Republic of Haiti Rpublique d'Hati French Repiblik Dayti Creole

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Republic of HaitiRépublique d'Haïti -
FrenchRepiblik Dayti - Creole
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Haiti is 50 miles east of Cuba and 120 miles west
of Jamaica
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Flag

• Adopted May 18, 1803 when the rebellion against
  France started
  
• Colors were chosen from the French flag
• Blue is for Saint Martin.  He was a gallo-roman
  officer that helped the poor.
  
• White is the color of the Virgin Mary and Joan of
  Arc.  It is also the color of royalty.
  
• Red was for St. Denis, the patron saint of
  France
  

• The Haitian arms
• Royal palm in the center topped with a red and
  blue cap of liberty. There are also six blue and
  red flags, two smaller red banners on the sides,
  many weapons (rifles with bayonettes, two yellow
  cannons and many cannonballs), a drum, an anchor,
  green grass, and a white banner reading "L'UNION
  FAIT LA FORCE," meaning "Union is Strength."

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Geography

• Haiti derived from the indigenous Arawak word
  Ayti (Mountainous Land)
  
• About the size of Maryland
• Approximately two-thirds of the total land area
  is above 1,600 feet in elevation
  
• Four major mountain ranges are mainly limestone
• Shores are generally rocky, rimmed with cliffs,
  and indented by a number of natural harbors
  
• Surrounding seas are known for their coral reefs
  
  

• Rivers are numerous, but short and not navigable
• An interior basin, known as the Central Plateau
  in Haiti and the San Juan Valley in the Dominican
  Republic, occupies about 150 square miles in the
  center of the country. The plateau has an average
  elevation of 1,000 feet.

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Climate

• Warm, humid tropical climate
• Temperatures are modified by elevation
• Average temperatures range from 75 F (24 C) in
  January and February to 83 F (28 C) in July and
  August
  
• Humid trade-winds dont affect it as much as the
  Dominican Republic
  
• Southern area is more susceptible to hurricanes
  and wind damage
  
• Droughts causing crop failure and famine are not
  uncommon in some parts of the country whereas
  others have two rainy seasons each year

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Plant and Animal Life

• Most animals have been driven off by
  deforestation, grazing and agriculture
  
• Cacti and acacias form thorny woods on dry land
• The only prominent animals are caimans
• No national or regional parks
• Coral formations and the animal life suffer
• National bird Hispaniolan Trogon

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History

• Dec. 6, 1492 Haiti's native Arawaks fell victim
  to Spanish rule
  
• 1697 Haiti became the French colony of
  Saint-Dominique, which became a leading sugarcane
  producer dependent on slaves
  
• 1791, an rebellion erupted among the slave
  population of 480,000, resulting in a declaration
  of independence by Pierre-Dominique Toussaint
  l'Ouverture in 1801
• 1804 Napoléon suppressed the independence
  movement, but it eventually triumphed under
  Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who gave the new nation
  the Arawak name Haiti. It was the world's first
  independent black republic.

• Mulatto minority vs. African majority and
  disputes with Santo Domingo hurt Haitis
  development
  
• Succession of dictatorships
• 1915-1934 Occupation by U.S. Marines brought
  stability
  
• 1945-1949 democratic president Dumarsais Estimé
  
  
• 1949-1957 dictatorship Gen. Paul Magloire
• 1957-1971 François Duvalier, Papa Doc secret
  police ensured political stability with
  brutality
  
• 1971 Duvaliers son Jean-Claude, Baby Doc took
  over after his death

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History

• 1980s became one of the first nations to face an
  AIDS outbreak so the tourism industry collapsed
  and caused more unemployment
  
• 1986 unrest in country caused Baby Doc to flee
• 1990s international community tried to establish
  democracy in Haiti
  
• Feb. 1991 Jean-Bertrand Aristide became the
  first elected chief executive
  
• Nov 1991 military took control in a coup
• 1994 UN peacekeeping force, led by the U.S. -
  Operation Uphold Democracy - arrived - Aristide
  was restored to office and René Preval became his
  successor in 1996 elections

• 2000 US soldiers and UN peacekeepers left, but
  the government was ineffective and the economy
  was in ruins highest rates of AIDS,
  malnutrition, and infant mortality in the region
• Jan. 2004 Violent protests rocked the country
  with protesters demanding that Aristide resign
  because he was becoming an authoritarian
  
• Feb 2004 full-blown revolt with help of American
  and French pressure led to Aristide being ousted
  on the 29th
  
• Sept. 2004 Hurricane Jeanne kills over 2,400
  people - lawlessness and gang violence were
  widespread, and the interim government had no
  control over parts of the country, which were run
  by armed former soldiers.

