Haiti

Republic of HaitiRepublique d'Haiti

elected governmentIndependence 1 January 1804 (from France)

Haiti as the 2003 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 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, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Populationas each edition published it

7.53 million July 2003 est. · 6.14m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.67% 2003 est. · 1.68% in 1993

Median ageyears

17.9 years 2002 · 25.3 yrs in 2025

Life expectancyyears at birth

51.61 years 2003 est. · 45.45 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.86 children per woman 2003 est. · 6.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

76.01 deaths per 1,000 live births 2003 est. · 107 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,400 2002 est. · $340 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

-0.9% 2002 est. · -4% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

The native Arawak Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island - Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation.

In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE and after a prolonged struggle, became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history since then, and it is now one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. 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. ARISTIDE won a second term as president in 2000, and took office early in 2001. However, a political crisis stemming from fraudulent legislative elections in 2000 has not yet been resolved.

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 27,750 sq km

arable land 20.32%permanent crops 12.7%other 66.98% (1998 est.)irrigated 750 sq km (1998 est.)

Area

27,750sq km

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

Coastline

1,771km

contiguous zone: 24 NMterritorial sea: 12 NMcontinental shelf: to depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Highest point

2,680m

Chaine de la Sellelowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

360km

border countries: Dominican Republic 360 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

Geographic coordinates

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

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, Ozone Layer Protection
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

19 fields

Population

7,527,817

growth rate: 1.67% (2003 est.)

Note

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2003 est.)

Birth

34.06Death

13.36Net migration

-4.03

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2003 est.)51.61

50.36 · 52.92Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)76.01

81.59 · 70.15

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)52.9%

54.8% · 51.2%Median age years (2002)17.9

17.4 · 18.5

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 half of the population also practices Voodoo

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

6.1%

(2001 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 42.7% (male 1,637,853; female 1,575,893)
15-64 years:: 53.6% (male 1,962,975; female 2,073,353)
65 years and over:: 3.7% (male 131,784; female 145,959) (2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.86 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

250,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

30,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Haitian(s)
adjective:: Haitian

Ethnic groups

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Languages

French (official), Creole (official)

Government

Elected government; President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 2001); Prime Minister Yvon NEPTUNE (since 4 March 2002)

18 fields

Senate, 83 seatsone dot, one seat

FL 73MOCHRENA 3PLB 2OPL 1vacant 1other minor parties and independents 3

Country name

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

Government type

elected government

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, with 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 Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 2001)
head of government:: Prime Minister Yvon NEPTUNE (since 4 March 2002); note - former Prime Minister CHERESTAL resigned in January 2002
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 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2005);
prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly
election results:: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent of vote - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92%

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (27 seats; members elected by popular vote to 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 for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition;
seven seats still disputed;
election for remaining one-third held on 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition;
one vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)
election results:: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - FL 26, independent 1;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - FL 73, MOCHRENA 3, PLB 2, OPL 1, vacant 1, other minor parties and independents 3

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold GEORGES];
Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT];
Convergence (opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and MOCHRENA) [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor BENOIT];
Democratic Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL, Victor BENOIT] composed of the following parties: National Congress of Democratic Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party or PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can;
Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE];
Haitian Democratic Party or PADEM [Clark PARENT];
Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE];
Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY];
Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE];
Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN];
Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE];
National Cooperative Action Movement or MKN [Volrick Remy JOSEPH];
National Front for Change and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE];
New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU];
Open the Gate or PLB [Renaud BERNARDIN];
Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, Caricom, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission Harry Frantz LEO
consulate(s) general:: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
FAX:: [1] (202) 745-7215
telephone:: [1] (202) 332-4090
chancery:: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador James B. Foley
embassy:: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
mailing address:: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
telephone:: [509] 222-0354, 222-0368, 222-0200, 222-0612
FAX:: [509] 223-1641

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

About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty.

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Real growth rate

-0.9%

(2002 est.)industrial production growth: NA

Inflation, consumer prices

11.9%

(2001 est.)

Population below poverty line

80%

(2002 est.)

Labor force

3.6million

note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)

GDP - composition by sector(2001 est.)

agriculture 30%industry 20%services 50% (2001 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

83.9%

53.4%

6.6%

Dominican Republic

5.3%

Colombia

3.4%

2.4%

Canada

Exports $298 million f.o.b. (2002)Imports $1.14 billion c.i.f. (2002)(2002)

Budget

Revenues

$273 millionExpenditures

$361 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 00/01 est.)

Electricity

fossil fuel 60.3%hydro 39.7%other 0% · nuclear 0%

Electricity production

580 million (2001)Electricity consumption

539.4 million (2001)

Economy - overview

About 80% 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. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti.

The economy shrank an estimated 1.2% in 2001 and an estimated 0.9% in 2002. The contraction will likely intensify in 2003 unless a political agreement with donors is reached on economic policy. Suspended aid and loan disbursements totaled more than $500 million at the start of 2003.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $10.6 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%

Unemployment rate

widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)

Industries

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

11,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Agriculture - products

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

Exports

$298 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa

Imports

$1.14 billion c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

Debt - external

$1.2 billion (1999)

Economic aid - recipient

$120 million (FY02)

Currency

gourde (HTG)

Currency code

HTG

Exchange rates

gourdes per US dollar - 29.25 (2002), 24.43 (2001), 21.17 (2000), 16.94 (1999), 16.77 (1998)

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

Communications

8 fields

Internet users

(2000)

Fixed lines

60,000

(1997) · country code .ht

Telephones - mobile cellular

over 180,000 (January 2003)

Telephone system

general assessment:: domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better
domestic:: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international:: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Television broadcast stations

2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Internet users

30,000 (2002)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

2,438 to 3,047 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 2Unpaved 10

Networkskm

Highways

4,160Railways

Highways: paved: 1,011 km · unpaved: 3,149 km (1999 est.) · Railways: narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge; single-track note: privately owned industrial line; closed in early 1990s (2001 est.)

Railways

total:: 40 km
narrow gauge:: 40 km 0.760-m gauge; single-track

note: privately owned industrial line; closed in early 1990s (2001 est.)

Highways

total:: 4,160 km
paved:: 1,011 km
unpaved:: 3,149 km (1999 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 (2002 est.)

Airports

12 (2002)

Military

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

7 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.3%

(FY00)

Military branches

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