Haiti
Republic of HaitiRepublique d'Haiti/
republicIndependence 1 January 1804 (from France)
Haiti as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 118 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The native Taino 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, which later became 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. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the departure of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006.
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 fieldsLand useshare of 27,750 sq 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
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)
Note
Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.016 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.954 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.797 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.973 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Government
Republic; President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006); Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30 May 2006)
18 fieldsSenate, 93 seats, elected 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Haiti
- conventional short form:
- Haiti
- local long form:
- Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti
- local short form:
- Haiti/Ayiti
Capital
- name:
- Port-au-Prince
- geographic coordinates:
- 18 32 N, 72 20 W
- time difference:
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Constitution
- approved March 1987;
- suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989;
- constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution;
- returned to constitutional rule in October 1994;
- constitution, while technically in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced;
- returned to constitutional rule in May 2006
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30 May 2006)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms);
- election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2010);
- prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly
- election results:
- Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51%
Legislative branch
- bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms);
- note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years
- elections:
- Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008);
- Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 (next regular election to be held in 2010)
- election results:
- Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2, ALYANS 1;
- Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5, MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10;
- results for six other seats contested on 3 December 2006 remain unknown
Political parties and leaders
- Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE];
- Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT];
- Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL];
- Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR];
- Democratic Alliance or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH);
- Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME];
- For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL];
- Front for Hope or L'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest);
- Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE];
- Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE];
- Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT];
- Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD];
- Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN];
- Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX];
- Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL];
- Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements);
- Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA];
- Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY];
- Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU];
- Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN];
- National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN];
- National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE];
- New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU];
- Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN];
- Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN];
- Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC];
- Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR];
- Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH;
- Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS;
- General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS];
- Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA;
- National Popular Assembly or APN;
- Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE];
- Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP;
- Roman Catholic Church;
- Protestant Federation of Haiti
International organization participation
ACCT, ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH
- chancery:
- 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 332-4090
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 745-7215
- consulate(s) general:
- Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON
- embassy:
- 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Bicentenaire-Port-au-Prince
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
- telephone:
- [509] 222-0200
- FAX:
- [509] 223-9038
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
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty.
42 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation.
A macroeconomic program developed in 2005 with the help of the International Monetary Fund helped the economy grow 1.8% in 2006, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from higher inflation than similar low-income countries, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit.
In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. In 2006, Haiti held a successful donors conference in which the total aid pledged exceeded Haiti's request. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP.
Unemployment rate
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
Exchange rates
gourdes per US dollar - 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- domestic facilities barely adequate;
- international facilities slightly better;
- telephone density in Haiti remains the lowest in the Latin American and Caribbean region
- domestic:
- coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 8 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
5 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Military
5 fieldsMilitary branches
- no regular military forces - small coast guard;
- the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are constitutionally abolished (2007)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 1,626,491
- females age 18-49:
- 1,637,657 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 98,554
- females age 18-49:
- 97,690 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti;
- despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries;
- Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island
Illicit drugs
- Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe;
- substantial bulk cash smuggling activity;
- Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions;
- pervasive corruption;
- significant consumer of cannabis
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Haiti.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/haiti/2007.