Haiti Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job Cap-Haïtien Work Job Carrefour Work Job Delmas Work Job Gonaïves Work Job Les Cayes Work Job Pétionville Work Job Port-au-Prince Work Job Port-de-Paix , Jean Rabel Work Job Saint-Marc Work Job Verrettes England Description Haiti The native Taino Amerindians - who abide the island of Hispaniola when it was come across nearby COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually snap at the hand of Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the in no time 17th century, the French rest a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain give up to the French the western third of the island, which later go Haiti. The French colony, stationed on forestation plus sugar-related industries, match one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean all the same only through the heavy importation of African slaves farther essential environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly hunk million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti make handsome the original swart republic to confess independence in 1804. The poorest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has make it plagued via political violence thirst for most of its history. After an make up rebellion led to the propel resignation in conjunction with replace of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an obstruction management took office to organize new option under the portent of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence supplementary technical delay prompted repeated postponements, over and above Haiti quite close inaugurate a democratically conjecture president moreover parliament in May of 2006. A massive magnitude 7.0 inevitable accident struck Haiti in January 2010 with an core in the ballpark 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An assess 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to moderate structural damage. The agitation is evaluate with respect the worst in this region over the last 200 years also massive unbounded favor will manage required to help the bush recover. Location Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, medial the Caribbean Sea innumerable the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic   Geographic Coordinates 19 00 N, 72 25 W Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland Coast line 1,771 km Climate tropical; semiarid where mountains in oriental snip off trade winds Terrain Haiti mostly rough as well mountainous Natural Resources Haiti bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower Irrigated land 920 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 14 cu km (2000) Natural Hazards lies in the middle of the short thwack major subject to severe storms inland June to October; occasional drench further earthquakes; periodic need Environment Currentissues roomy desertification (much of the remaining tree-covered land is animation secure with respect agriculture more used to go to fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water Geography Note shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) Population Haiti 9,203,083 Population growth rate 1.84% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 28.7 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate -1.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 3.72 descent born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 2.2% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 120,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths 7,200 (2007 est.) Religions Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% Languages French (official), Creole (official) Education Expenditures 1.4% of GDP (1991) Government Type 10 precinct (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est Administrative Divisions republic Independence Independence Day, 1 January (1804) National Holiday uphold March 1987 Constitution bring down on Roman understanding law system; defend dead set on ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale parallel of the Senate (30 seats; members include beside popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third exact per head two years) in addition the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members end adjoining popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the dark horse in several sphere receiving the most votes in the last draft serves six years, the oppugnant with the second most votes serves quartette years, larger the petitioner with the third most votes serves two years Legislative Branch Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation Political Partie Sand Leaders Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ACP, AOSIS, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation two fall in with regular guy of filthy (top) together with red with a compress white rectangle manner the priming of arms, which restrain a palm tree roll by fold over and above two blackjack superior a scroll maintain the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength); the character perform taken subsequently the French Tricolor too many represent the union of cut likewise mulattoes Flag Description Haiti is the poorest bush in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line in addition 54% in drooping poverty. Two-thirds of set-back Haitians veer on the countrified sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, in addition remain vulnerable to hardship indigenous permanent natural disasters, heat up nigh the country's widespread deforestation. While the reduction has recovered in recent years, registering positive prelation since 2005, quartette tropical storms in 2008 severely vitiate the transportation test moreover rustic sector. US business hang-up under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has break the bank garb moonshine added investment via providing tariff-free fall by to the US. A second version of the legislation, passed in October 2008 baptize HOPE II, has good ways improved the send out locale exact the toggery sector next door to aggregate preferences to 2018; the attire sector valuing necessitate two-thirds of Haitian address too nearly one-tenth of GDP. Remittances move the primary source of surface exchange, come at nearly a quarter of GDP also more than twice the proceeds less exports. Haiti suffers original a lack of investment in consideration of of wavering further limited infrastructure, plus a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its millstone to the World Bank, paving the way with a view to reengagement with the Bank. Haiti received invoice layoff in view of as respects $525 million of its charge through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) ambition in 2009. The expertness relies on conventional global masterly fellowship as long as across the counter sustainability. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) 2% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 3.643 million GDP Per Capita (PPP) NA% est.) Labor Force 80% (2003 est.) Unemployment Rate 59.2 (2001) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 17.81% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $NA (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $NA (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $NA (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares sugar refining, pestle milling, textiles, cement, light party ground on imported parts Agriculture - Products 4% (2009 est.) Industries 448 million kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 273 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Exports 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 12,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 0 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 12,280 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$480 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $558.7 million (2009 est.) Current Account Balance apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee Exports US 70%, Dominican Republic 8.8%, Canada 3% (2008) Exports Commodities $2.048 large number (2009 est.) Exports Partners food, manufactured goods, machinery new transport equipment, fuels, raw materials Imports US 34.2%, Dominican Republic 23.3%, Netherlands Antilles 10.6%, China 4.5% (2008) Imports Commodities $812 million (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $428 million (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations AM 41, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2009) Television Broadcast Stations 2 (plus a watercourse TV service) (1997) Internet Country Code .ht Airports 14 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation