1995 Edition

Area

total area: 27,750 sq km land area: 27,560 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Coastline

1,771 km

Environment

current issues: extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and use as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water 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 international agreements: party to - Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

International disputes

claims US-administered Navassa Island

Irrigated land

750 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 275 km, Dominican Republic 275 km

Land use

arable land: 20% permanent crops: 13% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 4% other: 45%

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

bauxite

Note

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

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (female 1,490,939; male 1,535,607) 15-64 years: 50% (female 1,692,032; male 1,557,568) 65 years and over: 4% (female 133,291; male 130,546) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

38.64 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

18.65 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

black 95%, mulatto and European 5%

Infant mortality rate

107.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

2.3 million by occupation: agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9% note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)

Languages

French (official) 10%, Creole

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 44.77 years male: 43.04 years female: 46.59 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1982) total population: 35% male: 37% female: 32%

Nationality

noun: Haitian(s) adjective: Haitian

Net migration rate

-4.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

6,539,983 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

1.5% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 80% (of which an overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo), Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)

Total fertility rate

5.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Port-au-Prince

Chamber of Deputies

elections last held 16 December 1990, with runoff held 20 January 1991 (next to be held 25 June 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (83 total) FNCD 27, MIDH-PANPRA 17, PDCH 7, PAIN 6, RDNP 6, MDN 5, PNT 3, MKN 2, MODELH 2, MRN 1, independents 5, other 2

Constitution

approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989; October 1991, government claims to be observing the Constitution

Digraph

HA

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jean CASIMIR chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090 through 4092

Executive branch

chief of state: President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 1991), ousted in a coup in September 1991 but, with US military support, returned to power on 15 October 1994; election last held 16 December 1990 (next to be held by December 1995); results - Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 67.5%, Marc BAZIN 14.2%, Louis DEJOIE 4.9% head of government: Prime Minister Smarck MICHEL (since October 1994) cabinet: Cabinet; chosen by prime minister in consultation with the president

FAX

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

[509] 23-1641

Flag

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)

Independence

1 January 1804 (from France)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)

Legal system

based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Member of

ACCT, ACP, CARICOM (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Other political or pressure groups

Roman Catholic Church; Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH); Federation of Workers Trade Unions (FOS); Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH); National Popular Assembly (APN); Revolutionary Front for Haitian Advancement and Progress (FRAPH)

Political parties and leaders

National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD), Evans PAUL, including National Cooperative Action Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH; National Congress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), Victor BENOIT; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH), Marc BAZIN; National Progressive Revolutionary Party (PANPRA), Serge GILLES; National Patriotic Movement of November 28 (MNP-28), Dejean BELIZAIRE; National Agricultural and Industrial Party (PAIN), Louis DEJOIE; Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene THEODORE; Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Joseph DOUZE; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT; National Party of Labor (PNT), Thomas DESULME; Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DE RONCERAY; Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti (MODELH), Francois LATORTUE; Haitian Social Christian Party (PSCH), Gregoire EUGENE; Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE; Democratic Unity Confederation (KID), Evans PAUL; National Lavalas Political Organization (OPL), Gerard PIERRE/CHARLES

Senate

elections last held 18 January 1993, widely condemned as illegitimate (next to be held 25 June 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (27 total) FNCD 12, MIDH-PANPRA 8, PAIN 2, MRN 1, RDNP 1, PNT 1, independent 2

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador William Lacy SWING embassy: 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

Agriculture

accounts for 28% of GDP and employs two-thirds of work force; mostly small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops - coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, wood; staple crops - rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of wheat flour

Budget

revenues: $56 million expenditures: $131 million, including capital expenditures of $6 million (1994 est.)

Currency

1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $700 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $770 million

Electricity

capacity: 150,000 kW production: 590 million kWh consumption per capita: 86 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

gourdes (G) per US$1 - 14.10 (1 December 1994), 12.00 (1 July 1993), 8.4 (December 1991), fixed rate of 5.000 through second quarter of 1991

Exports

$173.3 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: light manufactures 65%, coffee 19%, other agriculture 8%, other 8% partners: US 81%, Europe 12% (1993)

External debt

$871 million (September 1994)

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana en route to the US and Europe

Imports

$476.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%, petroleum products 14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9% partners: US 51%, Europe 16%, Latin America 18% (1993)

Industrial production

growth rate -2% (1991 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

52% (FY93/94 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $5.6 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$870 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

-15% (1994 est.)

Overview

About 75% of the population live in abject poverty. Agriculture is mainly small-scale subsistence farming and employs two-thirds of the work force. The majority of the population does not have ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care, or sufficient food. The lack of employment opportunities remains one of the most critical problems facing the economy, along with soil erosion and political instability. International trade sanctions in response to the September 1991 coup against President ARISTIDE further damaged the economy. The restoration of President ARISTIDE, the lifting of sanctions in late 1994, and foreign aid will alleviate some economic problems. Haiti will continue to depend heavily on foreign aid.

Unemployment rate

50% (1994 est.)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 33, FM 0, shortwave 2 radios: NA

Telephone system

36,000 telephones; domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly better local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Television

broadcast stations: 4 televisions: NA

Airports

total: 14 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 6 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5

Highways

total: 4,000 km paved: 950 km unpaved: otherwise improved 900 km; unimproved earth 2,150 km

Inland waterways

negligible; less than 100 km navigable

Merchant marine

none

Ports

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

Railroads

total: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line) narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Police note: the regular Haitian Army, Navy and Air Force are currently suspended and replaced by the Interim Public Security Force (IPSF)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.) ________________________________________________________________________ HEARD ISLAND AND MCDONALD ISLANDS (territory of Australia)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,323,034; males fit for military service 716,233; males reach military age (18) annually 64,371 (1995 est.)