Haiti

§1. Haiti Introduction

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.

§2. Haiti 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

Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
  total: 27,750 kmē
  land: 27,560 kmē
  water: 190 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
  total: 275 km border countries: Dominican Republic 275 km

Coastline:
  1,771 km

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

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.)

Irrigated land:
  750 kmē (1993 est.)

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

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, Desertification, Law of the Sea,
    Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
  signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban

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

§3. Haiti 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.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 40.31% (male 1,421,945; female 1,385,580)
  15-64 years: 55.52% (male 1,869,323; female 1,997,246)
  65 years and over: 4.17% (male 140,556; female 149,899) (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.)

Net migration rate:
  -2.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:
  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: 0.94 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (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.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  5.17% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  210,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  23,000 (1999 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.)

§4. Haiti 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

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

Independence:
  1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday:
  Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution:
  approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most articles reinstated
  March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the
  constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 1994

Legal system:
  based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 2001)
  head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Marie CHERESTAL (since 9 February
    2001)
  cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the
    president
  elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election
    last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister
    appointed by the president, ratified by the Congress
  election results: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent of vote
    - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92%

Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate
  (27 seats; members serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years)
  and the Chamber of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote
  to serve four-year terms)
  elections: Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000, with
    runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; about eight seats still
    disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November 2000 (next
    to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 2000, with
    runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one vacant seat rerun 26
    November 2000 (next election NA 2004)
  election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
    FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
    NA%; seats by party - FL 73, OPL 1, other minor parties and independents
    9

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:
  Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold
    GEORGES]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie
    MANIGAT]; Convergence (opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and
    MOCHRENA) [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor
    BENOIT]; Democratic Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL,
    Victor Benoit] composed of the following parties: National Congress of
    Democratic Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party
    or PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can; Haitian Christian Democratic
    Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or PADEM
    [Clark PARENT]; Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE];
    Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY];
    Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE]; Movement for
    the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; Movement for
    the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE];
    National Front for Change and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb
    DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc
    MESADIEU]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Gerard
    PIERRE-CHARLES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Autonomous Haitian Workers or CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or
  CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly
  or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering
  Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, Caricom (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
  IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
  WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis Harold
    JOSEPH 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, and San Juan
    (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Brian Dean CURRAN embassy: 5 Harry Truman
    Boulevard, Port-au-Prince
  mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince
  telephone: [509] 222-0354, 222-0269, 222-0200, 223-4776
  FAX: [509] 23-1641

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)

§5. Haiti Economy

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:
  purchasing power parity - $12.7 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  1.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 32% industry: 20%
  services: 48% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  80% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  19% (2000 est.)

Labor force:
  3.6 million (1995)
  note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1998)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%

Unemployment rate:
  widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the
  labor force do not have formal jobs (1999)

Budget:
  revenues: $317 million
  expenditures: $362 million, including capital expenditures of $84 million
    (FY99/00 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  0.6% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:
  672 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 52.83% hydro: 47.17%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  625 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

Exports:
  $186 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities:
  manufactures, coffee, oils, mangoes

Exports - partners:
  US 89%, EU 8% (1999)

Imports:
  $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999)

Imports - commodities:
  food, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

Imports - partners:
  US 60%, EU 13% (1999)

Debt - external:
  $1 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $730.6 million (1995)

Currency:
  gourde (HTG)

Currency code:
  HTG

Exchange rates:
  gourdes per US dollar - 23.761 (January 2001), 22.524 (2000), 17.965
  (1999), 16.505 (1998), 17.311 (1997), 15.093 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

§6. Haiti Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  60,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  0 (1995)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate; international
    facilities slightly better
  domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
  international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Radios:
  415,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
  2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Televisions:
  38,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
  .ht

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  3 (2000)

Internet users:
  6,000 (2000)

§7. Haiti Transportation

Railways:
  total: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line) - closed in
    early 1990s
  narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge

Highways:
  total: 4,160 km
  paved: 1,011 km
  unpaved: 3,149 km (1996)

Waterways:
  NEGL; less than 100 km navigable

Ports and harbors:
  Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane,
  Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  13 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 2
  under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)

§8. Haiti Military

Military branches:
  Haitian National Police (HNP) note: the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air
    Force have been demobilized but still exist on paper until
    constitutionally abolished

Military manpower - military age:
  18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 1,635,253 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 888,305 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 87,049 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $NA; note - mainly for police and security activities

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  NA%

§9. Haiti Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  claims US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs:
  major Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and
  Europe; vulnerable to money laundering
