Haiti

republicIndependence 1 January 1804 (from France)

Haiti as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 124 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
LocationCaribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, about 90 km southeast of
1994

Every edition of Haiti

Populationas each edition published it
6.49 million July 1994 est. · 6.14m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.63% 1994 est. · 1.68% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 17.9 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 45.45 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
5.94 children per woman 1994 est. · 6.4 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
108.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 107 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$800 1993 est. · $340 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-13% -4% in 1993

Geography

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

25 fields
Coastline
1,771km
Land boundaries
275km
total · Dominican Republic 275 km
Irrigated land
750sq km
(1989 est.)

Location

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

Map references

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

total area

27,750 sq km

land area

27,560 sq km

comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

International disputes

claims US-administered Navassa Island

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

arable land

20%

permanent crops

13%

meadows and pastures

18%

forest and woodland

4%

other

45%

current issues

deforestation; soil erosion

natural hazards

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

international agreements

  • party to - Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation;
  • signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Note

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

People

22 fields
Population
6,491,450
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.63% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
39.72Death
18.78Net migration
-4.67

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
Literacy
15and over can read and write
age · (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

108.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

45.11 years

male

43.45 years

female

46.85 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.94 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Haitian(s)

adjective

Haitian

Ethnic divisions

black 95%, mulatto and European 5%

Languages

French (official) 10%, Creole

total population

53%

male

59%

female

47%

by occupation

agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%

note

shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)

Government

Republic

34 fields

Legislature, 27 seatsone dot, one seat

FNCD 12ANDP 8PAIN 2MRN 1RDNP 1PNT 1independent 2

Legislature, 83 seatsone dot, one seat

FNCD 27ANDP 17PDCH 7PAIN 6RDNP 6MDN 5PNT 3MKN 2MODELH 2MRN 1independents 5other 2

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)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution

constitution approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989; October 1991, government claims to be observing the Constitution

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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; election last held 16 December 1990 (next to be held by December 1995); results - Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 67.5%, Marc BAZIN 14.2%, Louis DEJOIE 4.9%

head of government

acting Prime Minister Robert MALVAL (since August 1993)

cabinet

Cabinet; chosen by prime minister in consultation with the president

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Senate

  • elections 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

Chamber of Deputies

  • elections 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

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)

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);
  • Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and Progress (FRAPH)

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

chief of mission

Ambassador Jean CASIMIR

chancery

2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 332-4090 through 4092

FAX

(202) 745-7215

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

chief of mission

Ambassador William Lacy SWING

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] 23-1641

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.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$800
(1993 est.)
Real growth rate
-13%
(FY92 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -2% (1991 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
Unemployment rate
25%
-50% (1991)

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. Output continued to drop in 1993 although not as sharply as in 1992.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $5.2 billion (1993 est.)

revenues

$300 million

expenditures

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

Exports

$135 million (f.o.b., 1992 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

$423 million (f.o.b., 1992 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)

External debt

$838 million (December 1990)

capacity

217,000 kW

production

480 million kWh

consumption per capita

75 kWh (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 and marijuana en route to the US and Europe

recipient

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 - 12.00 (1 July 1993), 8.4 (December 1991), fixed rate of 5.000 through second quarter of 1991

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

Communications

13 fields

Railroads

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

total

4,000 km

paved

950 km

unpaved

otherwise improved 900 km; unimproved earth 2,150 km

Inland waterways

negligible; less than 100 km navigable

Ports

Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien; six minor ports

total

14

usable

11

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 1,313,265;
  • fit for military service 709,712;
  • reach military age (18) annually 62,488 (1994 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 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/haiti/1994.

How to cite ← 1993 edition 1995 edition →