Statistical information Haiti 1996Haiti

Map of Haiti | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Haiti - Introduction 1996
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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. Most of his term was usurped by a military takeover but he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the presidency in 1996.


Haiti - Geography 1996
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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

Map reference

Area
Total: 27,750 km²
Land: 27,560 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries: Total 275 km, Dominican Republic 275 km

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
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Natural resources: Bauxite
Land use

Land use
Arable land: 20%
Permanent crops: 13%
Permanent pastures: 18%
Forests and woodland: 4%
Other: 45%

Irrigated land: 750 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


Haiti - People 1996
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Population:
6,731,539 (July 1996 est.)
6,539,983 (July 1995 est.)

Growth rate:
1.77% (1996 est.)
1.5% (1995 est.)


Nationality
Noun: Haitian(s)
Adjective: Haitian

Ethnic groups:
Black 95%
Mulatto and European 5%


Languages: French (official) 10%, Creole

Religions:
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

Age structure
0-14 years:
46% (male 1,568,943; female 1,523,406) (July 1996 est.)
46% (male 1,535,607; female 1,490,939) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 years:
50% (male 1,614,679; female 1,758,388) (July 1996 est.)
50% (male 1,557,568; female 1,692,032) (July 1995 est.)

65 years and over:
4% (male 132,460; female 133,663) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 130,546; female 133,291) (July 1995 est.)


Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:
1.77% (1996 est.)
1.5% (1995 est.)


Birth rate:
38.15 births/1000 population (1996 est.)
38.64 births/1000 population (1995 est.)


Death rate:
15.96 deaths/1000 population (1996 est.)
18.65 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)


Net migration rate:
-4.52 migrant(s)/1000 population (1996 est.)
-4.99 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)


Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and use as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
Current issues 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
International agreements: party to_Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation; signed, but not ratified_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
International agreements note: Shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
All ages:
0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.) Infant Mortality Rate:103.8 deaths/1000 live births (1996 est.)
107.5 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)


Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 49.26 years (1996 est.); 44.77 years (1995 est.)
Male: 47.26 years (1996 est.); 43.04 years (1995 est.)
Female: 51.35 years (1996 est.); 46.59 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)
5.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)


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
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 45%
Male: 48%
Female: 42.2%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Haiti - Government 1996
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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
Conventional short form: Haiti
Local long form: Republique d'Haiti
Local short form: 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: Approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 1994

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996), was elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; election last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000); results_Rene PREVAL 88%, Leon JEUNE 2.5%, Victor BENOIT 2.3%
7 february 1991 7 february 1996: President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE, ousted in a coup in September 1991 but, with U.S. military support, returned to power on 15 October 1994
Head of government: Prime Minister Rosny SMARTH (since March 1996) was appointed by the president
Cabinet: Cabinet; chosen by prime minister in consultation with the president

Legislative branch: Bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) Senate:Elections last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (next to be held 25 June 1999; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_27 total Chamber of Deputies:Elections last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_83 total

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, Caricom (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation

Flag descriptionflag of Haiti: 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)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


Haiti - Economy 1996
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Economy overview: About 75% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced only moderate job creation since President ARISTIDE was returned to power in October 1994. Failure to reach agreement with multilateral lenders in late 1995 led to rising deficit spending and subsequently increasing inflation and a drop in the value of the Haitian currency in the final months of 1995. Potential investors, both foreign and domestic, have been reluctant to risk their capital, planning to "wait and see" what happens in the months following the inauguration of newly elected President Rene PREVAL and the drawdown of UN peacekeeping forces. The PREVAL government will have to grapple with implementing necessary, although unpopular, economic reforms in order to obtain badly needed foreign aid and improve Haiti's ability to attract foreign capital if the Haitian economy is to gain momentum. Haiti will continue to depend heavily on foreign aid in the medium term.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:
4.5% (1995 est.)
-15% (1994 est.)


Real gdp per capita:
purchasing power parity_ $1,000 (1995 est.)
$870 (1994 est.)


Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Accounts for 34.8% of GDP and employs two-thirds of work force; mostly small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops_coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, 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: Growth rate 2.5% (1995 est.), -2% (1991 est.), accounts for 23% of GDP

Labor force: 2.3 million
By occupation Agriculture: 66%
By occupation Services: 25%
By occupation Industry: 9%
By occupation note: Shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)
Labor force

Unemployment rate:
60% (1995 est.)
50% (1994 est.)


Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $242 million
Expenditures: $299.4 million including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October_30 September

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:
total value. $161 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$173.3 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:
Light manufactures 65%
Coffee 19%
Other agriculture 8%
Other 8%

Partners:
U.S. 81%
Europe 12% (1993)


Imports
Total value:
$537 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$476.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

Commodities:
Machines and manufactures 34%
Food and beverages 22%
Petroleum products 14%
Chemicals 10%
Fats and oils 9%

Partners:
U.S. 51%
Europe 16%
Latin America 18% (1993)


Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $871 million (September 1994)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Gourdes (G) per US$1_16.783 (January 1996), 16.160 (1995), 12.947 (1994), 12.805 (1993), 10.953 (1992), 8.240 (1991)


Haiti - Energy 1996
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Electricity
Capacity: 150,000 kW
Production: 590 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 86 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Haiti - Communication 1996
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Telephones

Telephone system: 50,000 telephones (1990 est.); domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better
Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Haiti - Military 1996
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Haiti - Transportation 1996
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 11
2438 to 3047 m: 2
15-24 to 2437 m: 1
Under 914 m: 4
914 to 1523 m: 4 (1995 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: Negligible; less than 100 km navigable

Merchant marine: None

Ports and terminals


Haiti - Transnational issues 1996
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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana en route to the U.S. and Europe


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