Map of Haiti | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected president. Not long into his term he was ousted by a military takeover.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 275 km with the Dominican Republic

Coastline: 1,771 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation

Natural resources: bauxite

Land use: arable land: 20%; permanent crops: 13%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 4%; other 45%; includes irrigated 3%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic


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Population: 6,286,511 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)

Nationality: noun--Haitian(s; adjective--Haitian

Ethnic groups: black 95%, mulatto and European 5%

Languages: French (official) spoken by only 10% of population; all speak Creole

Religions: Roman Catholic is the official religion; Roman Catholic 80% (of which an overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo), Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 43 births/1000 population (1991)

Death rate: 15 deaths/1000 population (1991)

Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1000 population (1991)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 106 deaths/1000 live births (1991)

Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 55 years female (1991)

Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1991)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 53% (male 59%, female 47%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Haiti

Government type: republic

Capital: Port-au-Prince

Administrative divisions: 9 departments, (departements, singular--departement; Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution: 27 August 1983, suspended February 1986; draft constitution approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989; March 1987 Constitution fully observed by government installed on 7 February 1991

Legal system: based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Executive branch: Chief of State--President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 1991; Head of Government--Prime Minister Rene PREVAL (since 13 February 1991)

Legislative branch: Army (including Police), Navy, Air Corps

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, CARICOM (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador (vacant), Charge d'Affaires Raymond Alcide JOSEPH; Chancery at 2,311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 332-4,090 through 4,092; there are Haitian Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico; US--Ambassador Alvin P. ADAMS, Jr.; Embassy at Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince (mailing address is P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince), telephone [509] (1) 20-354 or 20-368, 20-200, 20-612

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) Haiti HaitiHaiti

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: About 85% of the population live in abject poverty. Agriculture is mainly small-scale subsistence farming and employs two-thirds of the work force. The majority of the population does not have ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care, or sufficient food. Few social assistance programs exist, and the lack of employment opportunities remains one of the most critical problems facing the economy, along with soil erosion and political instability.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 33% of GDP and employs 66% of work force; mostly small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops--coffee, mangoes, sugarcane and wood; staple crops--rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of wheat flour

Industries: sugar refining, textiles, flour milling, cement manufacturing, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts

Industrial production growth rate: 0.3% (FY88; accounts for 15% of GDP

Labor force: 2,300,000; agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%; shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)

Unemployment rate: 25-50% (1990 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $300 million; expenditures $416 million, including capital expenditures of $145 million (1990 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $169 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
Commodities: light manufactures 69%, coffee 19%, other agriculture 8%, other 8%
Partners: US 84%, Italy 4%, France 3%, other industrial 6%, less developed countries 3% (1987)

Imports: $348 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
Commodities: machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%, petroleum products 14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9%
Partners: US 64%, Netherlands Antilles 5%, Japan 5%, France 4%, Canada 3%, Germany 3% (1987)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $838 million (December 1990)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: gourdes (G) per US$1-- 5.0 (fixed rate)


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Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 15 total, 10 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: negligible; less than 100 km navigable

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: claims US-administered Navassa Island

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine