Haiti, independentrepublic of the West Indies, occupying the western third of theisland of Hispaniola. Haiti is bounded onthe north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the DominicanRepublic, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west bythe Windward Passage, which separates it from Cuba. Its area is27,750 sq km (10,714 sq mi). Port-au-Prince is Haiti's capitaland largest city.

Land and Resources Haiti consists of two peninsulas,which are separated by the Golfe de la Gonâve. Much of Haiti'sland is mountainous. In all, five mountain ranges cross the country.The Chaîne du Haut Piton, which runs along the northern peninsula,reaches a height of 1183 m (3881 ft). The Massif de la Selle,which begins just southeast of Port-au-Prince, reaches a height of2674 m (8773 ft) at Pic la Selle, the highest point in Haiti. The Massifde la Hotte reaches a height of 2347 m (7700 ft) at the extreme westernend of the southern peninsula. The other chains, which includethe Massif des Montagnes Noires and Chaîne des Cahos, and thesolitary peak of Montagne Terrible, range between 1128 and 1580 m(3701 and 5184 ft) high.

The Golfe de la Gonâve contains the largest of Haiti'soffshore islands, the island of Gonâve. The other islands includeÎle de la Tortue (Tortuga) and Cayemite. Haiti's shoreline isirregular and there are many natural harbors. The numerous rivers-mostof which are short, swift, and unnavigable-have their sources inthe mountains. Only the Artibonite River, the country's largest,is navigable for any length. Haiti's inland areas include three productiveagricultural regions, the Plaine du Nord, and two valleys, theArtibonite River Valley and the Cul-de-Sac. Saumâtre Lake, a saltwaterlake in the Cul-de-Sac, is the nation's largest lake, whilePéligre Lake, formed by a dam on the upper Artibonite River, isthe largest freshwater lake.

Climate Haitihas a tropical climate. The distribution of mountains andlowlands affects temperature and rainfall, causing significantclimate variations from place to place. Rainfall varies from ahigh of 3600 mm (144 in) on the western tip of the southernpeninsula, to 600 mm (24 in) on the southwest coast of thenorthern peninsula. Most of the rain in the southwest falls inearly and late summmer. Port-au-Prince, located at sea level, hasa yearly average temperature of 27° C (80° F). In Kenscoff,located just south of Port-au-Prince at an elevation of 1432 m (4700ft), temperatures average 16° C (60° F). The mountainssurrounding the cul-de-sac trap air in the valley, making the airhot, dry, and stagnant. Vulnerable to hurricanes, Haiti has beenstruck by destructive storms in 1963, 1980, 1988, and 1994.

PopulationCharacteristics The population of Haiti (1995estimate) is about 7,180,000, giving the country an overallpopulation density of about 259 persons per sq km (about 670 persq mi). In arable areas, however, there are about 1178 personsper sq km (about 3035 per sq mi). About 79 percent of thepopulation is classified as rural.

Education Bylaw, education is free and compulsory in Haiti for childrenbetween the ages of 7 and 13. In practice, access to education issharply limited by school location, language comprehension(classes are taught in French), the cost of school clothes andsupplies, and the availability of teachers. Only about 40 percentof the 1.3 million eligible children actually attend school.About 53 percent of the population is literate. The University of Haiti(1944), located in Port-au-Prince, has colleges of medicine, law,business, agronomy, social sciences, architecture, andengineering. In the early 1990s, about 1500 students wereenrolled there. Many university-level students attend foreignuniversities.

Culture Haitianculture fuses African, French, and West Indian elements. Formerlya social divider, the Creole language is now being used inattempts to define a national culture. The language is used inliterature, drama, music, dance, and some governmental functions.Haitian works of art are enjoying increasing worldwide recognition.The country has several outstanding libraries. The collection ofthe Brothers of Saint Louis de Gonzague (1912), the NationalArchives (1860), and the Bibliothèque Nationale (1940), alllocated in Port-au-Prince, contain rare works that date from thecolonial period. Also devoted to Haitian history is the NationalMuseum (1983), located in Port-au-Prince.

Economy Haiti'seconomy has been shrinking since the early 1980s while thepopulation has continued to grow. In the mid-1990s, Haiti'sper-capita gross domestic product was $370. This placed Haitiamong the world's poorest nations. Agriculture employs abouttwo-thirds of the labor force; manufacturing, services, andtourism are the next largest employers. About 25 to 50 percent ofthe workforce is underemployed or unemployed. The international sanctionsemployed against Haiti's military leaders from 1991 to 1994further weakened the already crippled economy. Government revenuein the mid-1990s was about $300 million and spending was about$416 million. Haiti's international debt is approaching $1billion.

Currency, Banking, andTrade Haiti's unit of currency is the gourde,consisting of 100 centimes. The gourde's valuein relation to the United States dollar has been fixed at 5 to 1since 1934. On the black market the gourde often is worth lessthan half its official value. U.S. currency is recognized aslegal tender. The national Bank of Haiti is government-owned andperforms commercial and central bank functions. U.S., French, andCanadian banks operate on a small scale. In the mid-1990s Haiti'smajor exports were light manufactured goods and coffee, and itschief imports were machinery and manufactured goods, food andbeverages, and chemicals. The United States was Haiti's primarytrading partner, buying 84 percent of its exports and supplying64 percent of its imports. In the early 1990s, exports werevalued at $135 million and imports at $423 million. Haiti is amember of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), a free-tradeorganization comprising 12 Caribbean nations and the members ofthe Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).

Transportation Haiti'sroad network was built by U.S. Marines during the U.S. occupationof Haiti from 1915 to 1934. Of the 4000 km (2484 mi) of roads,only 950 km (488 mi) are paved. Even main roads are in poorcondition, and most bridges have become unusable. The country hasone international airport in Port-au-Prince and nearly a dozensmaller airstrips throughout the nation. Domestic air service isprovided by a government-owned airline. The only railroad tracksare privately owned.

Communications Mostof Haiti's communications network is clustered in Port-au-Prince.International communications tend to be better than domestic. Inthe early 1990s there were 31,000 television sets, 50,000 telephones,and about 310,000 radios in use. There were four daily newspapersin 1990, with an average circulation of about 45,000, or about 7papers per 1000 inhabitants. Most of the newspapers and broadcast stationsare in Port-au-Prince, and these cater to the capital's richerinhabitants. Rural Haitians depend on personal contacts todisseminate information.

Government Sincethe overthrow of the dictatorship of Jean Claude Duvalier in1986, Haiti has had five governments, most installed by coupd'état. Haitian constitutions have been modified to suitindividual rulers throughout the nation's history. Localgovernment has traditionally been left to appointed supporters ofthe regime in power and has often been characterized by violence.The 1987 constitution, currently in effect, was modeled on thoseof the United States and France, and is the basis of thegovernment headed by Jean-Bertrand Aristide, which was restoredto power in 1994.