touchtone phone. For further information contact CODETEL, Av Tiradentes 1169, Santo Domingo (tel: 220 5168; fax: 549 4721; e-mail caribecard@codetel.com.do). Mobile telephone GSM 1900 network exists; the main network provider is Orange (website: www.orange.com.do). Fax There are facilities at most locations and many hotels offer this service. Internet ISPs include Codetel (website: www.codetel.net.do). Telegram These may be sent from RCA Global Communications Inc., Santo Domingo, or from ITT-America Cables and Radio Inc., Santo Domingo. Large hotels have facilities. Post Airmail takes about seven days to reach western Europe. It is advisable to post all mail at the Central Post Office in Santo Domingo to ensure rapid handling. Press All daily papers are in Spanish and include Hoy, Listín Diario and El Nacional. The English-language Santo Domingo News is published weekly on Wednesday and may be obtained in hotels. Dominicana News, a monthly Tourism Promotion Council publication, has the main Dominicana tourism industry items. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.19 12.10 6.195 5.975 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 13.79 9.455 6.130 5.995 From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.