The native Taino - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher 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 post-colonial black-led nation in the world, declaring its independence in 1804. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced political instability for most of its history. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Estimates are that over 300,000 people were killed and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years. President Michel MARTELLY resigned in February 2016 and was replaced by Interim President Jocelerme PRIVERT who will lead until new elections take place later in the year.

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Maryland

1,771 km

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

mostly rough and mountainous

highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower, arable land

arable land 38.5%; permanent crops 10.2%; permanent pasture 17.7%

970 sq km (2012)

fairly even distribution; largest concentrations located near coastal areas

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts

extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water

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

10,485,800

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

French (official), Creole (official)

Roman Catholic (official) 54.7%, Protestant 28.5% (Baptist 15.4%, Pentecostal 7.9%, Adventist 3%, Methodist 1.5%, other 0.7%), voodoo (official) 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10.2%

1.71% (2016 est.)

23.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

fairly even distribution; largest concentrations located near coastal areas

PORT-AU-PRINCE (capital) 2.44 million (2015)

22.7

359 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.79 children born/woman (2016 est.)

34.5% (2012)

7.6% of GDP (2014)

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2007)

urban: 64.9% of population

rural: 47.6% of population

total: 57.7% of population

urban: 35.1% of population

rural: 52.4% of population

total: 42.3% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 33.6% of population

rural: 19.2% of population

total: 27.6% of population

urban: 66.4% of population

rural: 80.8% of population

total: 72.4% of population (2015 est.)

1.71% (2015 est.)

133,500 (2015 est.)

8,000 (2015 est.)

10.7% (2014)

11.6% (2012)

NA

semi-presidential republic

10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

1 January 1804 (from France)

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

many previous (23 total); latest adopted 10 March 1987; amended 2012 (2016)

civil law system strongly influenced by Napoleonic Code

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Alternative League for Haitian Progress and Empowerment or LAPEH [Jude CELESTIN]

Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Mirlande MANIGAT]

Christian and Citizen For Haiti's Reconstruction or ACCRHA [Chavannes JEUNE]

Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MCNH [Luc MESADIEU]

Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]

Cooperative Action to Rebuild Haiti or KONBA [Jean William JEANTY]

December 16 Platform or Platfom 16 Desanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]

Democratic Alliance or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH)

Democratic Centers's National Council or CONACED [Osner FEVRY]

Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti-Revolutionary Party of Haiti or MODELH-PRDH

Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]

Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE]

For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]

Fusion of Haitian Social Democrats or FHSD [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE]

Grouping of Citizens for Hope or RESPE [Charles-Henri BAKER]

Haiti in Action or AAA [Youri LATORTUE]

Haitian Tet Kale Party or PHTK [Ann Valerie Timothee MILFORT]

Haitians for Haiti [Yvon NEPTUNE]

Independent Movement for National Reconstruction or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]

Konbit Pou refe Ayiti or KONBIT

Lavni Organization or LAVNI [Yves CRISTALIN]

Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Jean Andre VICTOR]

Liberation Platform or PLATFORME LIBERATION

Love Haiti or Renmen Ayiti [Jean-Henry CEANT and Camille LEBLANC]

Merging of Haitian Social Democratics or FUSION [Edmonde Supplice BEAUZILE] (coalition of Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements)

Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]

National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]

New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]

Patriotic Movement of the Democratic Opposition or MOPOD

Patriotic Unity or IP [Marie Denise CLAUDE]

Peasant Platform or PP

Peasant's Response or Repons Peyizan [Michel MARTELLY]

Platform Alternative for Progress and Democracy or ALTENATIV [Victor BENOIT and Evans PAUL]

Platform of Haitian Patriots or PLAPH [Dejean BELISAIRE and Himmler REBU]

Platform Pitit Dessalines or PPD [Jean-Charles MOISE]

Pont

Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]

PPG18

Rally or RASAMBLE

Renmen Ayiti or RA [Jean-Henry CEANT]

Respect or RESPE

Socialist Action Movement or MAS

Strength in Unity or Ansanm Nou Fo [Leslie VOLTAIRE]

Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Sauveur PIERRE-ETIENNE]

Truth (Verite)

Union [Chavannes JEUNE]

Union of Haitian Citizens for Democracy, Development, and Education or UCADDE [Jeantel JOSEPH]

Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNPH [Edouard FRANCISQUE]

Unity or Inite [Levaillant LOUIS-JEUNE] (coalition that includes Front for Hope or L'ESPWA)

