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.

Haiti 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: 19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 27,750 sq km

land: 27,560 sq km

water: 190 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

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

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble,
hydropower

Land use: arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 13%

permanent pastures: 18%

forests and woodland: 5%

other: 44% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 750 sq km (1993 est.)

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

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

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban

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

Haiti People

Population: 6,964,549

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into a