Imports - partners:
Trinidad and Tobago 26.2%, US 20.5%, Cuba 7.2%, China 7.1%, UK 5.4%
(2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$136.8 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$313 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2002)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$187.3 million (2005)
Currency (code):
Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Currency code:
GYD
Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006),
200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003)
Communications
Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use:
110,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
281,400 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line
teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack
fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached
37 per 100 persons in 2005
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
420,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite
services) (1997)
Televisions:
46,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gy
Internet hosts:
6,218 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)
Internet users:
190,000 (2007)
Transportation
Guyana
Airports:
93 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
under 914 m: 6 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 84
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 69 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 7,970 km
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)
Waterways:
Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing
vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 8
by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Georgetown
Military
Guyana
Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 220,797 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 150,623 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 6,713
female: 6,451 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Guyana
Disputes - international:
all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela
preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has
expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before
UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela
extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land
between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over
the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under
provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to
resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the
territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Guyana is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most trafficking
appears to take place in remote mining camps in the country's
interior; some women and girls are trafficked from northern Brazil;
reporting from other nations suggests Guyanese women and girls are
trafficked for sexual exploitation to neighboring countries and
Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor exploitation in
construction and agriculture; trafficking victims from Suriname,
Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to Caribbean
destinations
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,
Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence
of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the
area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the
government has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under
the comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which
became law in 2005; the government operates no shelters for
trafficking victims, but did include limited funding for
anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did not
make any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007
(2008)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily
Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money
laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Haiti
Introduction
Haiti
Background:
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of
Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were
virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the
early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola,
and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the
island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on
forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest
in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African
slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th
century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint
L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first
black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by
political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion
led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand
ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to
organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations
Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and
technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally
did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in
May of 2006.
Geography
Haiti
Location:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the
Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates:
19 00 N, 72 25 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km
Coastline:
1,771 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)
Irrigated land:
920 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
14 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)
per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes;
periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is
being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion;
inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western
one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
People
Haiti
Population:
8,924,553
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.8% (male 1,881,509/female 1,851,591)
15-64 years: 54.7% (male 2,386,761/female 2,495,233)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 135,695/female 173,764) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.5 years
male: 18.1 years
female: 19 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.493% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
35.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.33 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 66.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 57.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.56 years
male: 55.83 years
female: 59.35 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.6% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
280,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
24,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups:
black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%,
Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%
note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo
Languages:
French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.9%
male: 54.8%
female: 51.2% (2003 est.)
Education expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (1991)
Government
Haiti
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti
local short form: Haiti/Ayiti
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Port-au-Prince
geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite,
Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud,
Sud-Est
Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Constitution:
approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles
reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a
military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military
government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to
constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically
in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to
constitutional rule in May 2006
Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Michele PIERRE-LOUIS (since 5
September 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February
2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president, ratified by the National Assembly
election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote -
Rene PREVAL 51%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the
Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year
terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of
Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate
in each department receiving the most votes in the last election
serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves
four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two
years
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections
on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats,
to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006
with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 and 29 April 2007 (next
regular election to be held in 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2,
ALYANS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5,
MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10; results for six other seats contested
on 3 December 2006 remain unknown
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of
Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention
for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to
Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or
ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH); Effort and
Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph
JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or
L'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots
organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau
Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest); Haitian Christian Democratic
Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian
Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre
Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT];
Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc
FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN
[Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party
of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic
Parties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of Ayiti
Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress
of Democratic Movements); Mobilization for Haiti's Development or
MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN
[Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN
[Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in
Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the
Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National
Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New
Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open
the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of
Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]; Struggling People's Organization or
OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians
or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole
ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of
Workers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of Independent
Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or
KOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement
or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering
Power or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan
(Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON
embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: use mailing address
telephone: [509] 229-8000
FAX: [509] 229-8028
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered
white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree
flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto
L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
Economy
Haiti
Economy - overview:
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of
the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject
poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural
sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain
vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by
the country's widespread deforestation. A macroeconomic program
developed in 2005 with the help of the International Monetary Fund
helped the economy grow 3.5% in 2007, the highest growth rate since
1999. US economic engagement under the Haitian Hemispheric
Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in
December 2006, has boosted the garment and automotive parts exports
and investment by providing tariff-free access to the US. Haiti
suffers from high inflation, a lack of investment because of
insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit.
In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way
for reengagement with the Bank. The government relies on formal
international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.
Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling
nearly a quarter of GDP and more than twice the earnings from
exports.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$11.38 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.435 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 20%
services: 52% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
3.6 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 9%
services: 25% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of
the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line:
80% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.2 (2001)
Investment (gross fixed):
28.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $815.9 million
expenditures: $802.2 million (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.5% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
46.99% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$704.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Industries:
sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly
based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate:
2.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
549 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
330 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 60.3%
hydro: 39.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
12,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
11,980 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$467 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$522 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee
Exports - partners:
US 72.9%, Dominican Republic 8.8%, Canada 3.3% (2007)
Imports:
$1.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels,
raw materials
Imports - partners:
US 41.2%, Netherlands Antilles 14.9%, China 4.7%, Brazil 4.4% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$515 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$444 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
gourde (HTG)
Currency code:
HTG
Exchange rates:
gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006), 40.449
(2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003)
Communications
Haiti
Telephones - main lines in use:
150,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.2 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;
international facilities slightly better; telephone density in Haiti
remains the lowest in the Latin American and Caribbean region
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service;
combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 25 per 100
persons
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
Radios:
415,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Televisions:
38,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ht
Internet hosts:
7 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)
Internet users:
1 million (2007)
Transportation
Haiti
Airports:
14 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 9 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 4,160 km
paved: 1,011 km
unpaved: 3,149 km (2000)
Ports and terminals:
Cap-Haitien
Military
Haiti
Military branches:
no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; the regular Haitian
Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been
demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are
constitutionally abolished (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,047,083
females age 16-49: 2,047,953 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,303,743
females age 16-49: 1,332,316 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 105,655
female: 104,376 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Haiti
Disputes - international: