Area & location In the Carribeans, western 1/3 of Hispanolia; Area: 10,714 sq mi
Population: 8,706,497, 61% rural (2007 estimate)
Port-au-Prince (capital): 990,558 (1999 estimate)
Ethnic groups: Black African; 95 percent
Languages: French (official), Creole (official)
*Roman Catholic: 80%, Protestant: 17%, Other 3%
*Nearly one-half of the population also practices voodoo.
Life expectancy: 57 years (2007 estimate)
Population per physician: 4,000 people (2004)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.6% (2003 est.)
Literacy rate: 54.8 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure1.1% of GNP (2000-2001)
Only 15% of children ages 6 to 11 go to public school (2006)
Another 50% are in private schools (2006)
Only 23% of all children complete elementary school (2006)
Only 15% of youth are enrolled in secondary school (2007)
Form of government: Republic
Chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
85% of Haitians live on less than $1 U.S. per day.
Gross domestic product per capita (in U.S.$): $500.50 (2005)
Total revenue: $290.5 million (2000)
Total expenditure: $384.5 million (2000)
Workforce distribution: Agriculture, forestry, fishing: 51%; Industry: 11%; Services: 39% (1999)
Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Number of radios per 1,000 people: 53 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people: 17 (2004)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people: 6.3 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people: 0 (2000)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people: 3 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people: 7.2 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads: 24 percent (1999)
Corruption in government
Lack of Infrastructure - deforestation, poor roads
Health problems - malaria, AIDS
Poverty, lack of a middle class and lack of concern by the wealthy few in the general welfare
Violence and kidnappings
Poor access to education
Spiritual - half the population still practices Voodoo
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. Haiti suffers from higher inflation than similar low-income countries, a lack of investment due to insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.
The natives who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and Spain later 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 its independence in 1804.
Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the departure 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. Education
Each year 68 percent of school age children (mostly in rural areas) cannot find a school in which to enroll. Out of 100 children who enter the traditional primary school, 67 will finish the fourth year of the cycle. Of these, 42 will give up school entirely to become functionally illiterate for the rest of their lives. In public schools, classrooms are overcrowded. A class may hold between 70 and 80 children. The facilities are dilapidated and offer no security, comfort, or hygiene. There is often no water, no electricity, and no recreational space. In rural areas, the situation is even worse since children must walk for one or two hours to go to school. The teachers in those areas function irregularly, being often late or absent, because they face the same hurdles as their pupils.
http://encarta.msn.com/fact_631504778/Haiti_Facts_and_Figures.html
http://haiti.takingitglobal.org/explore/factspop.html?CountryID=218&titleadd=Haiti&seclink=5
http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Abuses/Haiti.asp
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html
http://worldfacts.us/Haiti.htm
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/599/Haiti-PREPRIMARY-PRIMARY-EDUCATION.html
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34657
http://www.coha.org/2006/09/14/haiti’s-dirty-little-secret-the-problem-of-child-slavery/
http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/Advancing1/html/haiti.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Haiti