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NAVIGATION
Republic of Haiti
Republique d'Haiti
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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The native Arawak 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 - 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 and after a prolonged struggle, became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history since then, and it is now one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. 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 in 2001. However, a political crisis stemming from fraudulent legislative elections in 2000 has not yet been resolved. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic |
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Geographic coordinates:
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19 00 N, 72 25 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km water: 190 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maryland |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km |
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Coastline:
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1,771 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds |
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Terrain:
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mostly rough and mountainous |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m |
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Natural resources:
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bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 20.32%
permanent crops: 12.7% other: 66.98% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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750 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban |
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Geography - note:
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shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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7,063,722
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 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 39.5% (male 1,414,052; female 1,377,693)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 1,924,867; female 2,049,952) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 142,657; female 154,501) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.42% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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31.42 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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14.88 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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93.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 49.55 years
female: 51.29 years (2002 est.) male: 47.88 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.3 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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5.17% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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210,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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23,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 95%, mulatto and white 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
note: roughly half of the population also practices Voodoo |
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Languages:
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French (official), Creole (official) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 45% male: 48% female: 42.2% (1995 est.) |