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3 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Haiti \Haiti\ n.
1. a country on the island of Hispaniola.
[WordNet 1.5]
2. an island in the West Indies.
Syn: Hispaniola, Hayti.
[WordNet 1.5]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Haiti
n 1: a republic in the West Indies on the western part of the
island of Hispaniola; achieved independence from France
in 1804; the poorest and most illiterate nation in the
Western Hemisphere [syn: {Republic of Haiti}]
2: an island in the West Indies [syn: {Hispaniola}, {Hayti}]
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Haiti
Introduction Haiti
------------------
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 in 2001. However, a
political crisis stemming from
fraudulent legislative elections in
2000 has not yet been resolved.
Geography Haiti
---------------
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 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic
360 km
Coastline: 1,771 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: to depth of
exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 20.32%
permanent crops: 12.7%
other: 66.98% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1998 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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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)
People Haiti
------------
Population: 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.)
Age structure: 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.)
Population growth rate: 1.42% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 31.42 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 14.88 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 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: 0.92 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 93.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.55 years
female: 51.29 years (2002 est.)
male: 47.88 years
Total fertility rate: 4.3 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.17% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 210,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
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 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 Haiti
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of
Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'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
Yvon NEPTUNE (since 4 March 2002);
note - former Prime Minister
CHERESTAL resigned in January 2002
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 National Assembly
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 elected by
popular vote to 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; seven 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 to be
held 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, MOCHRENA 3, PLB 2, OPL 1,
vacant 1, other minor parties and
independents 3
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 Cooperative
Action Movement or MKN [Volrick Remy
JOSEPH]; National Front for Change
and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL
and Turneb DELPE]; New Christian
Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA
[Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate or PLB
[Renaud BERNARDIN]; Struggling
People's Organization or OPL [Gerard
PIERRE-CHARLES]
Political pressure groups and Autonomous Haitian Workers or CATH;
leaders: 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 ACCT, ACP, Caricom, CCC, ECLAC, FAO,
participation: G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), 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
consulate(s) general: Boston,
Chicago, Miami, New York, and San
Juan (Puerto Rico)
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Brian
US: Dean CURRAN
embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard,
Port-au-Prince
mailing address: P. O. Box 1761,
Port-au-Prince
telephone: [509] 222-0354, 222-0269,
222-0200, 223-0327
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)
Economy Haiti
-------------
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.
The economy shrank an estimated 1.2%
in 2001, and the contraction will
likely intensify in 2002 unless a
political agreement with donors is
reached and aid restored.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 20%
services: 50% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 3.6 million (1995)
note: shortage of skilled labor,
unskilled labor abundant (2001)
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 (2001)
Budget: revenues: $273 million
expenditures: $361 million,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (FY00/01 est.)
Industries: sugar refining, flour milling,
textiles, cement, light assembly
industries based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.6% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production: 522 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 68.97%
hydro: 31.03%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 485.46 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice,
corn, sorghum; wood
Exports: $326.6 million (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa
Exports - partners: US 90%, EU 6% (2000)
Imports: $977.5 million (c.i.f., 2001)
Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery
and transport equipment, fuels, raw
materials
Imports - partners: US 60%, EU 10.5%, Dominican Republic
3.7% (2000)
Debt - external: $1.2 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $730.6 million (1995)
Currency: gourde (HTG)
Currency code: HTG
Exchange rates: gourdes per US dollar - 26.674
(January 2002), 26.339 (2001),
22.524 (2000), 17.965 (1999), 16.505
(1998), 17.311 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Communications Haiti
--------------------
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)
Transportation Haiti
--------------------
Railways: total: 40 km
narrow gauge: 40 km 0.760-m gauge;
single-track
note: privately owned industrial
line; closed in early 1990s (2001
est.)
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 (2002 est.)
Airports: 12 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 6 (2001)
Military Haiti
--------------
Military branches: Haitian National Police (HNP)
note: the regular Haitian Army,
Navy, and Air Force have been
demobilized but still exist on paper
until or unless they are
constitutionally abolished
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,691,585 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 919,275 (2002 est.)
service:
Military manpower - reaching males: 87,049 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $50 million (FY00)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.3% (FY00)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Haiti
--------------------------
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 and pervasive corruption
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