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.
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 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
country comparison to the world: 147
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:
9,035,536
country comparison to the world: 88
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
2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,735,917/female 1,704,383)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 2,621,059/female 2,665,447)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 120,040/female 188,690) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.2 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 20.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.838% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
Birth rate:
29.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
Death rate:
8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
Net migration rate:
-2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
Urbanization:
urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 59.69 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 37
male: 66.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.78 years
country comparison to the world: 181
male: 59.13 years
female: 62.48 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.81 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
120,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
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 (2009)
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)
country comparison to the world: 175
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
note: 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 Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7
November 2009)
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)
consulate(s): Orlando (Florida)
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); the colors are taken
from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and
mulattoes
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. While the economy has
recovered in recent years, registering positive growth since 2005,
four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged the transportation
infrastructure and agricultural sector. US economic engagement under
the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership
Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted
apparel exports and investment by providing tariff-free access to
the US. HOPE II, passed in October 2008, has further improved the
export environment for the apparel sector by extending preferences
to 2018; the apparel sector accounts for two-thirds of Haitian
exports and nearly one-tenth of GDP. Remittances are the primary
source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP and
more than twice the earnings from exports. 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. Haiti is expected to receive debt forgiveness for about $525
million of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC)
initiative by mid-2009. The government relies on formal
international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$11.53 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
$11.38 billion (2007 est.)
$11 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$6.943 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
3.4% (2007 est.)
2.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
$1,300 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 20%
services: 52% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
3.643 million
country comparison to the world: 93
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2007)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 9%
services: 25% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than
two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs
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)
country comparison to the world: 8
Investment (gross fixed):
28.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Budget:
revenues: $967.5 million
expenditures: $1.162 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
8.5% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.81% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 2
46.99% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$704.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
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:
0% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
Electricity - production:
448 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Electricity - consumption:
273 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Oil - consumption:
12,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Oil - imports:
12,280 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 69
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
Current account balance:
-$611 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
-$407 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$490 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
$522 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee
Exports - partners:
US 70.7%, Dominican Republic 8.9%, Canada 3.1% (2008)
Imports:
$2.107 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
$1.618 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels,
raw materials
Imports - partners:
US 34%, Dominican Republic 23.1%, Netherlands Antilles 10.6%, China
4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$708 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
$555 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.817 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
$1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 39.216 (2008 est.), 37.138 (2007),
40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004)
Communications ::Haiti
Telephones - main lines in use:
108,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 142
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.2 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 105
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is among the
least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domestic
facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly
better; mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly
due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones in 2006
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Internet country code:
.ht
Internet hosts:
9 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 222
Internet users:
1 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 90
Transportation ::Haiti
Airports:
14 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 151
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 4,160 km
country comparison to the world: 155
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 until or unless they are
constitutionally abolished (2009)
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: 1,518,840
females age 16-49: 1,530,043 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 108,444
female: 106,243 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 167
Transnational Issues ::Haiti
Disputes - international:
since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite
efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the
Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims
US-administered Navassa Island
Illicit drugs:
Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and
Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian
narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial
transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Antarctica)
Introduction ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Background:
These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred
from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal
and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.
Geography ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Location:
islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from
Madagascar to Antarctica
Geographic coordinates:
53 06 S, 72 31 E
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 412 sq km
country comparison to the world: 201
land: 412 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
101.9 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
antarctic
Terrain:
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by
a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak);
McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at
2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper),
and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian
territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island
broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times
since, the most recent being in 2005
People ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Population:
uninhabited
Government ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald
Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
abbreviation: HIMI
Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian
Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment, Water,
Heritage and the Arts
Legal system: