2010 Edition

Background

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. 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 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 forced resignation and exile 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. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to moderate structural damage. The earthquake is assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years and massive international assistance will be required to help the country recover.

Area

land

27,560 sq km

total

27,750 sq km

water

190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Coastline

1,771 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

116 cu m/yr (2000)

total

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

Geographic coordinates

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

920 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Dominican Republic 360 km

total

360 km

Land use

arable land

28.11%

other

60.36% (2005)

permanent crops

11.53%

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 hazards

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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Total renewable water resources

14 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,735,917/female 1,704,383) 15-64 years: 58.5% (male 2,621,059/female 2,665,447) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 120,040/female 188,690) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

24.4 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Death rate

8.21 deaths/1,000 population note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)

Education expenditures

1.4% of GDP (1991)

Ethnic groups

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.2% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

7,200 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

120,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

49.83 deaths/1,000 live births note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)

male

58.16 deaths/1,000 live births

total

54.02 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

French (official), Creole (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

63.53 years note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)

male

60.84 years

total population

62.17 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

51.2% (2003 est.)

male

54.8%

total population

52.9%

Major infectious diseases

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)

Median age

female

21.4 years (2010 est.)

male

20.9 years

total

21.1 years

Nationality

adjective

Haitian

noun

Haitian(s)

Net migration rate

-8.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Population

9,719,932 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

0.787% note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo

Sex ratio

at birth

1.011 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.07 children born/woman (2011 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

4.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

47% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

18 32 N, 72 20 W

name

Port-au-Prince

time difference

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

approved March 1987 note: 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

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Kenneth H. MERTEN

embassy

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

FAX

[509] 229-8028

mailing address

use mailing address

telephone

[509] 229-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Louis Harold JOSEPH

consulate(s)

Orlando (Florida)

consulate(s) general

Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

FAX

[1] (202) 745-7215

telephone

[1] (202) 332-4090

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)

election results

2010 results not final, initial results are under OAS review; Mirlande MANIGAT 31.37%, Jude CELESTIN 22.48%, Michel MARTELLY 21.84%, all others less than 10% each

elections

president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 28 November 2010; runoff scheduled for 16 January 2011 (next to be held in 2015); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7 November 2009)

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

Government type

republic

Independence

1 January 1804 (from France)

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Legal system

based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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 elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate in 2006, 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

election results

2010 election results are not final; 2006 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; 2006 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

elections

Senate - last held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections scheduled for 16 January 2011 (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections schedule for 16 January 2011 (next regular election to be held in 2014)

National anthem

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

name

"La Dessalinienne" (The Dessalines Song)

National holiday

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

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]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; 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]; 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; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Commercial bank prime lending rate

17.25% (31 December 2009 est.) 17.81% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$781 million (2010 est.) -$627 million (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$494 million (31 December 2010 est.) $1.362 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

59.2 (2001)

Economy - overview

Haiti's economy suffered a severe setback when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake damaged its capital city, Port-au-Prince, in January 2010. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty, the damage to Port-au-Prince caused the country's GDP to contract an estimated 8% in 2010. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. US economic engagement under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted apparel exports and investment by providing tariff-free access to the US. Congress voted in 2010 to extend the legislation until 2020 under the Haitian Economic Lift Act (HELP); the apparel sector accounts for three-quarters of Haitian exports and nearly one-tenth of GDP. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP and more than twice the earnings from exports. Haiti suffers from a lack of investment because of insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. Haiti received debt forgiveness for over $1 billion of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative in 2009. The remainder of its outstanding external debt was cancelled by donor countries in early 2010 but has since climbed back to about $500 million. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.

Electricity - consumption

273 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

665 million kWh (2010 est.)

Exchange rates

gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 41.198 (2010), 41.195 (2009), 39.216 (2008), 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006)

Exports

$559 million (2010 est.) $551 million (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee

Exports - partners

US 79.76%, Dominican Republic 7.24%, Canada 2.96% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

23%

industry

20%

services

57% (2009 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,200 (2010 est.) $1,200 (2009 est.) $1,200 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

-8% (2010 est.) 2.9% (2009 est.) 0.8% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$6.495 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$11.18 billion (2010 est.) $12.15 billion (2009 est.) $11.81 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)

Imports

$2.446 billion (2010 est.) $2.032 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 33.11%, Dominican Republic 23.53%, Netherlands Antilles 10.75%, China 5.36% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

-8% (2010 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.6% (2010 est.) 2% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

28.9% of GDP (2008 est.)

Labor force

3.643 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2007)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

66%

industry

9%

services

25% (1995)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

12,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

12,280 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

80% (2003 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.021 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $790 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$3.137 billion (31 December 2009) $2.958 billion (31 December 2008)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.632 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.698 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$787.2 million (31 December 2010 est) $800 million (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

NA% est.) note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs

Broadcast media

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

Internet country code

.ht

Internet hosts

273 (2010)

Internet users

1 million (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 40 per 100 persons in 2009

general assessment

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

international

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

Telephones - main lines in use

108,300 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3.648 million (2009)

Airports

14 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

10 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2010)

Ports and terminals

Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Port-au-Prince

Roadways

paved

1,011 km

total

4,160 km

unpaved

3,149 km (2000)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,283,915 females age 16-49: 2,250,220 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,573,371 females age 16-49: 1,591,942 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

108,208 (2010 est.)

male

110,514

Military 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 until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2009)

Military expenditures

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Disputes - 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 page last updated on January 12, 2011 ======================================================================