Haiti

Republic of HaitiRepublique d'Haiti

republicIndependence 1 January 1804 (from France)

Haiti as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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

Position19 00 N, 72 25 W

Area27,750 sq km

LocationCaribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola,

Populationas each edition published it

6.78 million July 1998 est. · 6.14m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.51% 1998 est. · 1.68% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.9 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

51.4 years 1998 est. · 45.45 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.67 children per woman 1998 est. · 6.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

98.98 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 107 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,070 1997 est. · $340 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.1% 1997 est. · -4% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, | between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the | Dominican Republic

18 fields

Land useshare of 27,750 sq km

arable land 20%permanent crops 13%permanent pastures 18%forests and woodland 5%other 44% (1993 est.)irrigated 750 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

27,750sq km

land: 27,560 sq kmwater: 190 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

1,771km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: to depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

2,680m

Chaine de la Sellelowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

275km

border countries: Dominican Republic 275 km

Location

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

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

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

Environment-international agreements

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

Geography-note

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

People

15 fields

Population

6,780,501

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 1.51% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

32.84Death

14.17Net migration

-3.61

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)51.4

49.33 · 53.58

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)45%

48% · 42.2%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions(1982)

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.)

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/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Haitian(s)
adjective:: Haitian

Government

Republic; President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996); Prime Minister Rosny SMARTH resigned June 1997

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

88%

Rene Garcia PREVAL 88%Leon JEUNE 2.5%Victor BENOIT 2.3%election last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held by December 2000)

Legislature, 83 seatsone dot, one seat

Lavalas Political Organization (OPL) 32antineoliberal bloc 24minor parties and independents 22vacant 5

Country name

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

Administrative divisions

9 departments, (departements, singular-departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

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

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Rene Garcia PREVAL (since 7 February 1996)
head 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%

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 leaders

Lavalas Family (FL), Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE;
National Lavalas Political Organization (OPL), Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES;
National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD), Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE;
National Congress of Democratic Movements (KONACOM), Victor BENOIT;
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH), Marc BAZIN;
National Progressive Revolutionary Party (PANPRA), Serge GILLES;
Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene THEODORE;
Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Fritz PIERRE;
Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT;
Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DE RONCERAY;
Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE;
Open the Gate Party (PLB), Renaud BERNARDIN;
Union of Patriotic Democrats (UPD), Rockefeller GUERRE;
Generation 2004, Claude ROUMAIN;
Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti (ALAH), Reynold GEORGES;
Haitian Democratic Party (PADEMH), Clark PARENT;
National Alliance for Democracy and Progress;
Haiti Can (Ayiti Kapab), Ernst VERDIEU

Political pressure groups and leaders

Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH);
Federation of Workers Trade Unions (FOS);
Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH);
National Popular Assembly (APN);
Papaye Peasants Movement (MPP);
Popular Organizations Gathering Power (PROP)

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
chancery:: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 332-4090 through 4092

FAX

[1] (202) 745-7215; consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Timothy Michael CARNEY
embassy:: 5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address:: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone:: [509] 22-0354, 22-0368, 22-0200, 22-0612

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

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$7.1billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$1,070

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

1.1%

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 2.5% (1995 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

17%

(1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector(1995)

agriculture 44%industry 13%services 43% (1995)

Budget

Revenues

$284 millionExpenditures

$308 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.)

Fixed lines

50,000

(1990 est.)

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.

Labor force

total:: 3.6 million (1995)
by occupation:: agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%

note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)

Unemployment rate

60% (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

153,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production

315 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

48 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

Exports

total value:: $90 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: 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)
commodities:: 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.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes

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)

Fiscal year

1 October-30 September Communications

Telephone system

domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better

domestic:: NA
international:: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 33, FM 0, shortwave 2

Radios

320,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

4 (1987 est.)

Televisions

32,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m

total: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 5

Networkskm

Highways

4,160Railways

Highways: paved: 1,011 km · unpaved: 3,149 km (1996 est.) · Railways: (single track; privately owned industrial line)-closed in early 1990s · narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge

Railways

total:: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line)-closed in early 1990s
narrow gauge:: 40 km 0.760-m gauge

Highways

total:: 4,160 km
paved:: 1,011 km
unpaved:: 3,149 km (1996 est.)

Waterways

NEGL; less than 100 km navigable

Ports and harbors

Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc

Merchant marine

none

Airports

14 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Military

Haitian National Police (HNP) | note: the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force have been | demobilized but still exist on paper until/unless constitutionally | abolished

7 fields

Military branches

Haitian National Police (HNP) note: the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force have been demobilized but still exist on paper until/unless constitutionally abolished