Haiti

Republic of HaitiRepublique d'Haiti

republicIndependence 1 January 1804 (from France)

Haiti as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 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
Area27,750 km2
Locationin the northern Caribbean Sea, about 90 km southeast of Cuba
1993

Every edition of Haiti

Populationas each edition published it
6.38 million July 1993 est. · 6.14m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.68% 1993 est. · 1.22% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 17.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
45.45 years 1993 est. · 65.6 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
6.05 children per woman 1993 est. · 6.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
109.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 107 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$340 1991 est. · $2,800 in 2025
GDP real growth% a year
-4% -4.2% in 2025

Geography

In the northern Caribbean Sea, about 90 km southeast of Cuba

14 fields

Land useshare of 27,750 km2

arable land 20%permanent crops 13%meadows and pastures 18%forest and woodland 4%other 45%irrigated 750 km2 (1989 est.)
Area
27,750km2
land area: 27,560 km2comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Coastline
1,771km
contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: to depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
275km
total · Dominican Republic 275 km

Location

in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 90 km southeast of Cuba

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

claims US-administered Navassa Island

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Environment

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

Note

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

People

14 fields
Population
6,384,877
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 1.68% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
40.77Death
18.88Net migration
-5.04

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years45.45
43.88 · 47.11
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy53%
59% · 47%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Religions(1982)

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)
Labor force
2.3million
by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)

Infant mortality rate

109.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.05 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Haitian(s)
adjective:
Haitian

Ethnic divisions

black 95%, mulatto and European 5%

Languages

French (official) 10%, Creole

Government

Republic

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

67.5%
Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 67.5%Marc BAZIN 14.2%Louis DEJOIE 4.9%

Names

conventional long form:
Republic of Haiti
conventional short form:
Haiti
local long form:
Republique d'Haiti
local short form:
Haiti

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)

Constitution

  • 27 August 1983, suspended February 1986;
  • draft constitution approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989;
  • October 1991, government claims to be observing the Constitution

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Political parties and leaders

  • National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD), including National Congress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), Victor BENOIT, and National Cooperative Action Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH;
  • Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH), Marc BAZIN;
  • National Progressive Revolutionary Party (PANPRA), Serge GILLES;
  • National Patriotic Movement of November 28 (MNP-28), Dejean BELIZAIRE;
  • National Agricultural and Industrial Party (PAIN), Louis DEJOIE;
  • Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene THEODORE;
  • Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Joseph DOUZE;
  • Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT;
  • National Party of Labor (PNT), Thomas DESULME;
  • Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DE RONCERAY;
  • Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti (MODELH), Francois LATORTUE;
  • Haitian Social Christian Party (PSCH), Gregoire EUGENE;
  • Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE

Other political or pressure groups

  • Democratic Unity Confederation (KID);
  • Roman Catholic Church;
  • Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH);
  • Federation of Workers Trade Unions (FOS);
  • Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH);
  • National Popular Assembly (APN)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

Chamber of Deputies:
  • last held 16 December 1990, with runoff held 20 January 1991 (next to be held by December 1994);
  • results - percent of vote NA;
  • seats - (83 total) FNCD 27, ANDP 17, PDCH 7, PAIN 6, RDNP 6, MDN 5, PNT 3, MKN 2, MODELH 2, MRN 1, independents 5, other 2
President:
last held 16 December 1990 (next election to be held by December 1995); results - Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 67.5%, Marc BAZIN 14.2%, Louis DEJOIE 4.9%
Senate:
  • last held 18 January 1993, widely condemned as illegitimate (next to be held December 1994);
  • results - percent of vote NA;
  • seats - (27 total) FNCD 12, ANDP 8, PAIN 2, MRN 1, RDNP 1, PNT 1, independent 2

Executive branch

president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) consisting of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)

Leaders

Chief of State:
President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 1991), ousted in a coup in September 1991, but still recognized by international community as Chief of State
Head of Government:
de facto Prime Minister Marc BAZIN (since NA June 1992)

Member of

ACCT, ACP, 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 US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Jean CASIMIR
chancery:
2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 332-4090 through 4092
consulates general:
Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Special Charge d'Affaires Charles REDMAN
embassy:
Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address:
P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone:
[509] 22-0354, 22-0368, 22-0200, or 22-0612
FAX:
[509] 23-9007

Flag

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

About 75% of the population live in abject poverty.

19 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$340
(1991 est.)
Real growth rate
-4%
(FY91 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -2.0% (1991 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
External debt
$838million
(December 1990)

Budget

Revenues
$300 millionExpenditures
$416 million
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $145 million (1990 est.)

Overview

About 75% of the population live in abject poverty. Agriculture is mainly small-scale subsistence farming and employs nearly three-fourths 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. Trade sanctions applied by the Organization of American States in response to the September 1991 coup against President ARISTIDE have further damaged the economy.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $2.2 billion (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

25-50% (1991)

Exports

$146 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:
light manufactures 65%, coffee 19%, other agriculture 8%, other 8%
partners:
US 84%, Italy 4%, France 3%, other industrial countries 6%, less developed countries 3% (1987)

Imports

$252 million (f.o.b., 1991 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)

Electricity

217,000 kW capacity; 480 million kWh produced, 75 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for 28% of GDP and employs around 70% of work force;
  • mostly small-scale subsistence farms;
  • commercial crops - coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, wood;
  • staple crops - rice, corn, sorghum;
  • shortage of wheat flour

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $700 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $770 million

Currency

1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

gourdes (G) per US$1 - 8.4 (December 1991), fixed rate of 5.000 through second quarter of 1991)

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

Communications

6 fields

Networkskm

Highways
4,000Railroads
40
Highways: ; 950 km paved, 900 km otherwise improved, 2,150 km unimproved · Railroads: , single-track, privately owned industrial line

Railroads

40 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge, single-track, privately owned industrial line

Highways

4,000 km total; 950 km paved, 900 km otherwise improved, 2,150 km unimproved

Inland waterways

negligible; less than 100 km navigable

Ports

Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien

Airports

total:
13
usable:
10
with permanent-surface runways:
3
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
3

Telecommunications

  • domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better;
  • 36,000 telephones;
  • broadcast stations - 33 AM, no FM, 4 TV, 2 shortwave;
  • 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Army (including Police), Navy, Air Force

4 fields

Branches

Army (including Police), Navy, Air Force

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 1,289,310;
  • fit for military service 695,997;
  • reach military age (18) annually 60,588 (1993 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)

Affiliation

(territory of Australia)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Haiti.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/haiti/1993.

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