State Analysis of Dominican Republic
On a geopolitical scale, the Dominican Republic has maintained a state of equilibrium for more than two decades. The Dominican Republic’s Power ranking is second tier within its own region, fourth level in relation to the world, and is unlikely to change over the next decade. The recession caused major damage to the Dominican economy, allowing unemployment rates to skyrocket. Just recently, the country began to come out of the recession at a relatively quick pace. The Dominican Republic is heavily dependent on the United States for a majority of both its imports and exports. Illegal immigrants from Haiti continue to cross the border at an all time high, causing military resources to be tied up in immigration control. Drug trafficking from Columbia is a popular practice in the Dominican Republic because it offers quick access to the United States through Puerto Rico. The US has been working with the Dominican Republic on this issue for many years and will likely continue doing so well past 2022. In August of 2012, a new president was elected. The future of the Dominican Republic lies in the new presidents plans to boost the economy and drop crime rates. The Dominican Republic is located on the island of Hispaniola between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Its exact coordinates are 18.9473° N, 70.4811° W. The Dominican Republic shares the island with Haiti, to the West, and is approximately 48,320 square kilometers; slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire . The Dominican Republic is approximately eight hundred miles southeast of Florida. There are 27 different climate zones in the country. This results in deserts to rain forests, to fertile valleys (CIA). There are four major rivers that flow through the Dominican Republic. The Artibonite River is the only river in the Dominican Republic to flow into Haiti. The Yaque del Norte is the longest and most used river. Approximately 80% of the Dominican Republic is mountainous. The