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.

Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 27,750 km²
Land: 27,560 km²
Water: 190 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 275 km
Border countries: (1) 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: none

Land use
Arable land: 20%
Permanent crops: 13%
Permanent pastures: 18%
Forests and woodland: 5%
Other: 44% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 750 km² (1993 est.)

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

Geography
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

Population: 6,780,501 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 1.51% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: 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

Age structure
0-14 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.)

Population 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.)

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
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

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: 1 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 98.98 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.4 years
Male: 49.33 years
Female: 53.58 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.67 children born/woman (1998 est.)

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

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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief 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)

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, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In 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)

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 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 growth rate: 1.1% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,070 (1997 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 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 force
Total: 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.)

Budget
Revenues: $284 million
Expenditures: $308 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY96/97 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 October_30 September

Exports: 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)

Debt external: $781 million (1995 est.)

Exchange 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)

Electricity
Capacity: 153,000 kW (1995)
Production: 315 million kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 48 kWh (1995)

Telephones: 50,000 (1990 est.)

Telephone system: domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better
Domestic: NA
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA; note_mainly for police and security activities
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 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.)

Railways
Total: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line)_closed in early 1990s
Narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge

Waterways: NEGL; less than 100 km navigable

Merchant marine: none

Disputes international: claims US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana en route to the US and Europe