| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
Port-au-Prince |
|
Borders |
Dominican Republic 360 km |
|
Government type |
republic |
|
Population |
9,035,536[1] |
|
Population growth |
1.838% (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
60.78 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
NA% est.)[1] |
|
141[2] | |
|
168[3] | |
|
151[4] | |
The native Taino 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. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became 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. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to moderate structural damage. The earthquake is assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years and massive international assistance will be required to help the country recover.[1]
Economical characteristics[]
- Currency: Gourde (ISO code: HTG)
- Central bank discount rate: [1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: 17.81% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Stock of money (M1): $NA (31 December 2008)[1]
- Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $NA (31 December 2008)[1]
Statistics[]
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[5] | 4 089 | 3 665 | 3 508 | 3 215 | 2 826 | 3 661 | 4 154 | 4 961 | 6 225 | 7 205 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[6] | ||||||||||
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[7] | ||||||||||
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[8] | ||||||||||
| Debt to revenue (years) |
References[]
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Facebook. "Haiti", from The World Facebook. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ Heritage Foundation. "Haiti", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ Transparency International. "Haiti", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ Doing Business. "Haiti", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ World Bank. "Haiti: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ World Bank. "Haiti: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ World Bank. "Haiti: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-30.
- ↑ World Bank. "Haiti: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-30.
External links[]
- Haiti on Wikipedia
- Central bank of Haiti
- Studies from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
- BBC country profile