Haiti

Republic of HaitiRepublique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti

republicIndependence 1 January 1804 (from France)

Haiti as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 127 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPort-au-Prince, UTC-5

Position19 00 N, 72 25 W

Area27,750 sq km

LocationCaribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Populationas each edition published it

8.92 million July 2008 est. · 6.14m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.493% 2008 est. · 1.68% in 1993

Median ageyears

18.5 years 2008 est. · 17.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

57.56 years 2008 est. · 45.45 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.79 children per woman 2008 est. · 6.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

62.33 deaths per 1,000 live births 2008 est. · 107 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,300 2007 est. · $340 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.2% 2007 est. · -4% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

20 fields

Land useshare of 27,750 sq km

arable land 28.11%permanent crops 11.53%other 60.36% (2005)irrigated 920 sq km (2003)

Area

27,750sq km

land: 27,560 sq kmwater: 190 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

1,771km

territorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Highest point

2,680m

Chaine de la Sellelowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

360km

border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

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

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

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

21 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)

135,695

65 and over3.5%

173,764

2,386,761

15-6454.7%

2,495,233

1,881,509

0-1441.8%

1,851,591

MaleFemale

Population

8,924,553

growth rate: 2.493% (2008 est.)

Note

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.)

Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)

Birth

35.69Death

10.15Net migration

-0.61

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2008 est.)57.56

55.83 · 59.35Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)62.33

66.88 · 57.64

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)52.9%

54.8% · 51.2%Median age years (2008 est.)18.5

18.1 · 19

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

5.6%

(2003 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.)

Total fertility rate

4.79 children born/woman (2008 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%

Languages

French (official), Creole (official)

Education expenditures

1.4% of GDP (1991)

Government

Republic; President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006); Prime Minister Michele PIERRE-LOUIS (since 5 September 2008)

18 fields

Senate, 93 seats, elected 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006one dot, one seat

L'ESPWA 23FUSION 17FRN 12OPL 10ALYANS 10LAAA 5MPH 3MOCHRENA 3other 10

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 is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty.

47 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$11.38billion

(2007 est.)official exchange rate: $5.435 billion (2007 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,300

(2007 est.)

Real growth rate

3.2%

(2007 est.)industrial production growth: 2.5% (2007 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

8.5%

(2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)

agriculture 28%industry 20%services 52% (2004 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

72.9%

41.2%

Netherlands Antilles

14.9%

8.8%

Dominican Republic

China

4.7%

Brazil

4.4%

3.3%

Canada

Exports $522 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)Imports $1.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)(2007)

Budget

Revenues

$815.9 millionExpenditures

$802.2 million (2007 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production

549 million (2006 est.)Electricity consumption

330 million (2006 est.)

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.

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)

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

2.2 million

(2007)

Internet users

(2008)

Fixed lines

150,000

(2006) · country code .ht

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)

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2,438 to 3,047 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 4Unpaved 10

Airports

14 (2007)

Roadways

total:: 4,160 km
paved:: 1,011 km
unpaved:: 3,149 km (2000)

Ports and terminals

Cap-Haitien

Military

5 fields

Military expenditures

0.4%of GDP

(2006)

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.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Haiti.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/haiti/2008.

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