Haiti

total:

0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)

per capita:

116 cu m/yr (2000)

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

• extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel);
• soil erosion;
• inadequate supplies of potable water

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

noun:

Haitian(s)

adjective:

Haitian

at birth:

1.01 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease:

leptospirosis (2009)

conventional long form:

Republic of Haiti

conventional short form:

Haiti

local long form:

Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti

local short form:

Haiti/Ayiti

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:

no DST planned for 2012

chief of state:

President Michel MARTELLY (since 14 May 2011)

head of government:

Prime Minister Laurent LAMOTHE (since 16 May 2012)

cabinet:

Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms);
• election last held on 28 November 2010;
• runoff on 20 March 2011 (next to be held in 2015);
• prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly

election results:

Michel MARTELLY won the runoff election held on 20 March 2011 with 67.6% of the vote against 31.7% for Mirlande MANIGAT

• Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Mirlande MANIGAT];
• Christian and Citizen For Haiti's Reconstruction or ACCRHA [Chavannes JEUNE];
• Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL];
• Cooperative Action to Rebuild Haiti or KONBA [Jean William JEANTY];
• December 16 Platform or Platfom 16 Desanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT];
• Democratic Alliance or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH);
• Democratic Centers's National Council or CONACED [Osner FEVRY];
• Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME];
• Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE];
• For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL];
• Grouping of Citizens for Hope or RESPE [Charles-Henri BAKER];
• Haiti in Action or AAA [Youri LATORTUE];
• Haitians for Haiti [Yvon NEPTUNE];
• Independent Movement for National Reconstruction or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD];
• Lavni Organization or LAVNI [Yves CRISTALIN];
• Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Jean Andre VICTOR];
• Love Haiti or Renmen Ayiti [Jean-Henry CEANT and Camille LEBLANC];
• Merging of Haitian Social Democratics or FUSION [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE] (coalition of Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements);
• Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY];
• National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE];
• New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU];
• Peasant's Response or Repons Peyizan [Michel MARTELLY];
• Platform Alternative for Progress and Democracy or ALTENATIV [Victor BENOIT and Evans PAUL];
• Platform of Haitian Patriots or PLAPH [Dejean BELISAIRE and Himmler REBU];
• Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN];
• Strength in Unity or Ansanm Nou Fo [Leslie VOLTAIRE];
• Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Sauveur PIERRE-ETIENNE];
• Union [Chavannes JEUNE];
• Union of Haitian Citizens for Democracy, Development, and Education or UCADDE [Jeantel JOSEPH];
• Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNPH [Edouard FRANCISQUE];
• Unity or Inite [Levaillant LOUIS-JEUNE] (coalition that includes Front for Hope or L'ESPWA);
• Vigilance or Veye Yo [Lavarice GAUDIN];
• Youth for People's Power or JPP [Rene CIVIL]

• Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR];
• Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH;
• Economic Forum of the Private Sector or EF [Reginald BOULOS];
• Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS;
• General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS];
• Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA;
• The Haitian Association of Industries or ADIH [Georges SASSINE];
• National Popular Assembly or APN;
• Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE];
• Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP;
• Protestant Federation of Haiti;
• Roman Catholic Church

chief of mission:

Ambassador Paul Getty ALTIDOR

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)

consulate(s):

Orlando (Florida)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pamela A. WHITE

embassy:

Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince

mailing address:

(in Haiti) P.O. Box 1634, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; (from abroad) 3400 Port-au-Prince, State Department, Washington, DC 20521-3400

telephone:

[509] 229-8000

FAX:

[509] 229-8028

• 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);
• the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes

name:

"La Dessalinienne" (The Dessalines Song)

lyrics/music:

Justin LHERISSON/Nicolas GEFFRARD

note: adopted 1904; the anthem is named for Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, a leader in the Haitian Revolution and first ruler of an independent Haiti

agriculture:

38.1%

industry:

11.5%

services:

50.4% (2010)

lowest 10%:

0.7%

highest 10%:

47.7% (2001)

general assessment:

• telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean;
• domestic facilities barely adequate;
• international facilities slightly better

domestic:

• mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones;
• mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 40 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

• several TV stations, including 1 government-owned;
• cable TV subscription service available;
• government-owned radio network;
• more than 250 private and community radio stations with about 50 FM stations in Port-au-Prince alone (2007)

total:

4,160 km

country comparison to the world: 155

paved:

1,011 km

unpaved:

3,149 km (2000)

• no regular military forces - small Coast Guard;
• a Ministry of National Defense established May 2012;
• the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2011)

males age 16-49:

2,398,804

females age 16-49:

2,415,039 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,666,324

females age 16-49:

1,704,364 (2010 est.)

male:

115,246

female:

115,282 (2010 est.)

• since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti 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

• 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