Caribbean
Country Profiles
Haiti
Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican
Republic and is one of the poorest countries in the western
hemisphere. More than three decades of dictatorship and military
rule came to an end in 1990 when free elections were held,
but since then the country has been plagued by political instability,
including a military takeover. The country suffers from an
exceptionally high rate of HIV/AIDS. Haiti has two official
languages: French and Creole.
Haiti covers an area of 27,750 square kilometres, most of which
is mountainous. The climate is primarily tropical but semiarid
in the mountains. Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane
belt so it is vulnerable to hurricanes and severe storms from
June to October. It also experiences occasional flooding and
earthquakes and periodic droughts.
Haiti has an elected government headed by President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide. Elections are scheduled for 2005. Port-au-Prince
is the capital of Haiti and there are nine administrative departments.
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People
|
|
|
Human Development Index Ranking (out of 173)
|
146
|
|
Population (millions)
|
8.1
|
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Population growth rate (%)
|
1.5
|
|
Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above)
|
49.8
|
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Health
|
|
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Life expectancy
|
52.6
|
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Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
|
81
|
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People living with HIV/AIDS (% adults 15-49)
|
6.10
|
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Population using improved water sources (%)
|
46
|
|
Population using adequate sanitation facilities
(%)
|
28
|
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Economy
|
|
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GDP (US$ billions)
|
4.0
|
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Population living below national poverty line (%)
|
65.0
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Source: United Nation Human Development Reports,
Human Development Indicators 2002
--- indicates information not available
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