Facts about Haiti

National name: République d’Haïti

President: René Préval

Prime Minister: Jean-Max Bellerive

Land area: 10,641 sq mi  *about the size of Maryland

Population (2009 est.): Approx 9 million

Infant mortality rate: 59.7/1000

Life expectancy: 60.7yrs

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Port-au-Prince, 1,764,000 (metro. area), 1,119,000 (city proper)

Monetary unit: Gourde

Languages: Creole and French (both official)

Ethnicity/Race: black 95%, mulatto and white 5

Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, (Baptist, Pentecostal, Adventist, other),

Note: roughly half the population practices Vaudou (Voodoo)

National Holiday: Independence Day, January 1

Literacy rate: Approx 53%

Economic Summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $11.14 billion

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

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

Agriculture: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood.

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

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower.

Exports: manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes.

Imports: food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials.

Major trading partners: U.S., Dominican Republic, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, UK.

Transportation: Railways: n.a. Highways: 4,160 km (1999) Waterways: n.a. Ports and harbors: Cap-Haitien. Airports: 14 (2007).

Geography

Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains.

History

Explored by Columbus on Dec. 6, 1492, Haiti’s native Arawaks fell victim to Spanish rule. In 1697, Haiti became the French colony of Saint-Dominique, which became a leading sugarcane producer dependent on slaves. In 1791, rebellion erupted among the slave population, resulting in a declaration of independence by Pierre-Dominique Toussaint l’Ouverture in 1801. Napoléon Bonaparte suppressed the independence movement, but it eventually won in 1804 under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who gave the new nation its name Haiti . It was the world’s first independent black republic.

People

Although Haiti averages about 300 people per square kilometer, its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly of mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage. Sixty percent of the population lives in rural areas.

French is one of two official languages, but it is spoken by only about 10% of the people. All Haitians speak Creole, the country’s other official language. English is increasingly used as a second language among the young and in the business sector.

The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism. Increasing numbers of Haitians have converted to Protestantism through the work of missionaries active throughout the country. Much of the population also practices voudou (voodoo), recognized by the government as a religion in April 2003. Haitians tend to see no conflict in these African-rooted beliefs coexisting with Christian faith.

Although public education is free, the cost is still quite high for Haitian families who must pay for uniforms, textbooks, and supplies. Private and parochial schools account for approximately 90% of primary schools, and only 65% of primary school-aged children are actually enrolled. At the secondary level, the figure drops to around 20%. Less than 35% of those who enter will complete primary school. Though Haitians place a high value on education, few can afford to send their children to secondary school and primary school enrollment is dropping due to economic factors. Funding sent by Haitians living abroad is important in paying educational costs.

Large-scale emigration, principally to the U.S.–but also to Canada, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and other Caribbean neighbors, and France–has created what Haitians refer to as the Tenth Department or the Diaspora. About one of every eight Haitians lives abroad.