Vigilance or Veye Yo [Lavarice GAUDIN]

Youth for People's Power or JPP [Rene CIVIL]

Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]

Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH

Economic Forum of the Private Sector or EF [Reginald BOULOS]

Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS

General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]

Grand-Anse Resistance Committee or KOREGA

Haitian Association of Industries or ADIH [Georges SASSINE]

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

ACP, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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); the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes

Hispaniolan trogon (bird), hibiscus flower; national colors: blue, red

Haiti's economy suffered a severe setback in January 2010 when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of its capital city, Port-au-Prince, and neighboring areas. Currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty, the earthquake further inflicted $7.8 billion in damage and caused the country's GDP to contract. In 2011, GDP growth rose to 5.5% as the Haitian economy began recovering from the earthquake. However, growth slowed in 2015 to 2% as political uncertainty, drought conditions, and the depreciation of the national currency took a toll on investment and economic growth.

Haiti is a free market economy with low labor costs and tariff-free access to the US for many of its exports. Two-fifths of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, which remains vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. Poverty, corruption, vulnerability to natural disasters, and low levels of education for much of the population are among Haiti's most serious impediments to economic growth. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, in 2015 equaling over one-fifth of GDP, and nearly double the combined value of Haitian exports and foreign direct investment.

US economic engagement under the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) and the 2008 Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE II) helped increase apparel exports and investment by providing duty-free access to the US. The Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act of 2010 extended the CBTPA and HOPE II until 2020, while the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 extended trade benefits provided to Haiti in the HOPE and HELP Acts through September 2025. Apparel sector exports in 2015 reached $904 million and account for about 90% of Haitian exports and more than 10% of the GDP.

Investment in Haiti is hampered by the difficulty of doing business and weak infrastructure, including access to electricity. Haiti's outstanding external debt was cancelled by donor countries following the 2010 earthquake, but has since risen to nearly $2 billion as of December 2015, the majority of which is owed to Venezuela under the PetroCaribe program. Although the government has increased its revenue collection, it continues to rely on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability, with over 20% of its annual budget coming from foreign aid or direct budget support.

$18.75 billion (2015 est.)

$18.56 billion (2014 est.)

$18.06 billion (2013 est.)

$8.618 billion (2015 est.)

1% (2015 est.)

2.8% (2014 est.)

4.2% (2013 est.)

$1,800 (2015 est.)

$1,800 (2014 est.)

$1,700 (2013 est.)

22.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

14% of GDP (2014 est.)

14.5% of GDP (2013 est.)

coffee, mangoes, cocoa, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood, vetiver

textiles, sugar refining, flour milling, cement, light assembly using imported parts

3.2% (2015 est.)

4.594 million

40.6% (2010 est.)

58.5% (2012 est.)

60.8 (2012)

59.2 (2001)

21.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

-2.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

26.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

26.6% of GDP (2014 est.)

1 October - 30 September

9% (2015 est.)

4.6% (2014 est.)

12.9% (31 December 2015 est.)

10.77% (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.073 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.235 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$3.818 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$3.793 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.404 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$2.425 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

-$206 million (2015 est.)

-$551 million (2014 est.)

$1.029 billion (2015 est.)

$960.9 million (2014 est.)

apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee

US 85.3% (2015)

$3.445 billion (2015 est.)

$3.666 billion (2014 est.)

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

Dominican Republic 35.3%, US 24.5%, Netherlands Antilles 9.4%, China 9.4% (2015)

$1.919 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.968 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.969 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.937 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.269 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.16 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

gourdes (HTG) per US dollar -

50.71 (2015 est.)

45.22 (2014 est.)

45.22 (2013 est.)

41.95 (2012 est.)

40.52 (2011 est.)

1 billion kWh (2014 est.)

400 million kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

300,000 kW (2014 est.)

77.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

22.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

18,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

17,200 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

2.1 million Mt (2013 est.)

130 television stations throughout the country, including 1 government-owned; cable TV subscription service available; 495 radio stations (of them, only 135 are licensed), including 1 government-owned; more than 250 private and community radio stations; over 50 FM stations in Port-au-Prince alone (2015)

.ht

HH (2016)

14 (2013)

no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; a Ministry of National Defense established May 2012; the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2011)

since 2004, peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti have assisted in maintaining civil order in Haiti; the mission currently includes 6,685 military, 2,607 police, and 443 civilian personnel; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island

Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis