Statistical information Haiti 1998

Haiti in the World
Haiti - Introduction 1998
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocation: 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 reference:
Central America and the CaribbeanAreaTotal: 27,750 km²
Land: 27,560 km²
Water: 190 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundariesTotal: 275 km
Border countries: (1) Dominican Republic 275 kmCoastline: 1,771 km
Maritime claimsContiguous 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
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources: none
Land useArable land: 20%
Permanent crops: 13%
Permanent pastures: 18%
Forests and woodland: 5%
Other: 44% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 750 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
GeographyNote: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
top of pagePopulation: 6,780,501 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 1.51% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Haitian(s)
Adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups: black 95%, mulatto plus white 5%
Languages: French (official) 20%, Creole
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
Note: roughly one-half of the population also practices Voodoo
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 43% (male 1,465,735; female 1,422,260)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,733,636; female 1,881,367)
65 years and over: 4% (male 138,678; female 138,825) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 1.51% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 32.84 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 14.17 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.61 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
International agreements signed but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt 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: 1 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 98.98 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 51.4 years
Male: 49.33 years
Female: 53.58 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.67 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 45%
Male: 48%
Female: 42.2% (1995 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional 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 areasIndependence: 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 participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Rosny SMARTH resigned June 1997; currently no prime minister; ratification of a new prime minister held up in political gridlock stemming from controversy over the 6 April 1997 elections
Cabinet: Cabinet; chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the Congress
Election results: Rene Garcia PREVAL elected president; percent of vote_Rene Garcia PREVAL 88%, Leon JEUNE 2.5%, Victor BENOIT 2.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (27 seats; members serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate_last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (election held for nine seats 6 April 1997; results disputed and runoffs postponed indefinitely); Chamber of Deputies_last held 25 June 1995 with reruns on 13 August and runoffs on 17 September (next Senate and Chamber elections to be held November 1998)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_Lavalas Political Organization 7, Lavalas family-leaning 7, independent 2, non-active members 2, vacant 9; Chamber of Deputies_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_Lavalas Political Organization (OPL) 32, antineoliberal bloc 24, minor parties and independents 22, vacant 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation)
Political parties and leadersInternational 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, WTrO
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); mission led by charge d' affairs
In the us chancery: 2,311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-4,090 through 4,092
In the us fax: [1] (202) 745-7,215
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Timothy Michael CARNEY
From the us embassy: 5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
From the us telephone: [509] 22-0354, 22-0368, 22-0200, 22-0612
From the us fax: [509] 23-1641
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)
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy 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 little or no job creation since President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Failure to reach agreements with international sponsors have denied Haiti badly needed budget and development assistance. Meeting aid conditions in 1998 will be especially challenging in the face of mounting popular criticism of reforms.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 1.1% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,070 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 44%
Industry: 13%
Services: 43% (1995)
Agriculture products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate: 2.5% (1995 est.)
Labor forceTotal: 3.6 million (1995)
By occupation agriculture: 66%
By occupation services: 25%
By occupation industry: 9%
Note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)
Unemployment rate: 60% (1996 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $284 million
Expenditures: $308 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY96/97 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 October_30 September
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$90 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: light manufactures 53%, coffee 17%, other agriculture 17%
Partners: US 76.3%, EU 19.8% (1996)
Imports: total value:$665 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%, petroleum products 14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9%
Partners: US 65.0%, EU 13.9% (1995)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $781 million (1995 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: gourdes (G) per US$1 (end of period)_17.311 (December 1997), 17.311 (1997), 15.093 (1996), 16.160 (1995), 12.947 (1994), 12.805 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 153,000 kW (1995)
Production: 315 million kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 48 kWh (1995)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaHaiti - Communication 1998
top of pageTelephones: 50,000 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $NA; note_mainly for police and security activities
Percent of gdp: NA%
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsHaiti - Transportation 1998
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 14 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 11
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysTotal: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line)_closed in early 1990s
Narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge
RoadwaysWaterways: NEGL; less than 100 km navigable
Merchant marine: none
Ports and terminalsHaiti - Transnational issues 1998
top of pageDisputes international: claims US-administered Navassa Island
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana en route to the US and Europe