994)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: all of the area west of the Essequibo
River claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper
of the Courantyne)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics from South
America--primarily Venezuela--to Europe and the US; producer of
cannabis

======================================================================

@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: none

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
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)

People

Population: 6,884,264 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 1,464,529; female 1,420,772)
15-64 years: 54% (male 1,783,884; female 1,932,240)
65 years and ov