Haitii - MC Grecof

Introduction

Flag:

Card:

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.

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:

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km

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

Geography - note:

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

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.)

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)

Government

Country name:

conventional short form: Hait
ilocal long form: Republique d'Haiti
local short form: Haiti

Government type:

Capital:

Port-au-Prince

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

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

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

Industries:

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

Agriculture - products:

Currency:

Gourde (HTG)

Currency code:

HTG

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

Coffee

Growing-areas:

Port-au-Pince, Cap Haitien, Cayes

Qualities:

washed and unwashed Arabica classified as per size (5x down to 2x) and defects

Altitude:

300 to 2.100 meter

Harvest:

lower altitude: August - November
higher altitude: December - March

Shippingperiod:

unwashed: all year round
washed : November - February

Port of Export:

Port-au-Prince

Shipment:

in container in bags (250 of each 60 kos net)

Production:

425.000 bags

Export figures:

66.007 bags

Caffeine content:

unwashed 1,42 %
washed 1,34 %