has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003;
fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is
dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony
domestic: mobile-cellular service available since 1993 and provided
by three nation-wide networks with a fourth provider beginning
operations in late 2006; cellular coverage is generally good with
some gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and
still lags in rural areas
international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with
automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to
Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
20.2 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
40 (2006)
Televisions:
13.05 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.pl
Internet hosts:
7.808 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
19 (2000)
Internet users:
16 million (2007)
Transportation
Poland
Airports:
123 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 83
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 40
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 22 (2007)
Heliports:
7 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 23,072 km
broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational;
11,910 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 423,997 km
paved: 295,356 km (includes 662 km of expressways)
unpaved: 128,641 km (2006)
Waterways:
3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 15
by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll
off 1, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1)
registered in other countries: 98 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Bahamas
17, Cyprus 18, Liberia 13, Malta 24, Norway 3, Panama 11, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 7) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin
Military
Poland
Military branches:
Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna,
MW)), Polish Air Force (Sily Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej,
SPRP) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January
1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary
military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to
9 months in 2005; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military
personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their
conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service;
as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and
noncommissioned officers (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,741,508
females age 16-49: 9,514,843 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,937,840
females age 16-49: 7,949,677 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 257,605
female: 245,832 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.71% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Poland
Disputes - international:
as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border,
Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict
illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus
and Ukraine
Illicit drugs:
despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international
information sharing on cross-border crimes, a major illicit producer
of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment
point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to
Western Europe
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Portugal
Introduction
Portugal
Background:
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th
centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the
destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the
Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony.
A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six
decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a
left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The
following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African
colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC
(now the EU) in 1986.
Geography
Portugal
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of
Spain
Geographic coordinates:
39 30 N, 8 00 W
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 92,391 sq km
land: 91,951 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
total: 1,214 km
border countries: Spain 1,214 km
Coastline:
1,793 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in
south
Terrain:
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in
the Azores 2,351 m
Natural resources:
fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver,
gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 17.29%
permanent crops: 7.84%
other: 74.87% (2005)
Irrigated land:
6,500 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
73.6 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%)
per capita: 1,056 cu m/yr (1998)
Natural hazards:
Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle
emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental
Modification
Geography - note:
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western
sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
People
Portugal
Population:
10,676,910 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.4% (male 912,995/female 835,715)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 3,514,905/female 3,555,097)
65 years and over: 17.4% (male 764,443/female 1,093,755) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.1 years
male: 37 years
female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.305% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.04 years
male: 74.78 years
female: 81.53 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
22,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)
adjective: Portuguese
Ethnic groups:
homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent
who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than
100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal
Religions:
Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%,
none 3.9% (2001 census)
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.3%
male: 95.5%
female: 91.3% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.5% of GDP (2005)
Government
Portugal
Country name:
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic
conventional short form: Portugal
local long form: Republica Portuguesa
local short form: Portugal
Government type:
republic; parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Lisbon
geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous
regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro,
Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra,
Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre,
Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Independence:
1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic
proclaimed)
National holiday:
Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called
Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes
(1524-80) died
Constitution:
adopted 2 April 1976; note - subsequent revisions of the
Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control,
trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a
stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; as well, they allowed for the
privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned
communications media
Legal system:
based on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9 March 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de
Sousa (since 12 March 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative
body to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006
(next to be held in January 2011); following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition
is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of
vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto
Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held in Fall 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%,
CDU 7.6%, CDS/PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PS 121,
PSD 75, CDU 14, CDS/PP 12, BE 8
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for
life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS];
Green Ecologist Party (The Greens) or PEV [leadership commission
elected by members]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo DE
SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho
Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Manuela FERREIRA
Leite]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian
Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes PCP and
PEV)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
the media
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia
Group, BIS, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,
UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joao DE VALLERA
chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400
FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726
consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San
Francisco
consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas F. STEPHENSON
embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon
mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE
09726
telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300
FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109
consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Flag description:
two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red
(three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the
dividing line
Economy
Portugal
Economy - overview:
Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based
economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past
two decades, successive governments have privatized many
state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy,
including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country
qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began
circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member
economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of
the 1990s, but fell back in 2001-07. GDP per capita stands at
roughly two-thirds of the EU-27 average. A poor educational system,
in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and
growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost
producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct
investment. The budget deficit surged to an all-time high of 6% of
GDP in 2005, but the government reduced the deficit to 2.6% in 2007
- a year ahead of Portugal's targeted schedule. Nonetheless, the
government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's
economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the
eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$232.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$223.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$21,800 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.2%
industry: 25.4%
services: 66.4% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
5.618 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 30%
services: 60% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
18% (2006)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.5 (2007)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $96.01 billion
expenditures: $101.9 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
63.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7.92% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro
Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi
money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
NA (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$451.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats,
swine, poultry, dairy products; fish
Industries:
textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper, chemicals,
auto-parts manufacturing, base metals, diary products, wine and
other foods, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology,
telecommunications; ship construction and refurbishment; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
2.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
44.83 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
48.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
2.153 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
9.641 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 64.5%
hydro: 31.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 4.1% (2001)
Oil - production:
6,281 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
301,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
50,490 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
390,300 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
NA bbl
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
4.112 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
4.095 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$21.75 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$51.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical
products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork,
wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals
and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and
other transport material, and optical and precision
Exports - partners:
Spain 27.1%, Germany 12.9%, France 12.3%, UK 5.9%, US 4.8%, Angola
4.5%, Italy 4% (2007)
Imports:
$75.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical
products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork,
wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals
and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and
other transport material, and optical and precision instruments,
computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and related devices,
household goods, passenger cars new and used, and wine products
Imports - partners:
Spain 29.5%, Germany 12.9%, France 8.4%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands
4.6% (2007)
Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $396 million (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$11.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$461.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$91.19 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$54.85 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$66.98 billion (2005)
Currency (code):
euro (EUR)
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041
(2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Communications
Portugal
Telephones - main lines in use:
4.139 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
13.413 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a
state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities
domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave
radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations
international: country code - 351; a combination of submarine cables
provide connectivity to Europe, North and East Africa, South Africa,
the Middle East, Asia, and the US; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
tropospheric scatter to Azores (1998)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
3.02 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
62 (plus 166 repeaters; includes Azores and Madeira Islands) (1995)
Televisions:
3.31 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.pt
Internet hosts:
1.858 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)
Internet users:
3.549 million (2007)
Transportation
Portugal
Airports:
66 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 44
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 12 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 22
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 21 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 1,098 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,786 km
broad gauge: 2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1,351 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 183 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 82,900 km
paved: 71,294 km (includes 2,300 km of expressways)
unpaved: 11,606 km (2005)
Waterways:
210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 117
by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 36, carrier 1, chemical tanker 15,
container 6, liquefied gas 9, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 9,
petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1,
vehicle carrier 15
foreign-owned: 84 (Bahamas 1, Belgium 7, Belgium 1, Denmark 3,
Germany 20, Greece 4, Hong Kong 2, Italy 12, Japan 15, Mexico 1,
Netherlands 1, Spain 11, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, US 1)
registered in other countries: 15 (Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Italy 1,
Malta 3, Panama 9) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines
Military
Portugal
Military branches:
Portuguese Army (Exercito Portugues), Portuguese Navy (Marinha
Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Portuguese Air Force (Forca
Aerea Portuguesa, FAP) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military
service ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval
ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant
specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,573,913
females age 16-49: 2,498,262 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,099,647
females age 16-49: 2,060,559 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 64,910
female: 58,599 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Portugal
Disputes - international:
Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory
of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815
Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Illicit drugs:
seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for
Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment
point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest
Asian heroin
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Puerto Rico
Introduction
Puerto Rico
Background:
Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was
claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS' second
voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule
that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African
slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result
of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US
citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since
1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal
self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters
chose not to alter the existing political status.
Geography
Puerto Rico
Location:
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 66 30 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 13,790 sq km
land: 8,870 sq km
water: 4,921 sq km
Area - comparative: