Iqlima Faura

Lulu Syifa F

3 Group
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Muadz Al-faqih
M. Wisanggeni S
Nafisa Putri

Rpublique d'Hati
Republic of Haiti

LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT

Occupying the western third of the island of Hispaniola, Haiti has an area of
27,750 sq km (10,714 sq mi) including the islands of Tortuga (La Tortue), Gonve,
Les Cayemites, and Vache. Comparatively, the area occupied by Haiti is slightly
smaller than the state of Maryland. Extending roughly 485 km (300 mi) enewsw
and 385 km (240 mi) ssennw, Haiti is bounded on the n by the Atlantic Ocean, on
the e by the Dominican Republic, on the s by the Caribbean Sea, and on the w by
the Windward Passage and the Gulf of Gonve, with a total land boundary length
of 360 km (224 mi) and a coastline of 1,771 km (1,100 mi). Haiti claims Navassa
Island, an uninhabited US possession about 50 km (31 mi) west of Hispaniola.
Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince is located on Hispaniola's west coast.

ENVIRONMENT
Water quality is also a serious environmental problem. Haiti has 13 cu km of
renewable water resources with 94% used for farming activity. About 91% of the
nation's city dwellers and 59% of the rural population have access to improved
water sources.

INTERNATIONAL AIDS
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS has had a significant impact on the population of
Haiti. The UN estimated that 7.7% of adults between the ages of 1549 were
living with HIV/AIDS in 2001. The AIDS epidemic causes higher death and infant
mortality rates, and lowers life expectancy.
Haiti has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the Americas. The HIV/AIDS
prevalence was 5.60 per 100 adults in 2003. As of 2004, there were
approximately 280,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country. There were an
estimated 24,000 deaths from AIDS in 2003.

POPULATION
The population of Haiti in 2005 was estimated by the United Nations (UN) at
8,288,000, which placed it at number 91 in population among the 193 nations of
the world. In 2005, approximately 3% of the population was over 65 years of age,
with another 42% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 97 males
for every 100 females in the country. According to the UN, the annual population
rate of change for 200510 was expected to be 1.9%, a rate the government
viewed as too high. The government reinstated the Population Secretariat in
1997, which attempted to address the high fertility rate (4.5 births per woman);
however, as of 2005 little progress had been made. The projected population for
the year 2025 was 12,887,000. The population density was 299 per sq km (774
per sq mi).

GOVERNMENT
Under Article 197 of the 1964 constitution, Franois Duvalier was appointed president for
life, with the stipulation that this article be approved in a nationwide plebiscite. On 14
June 1964, the voters were declared to have "almost unanimously" given their consent.
He was granted power to dissolve the Legislative Assembly and the cabinet and to govern
by decree in case of grave conflict. A constitutional amendment in January 1971 allowed
the president to choose his successor. Jean-Claude Duvalier became president for life in
April 1971 and was chief of state and head of government until early 1986.
The constitution adopted in March 1987 established a president elected to a five-year
term as head of state and restricted to no more than two nonconsecutive terms in office.
The head of government was to be the prime minister, appointed by the president from
the party holding the majority in both houses of the legislature, which is made up of a
27-member Senate and a Chamber of Deputies with 83 members. Supporters of the
Duvaliers were barred from holding political office for 10 years. Senators are elected for
six years and deputies for four.

Since its passage, the constitution was suspended in June 1988 and reinstated in March
1989. The leaders of the coup of October 1991 claimed to be observing the constitution
and Marc Bazin was named head of a caretaker government. But to all observers,
nothing approaching a political system was present in Haiti until the restoration of the
democratically elected Aristide government in late 1994. Because of an agreement
with the United States, Aristide was unable to seek a second consecutive term and
endorsed RenPrval to succeed him in office. Prval was elected on 17 December
1995 as the country's second democratically elected president. In 2000, Aristide was
elected president again, marking the first time that a democratically elected president
completed his term without interruption and handed power over to another
democratically elected leader. In 2004, however, Aristide resigned following a violent
uprising; he went into exile in South Africa. The country was thrown into chaos and UN
peacekeepers arrived to provide security for the country. In February 2006, former
President RenPrval was elected with 51% of the vote in the first round.

ENERGY AND POWER

Haiti's electric power sector is marked by reliance upon fossil fuels and
hydropower to generate electricity. In 2002, conventional thermal fueled
generating capacity totaled 0.244 million kW, with hydropower accounting for
0.063 million kW and fossil fuel plants 0.181 million kW. Electric power
production in that year totaled 0.609 billion kWh, with hydropower and
conventional thermal accounting for 0.298 billion kWh and 0.311 kWh,
respectively. Total power demand in 2002 totaled 0.566 billion kWh. Although
power represented the government's top investment priority in the early 1970s,
as of July 2005, the electricity supply remains erratic and inadequate. Most
industrial plants have standby generators.

HEALTH
In general, sanitation facilities in Haiti are among the poorest in Latin America.
Haiti lacks water in both quantity and quality, with only 46% of the urban
population having access to safe water in 2000. City sewerage systems are
inadequate and business and residential areas often make use of septic tanks. In
2000, only 28% of Haiti's population had access to adequate sanitation.
As of 2004, there were an estimated 25 physicians, 11 nurses, and 1 dentist per
100,000 people. Half the doctors are in Port-au-Prince and a fourth are in other
principal towns, leaving a minimum of medical services for the rural population.
In 1999, the government entered into an agreement with Cuba under which 120
Haitians are studying medicine in Cuba, while 500 Cuban health care
professionals provide services to Haitians.

Malaria and yaws have been combated by the World Health Organization, while
other health programs have been conducted by the Rockefeller Foundation and
the American Sanitary Mission. Tuberculosis has long been a serious health
problem; in 1999, there were about 361 reported cases of tuberculosis per
100,000 inhabitants. Malnutrition and gastrointestinal diseases are responsible
for more than half of all deaths. Children may receive vaccinations, but the
statistics are very low. Haiti's government did not pay for routine vaccines.
Children were vaccinated against tuberculosis, 40%; diphtheria, pertussis, and
tetanus, 35%; polio, 32%; and measles, 30%. Goiter was present in 12.4% of
schoolage children in 1996. Some 27% of children were underweight between
1989 and 1995.

EDUCATION
Although 80% of the students speak Creole and have only rudimentary knowledge of
French, educational programs are mostly conducted in French. The Office of National
Literacy and Community Action has the major responsibility for literacy programs
throughout the country. The adult literacy rate for 2004 was estimated at about 51.9%,
with 53.8% for men and 50% for women. In 1990, public expenditure on education was
estimated at 1.4% of GDP.
Education is compulsory for six years (ages 6 to 12). There are two systems of public
education. In the traditional (French) system, primary school covers six years and
secondary school covers seven years. In the reform system, there are nine years of primary
school followed by three years of secondary school. At about age 15, some students may
choose to attend a three-year technical school instead of following the classical or
professional education tracks of the other systems. The academic year runs from October
to June. Primary school enrollment in 1999 was estimated at about 81% of age-eligible
students. The student-to-teacher ratio in 1999 was about 31:1 for primary schools.

FOOD
Rice and beans are considered the national dish and are the most commonly eaten
meal in urban areas. Traditional rural staples are sweet potatoes, manioc, yams,
corn, rice, pigeon peas, cowpeas, bread, and coffee. More recently, a wheat-soy
blend from the United States has been incorporated into the diet.
Important treats include sugarcane, mangoes, sweetbread, peanut and sesame
seed clusters made from melted brown sugar, and candies made from bittermanioc
flour. People make a crude but highly nutritious sugar paste calledrapadou.
Haitians generally eat two meals a day: a small breakfast of coffee and bread,
juice, or an egg and a large afternoon meal dominated by a carbohydrate source
such as manioc, sweet potatoes, or rice. The afternoon meal always includes beans
or a bean sauce, and there is usually a small amount of poultry, fish, goat, or, less
commonly, beef or mutton, typically prepared as a sauce with a tomato paste base.
Fruits are prized as between-meal snacks.

BASIC ECONOMY
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world.
It is a nation of small farmers, commonly referred to as peasants, who work small private
landholdings and depend primarily on their own labor and that of family members. There
are no contemporary plantations and few concentrations of land. Although only 30 percent
of the land is considered suitable for agriculture, more than 40 percent is worked. Erosion
is severe. Real income for the average family has not increased in over twenty years and
has declined precipitously in rural areas. In most rural areas, the average family of six
earns less than $500 per year.
Since the 1960s, the country has become heavily dependent on food importsprimarily
rice, flour, and beansfrom abroad, particularly from the United States. Other major
imports from the United States are used material goods such as clothes, bicycles, and
motor vehicles. The Haitian has become primarily domestic, and production is almost
entirely for domestic consumption. A vigorous internal marketing system dominates the
economy and includes trade not only in agricultural produce and livestock but also in
homemade crafts.

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