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Background
One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. 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 the following year.
Geography
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
Area
total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
slightly smaller than Maryland
Border countries
Dominican Republic
Climate
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain
mostly rough and mountainous
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Land use
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 44% (1993 est.)
Note
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
People
Population: 6,964,549
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 2001 est.)
Population growth rate
1.4% (2001 est.)
Birth rate
31.68 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate
15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate
95.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 49.38 years
male: 47.67 years
female: 51.17 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.4 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Nationality
noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups
black: 95%
mulatto and white: 5%
Religions
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
Languages
French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 45%
male: 48%
female: 42.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti
Government type
elected government
Capital
Port-au-Prince
Independence
1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
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. The country has experienced little job creation since the former President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti. This destabilized the Haitian currency, the gourde, and, combined with a 40% fuel price hike in September, caused widespread price increases. Prices appear to have leveled off in January 2001.
GDP by sector
agriculture: 32%
industry: 20%
services: 48% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line
80% (1998 est.)
Inflation rate
19% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
3.6 million (1995)
agriculture: 66%
services: 25%
industry: 9%
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1998)
Unemployment rate
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (1999)
Communications
Telephones: 60,000 (1997)
Mobile Phones: 0 (1995)
Radios: 415,000 (1997)
Televisions: 38,000 (1997)
Internet users: 6,000 (2000)
Transportation
Railways: total: 40 km
Highways: total: 4,160 km
Waterways: NEGL; less than 100 km navigable
Airports: 13 (2000 est.)
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