$506 million (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
$631.4 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$804.3 million (30 September 2008)
country comparison to the world: 154
$1.2 billion (2002)
Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 204.07 (2010), 204.02 (2009),
203.86 (2008), 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006)
Communications ::Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use:
130,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 138
Telephones - mobile cellular:
281,400 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 170
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service; microwave
radio relay network for trunk lines; many areas still lack
fixed-line telephone services
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; ;
mobile-cellular teledensity about 35 per 100 persons in 2005
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Broadcast media:
government-dominated broadcast media; the National Communications
Network (NCN) TV is state-owned; a few private TV stations relay
satellite services; the state owns and operates 2 radio stations
broadcasting on multiple frequencies capable of reaching the entire
country; government limits on licensing of new private radio
stations continue to constrain competition in broadcast media (2007)
Internet country code:
.gy
Internet hosts:
8,840 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 132
Internet users:
189,600 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 142
Transportation ::Guyana
Airports:
96 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 63
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 86
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 73 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 7,970 km
country comparison to the world: 142
paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)
Waterways:
330 km
country comparison to the world: 92
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by
oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2010)
Merchant marine:
total: 8
country comparison to the world: 121
by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
2, unknown 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Georgetown
Military ::Guyana
Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2009)
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: 189,456 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 132,188
females age 16-49: 147,296 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 8,842
female: 8,452 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 82
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
page last updated on January 13, 2011
======================================================================
@Haiti (Central America and Caribbean)
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.
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. A
massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with
an epicenter about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
An estimated 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to
moderate structural damage. The earthquake is assessed as the worst
in this region over the last 200 years and massive international
assistance will be required to help the country recover.
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:
9,719,932
country comparison to the world: 87
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 (2011
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) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.1 years
male: 20.9 years
female: 21.4 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.787%
country comparison to the world: 139
note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those
of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of
the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely
correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)
Birth rate:
24.4 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
Death rate:
8.21 deaths/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 98
note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those
of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of
the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely
correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)
Net migration rate:
-8.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
Urbanization:
urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.011 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 54.02 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 43
male: 58.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 49.83 deaths/1,000 live births
note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those
of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of
the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely
correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.17 years
country comparison to the world: 179
male: 60.84 years
female: 63.53 years
note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those
of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of
the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely
correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.07 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
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: 177
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
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 28 November
2010; runoff scheduled for 16 January 2011 (next to be held in
2015); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the
National Assembly
election results: 2010 results not final, initial results are under
OAS review; Mirlande MANIGAT 31.37%, Jude CELESTIN 22.48%, Michel
MARTELLY 21.84%, all others less than 10% each
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 elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate in 2006, 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 on 28 November 2010 with run-off
elections scheduled for 16 January 2011 (next regular election, for
one third of seats, to be held in 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last
held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections schedule for 16
January 2011 (next regular election to be held in 2014)
election results: 2010 election results are not final; 2006 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; 2006 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]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; 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]; 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, AOSIS, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Louis Harold 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 Kenneth H. MERTEN
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
National anthem:
name: "La Dessalinienne" (The Dessalines Song)
lyrics/music: Justin LHERISSON/Nicolas GEFFRARD
note: adopted 1904; the anthem is named for Jean-Jacques DESSALINES,
a leader in the Haitian Revolution and first ruler of an independent
Haiti
Economy ::Haiti
Economy - overview:
Haiti's economy suffered a severe setback when a 7.1 magnitude
earthquake damaged its capital city, Port-au-Prince, in January
2010. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80%
of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject
poverty, the damage to Port-au-Prince caused the country's GDP to
contract an estimated 8% in 2010. 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. 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. Congress voted in 2010 to extend the legislation
until 2020 under the Haitian Economic Lift Act (HELP); the apparel
sector accounts for three-quarters 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 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 received debt
forgiveness for over $1 billion of its debt through the
Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative in 2009. The
remainder of its outstanding external debt was cancelled by donor
countries in early 2010 but has since climbed back to about $500
million. The government relies on formal international economic
assistance for fiscal sustainability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$11.18 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
$12.15 billion (2009 est.)
$11.81 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$6.495 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-8% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 213
2.9% (2009 est.)
0.8% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
$1,200 (2009 est.)
$1,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 20%
services: 57% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
3.643 million
country comparison to the world: 95
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2007)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 9%
services: 25% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
NA% est.)
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: 7
Investment (gross fixed):
28.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
2% (2009 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
17.81% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$787.2 million (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 144
$800 million (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money: