Haiti

Background: The native Arawak Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island - Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'Ouverture and after a prolonged struggle, became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. Haiti is now one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president.
Location: Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic. 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
Climate and Terrain: Climate: Tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds. Terrain: Mostly rough and mountainous. Natural resources: Bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower.
People: Population: 7,527,817. 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%, note: roughly half of the population also practices Voodoo. Languages: French (official), Creole.
Government: Government type: Elected government. Capital: Port-au-Prince. Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France). National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
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. 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 an estimated 0.9% in 2002.
Statistics: Telephones - main lines in use: 60,000. Telephones - mobile cellular: Over 180,000. Radio broadcast stations: AM 41, FM 26. Radios: 415,000. Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus a cable TV service). Televisions: 38,000. Internet users: 30,000. Railways: Total: 40 km. Highways: Total: 4,160 km, paved: 1,011 km, unpaved: 3,149 km. Airports - with paved runways: 2, with unpaved runways: 10.