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History

• After many delays, elections were held on Feb.
  7th, 2006
  
• Former prime minister and René Préval was seen as
  the favorite. But when the election count
  indicated that Préval's lead over the other
  candidate was dropping and that he would not win
  an outright majority, Préval contested the
  election and charged that massive fraud and
  gross errors had stained the process. On Feb.
  14, the interim government halted the election
  count, and the following day, after the votes
  were retabulated, Préval was declared the
  winner.
• Since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN
  Stabilization Mission in Haiti maintain civil
  order in Haiti despite efforts to control
  illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economic
  privation and civil unrest continue to cross into
  Dominican Republic and to sail to neighboring
  countries
• TODAY
• President René Préval (2006)
• Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis (2006)

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The People

• 95 African origin, 5 mulatto or white
• Haitian Creole and French are the national
  languages
  
• Creole is used in normal life and French (spoken
  fluently by about 10 of the population) is used
  for more formal occasions, but the school system
  remains French
• Roman Catholic 80, Protestant 16, other 3,
  none 1. (roughly half the population practices
  Vaudou)
  
• 53 literacy rate (2003 est.)

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Sports and Recreation

• Sports and gambling go hand-in-hand
• Organized sports are not common besides soccer
  games in Port-au-Prince
  
• Haiti has produced a few international level
  football, soccer, tennis, swimming and cycling
  athletes
  
• Card games and dominoes are popular
• Cock-fighting is the most popular sport it takes
  place almost every Sunday in almost every village
  and neighborhood
  
• Considerable amounts of money are exchanged
• Successful trainers can become powerful figures
  in a community

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Economy

• Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere in
  terms of GDP per capita (12.85 billion per
  capita 1,600 - 2005 est.)
  
• 15.2 inflation rate
• Exports 390.7 million (2005 est.)
  manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangos.
  
• Imports 1.471 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) food,
  manufactured goods, machinery and transport
  equipment, fuels, raw materials
  
• Major trading partners U.S., Dominican Republic,
  Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, UK
  
• 80 of the population is in absolute poverty
• As much as 60 of the population is unemployed

• Limited resources have been depleted through
  severe exploitation
  
• Agriculture dominates the economy, but cant keep
  up with the demand
  
• Approximately 20 of the food is imported or
  smuggled from the Dominican Republic or US
  
• Conventional wage-earning jobs are not common
• Most Haitians work in informal jobs like street
  vending, doing odd jobs, working abroad and
  sending the money back home, and illegal
  activities like smuggling
• Haiti is a major stopping point between South and
  the United States for illegal drugs
  
• Monetary unit is the gourde

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Resources

• Gold and copper are found in the northern parts
  of the country and aluminum ore deposits in the
  southern parts of the Haiti, but large-scale
  mining was discontinued in 1983
• No natural energy sources, so Haiti is highly
  dependant on energy imports
  
• Firewood and charcoal are used for cooking
• Major issues are soil erosion, droughts, and lack
  of irrigation
  
• Not a lot of fishing takes place because most
  boats are too small and are not equipped for it
  

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Agriculture

• Employs about 60 of the labor force but only
  accounts for one third of the GDP
  
• Farmers generally concentrate on subsistence
  farming of plantains and bananas, yams, corn,
  sweet potatoes and rice
  
• A mild arabica coffee is the main cash crop
• Sugarcane is the second cash crop, but since the
  1970s, Haiti has had a net import of sugarcane
  
• Goats and cattle are the most common livestock
• Pigs and horses are also common along with some
  poultry
  
• In 1982 African Swine fever exterminated the
  Creole pig population

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Education

• Officially compulsory between the ages of 6 and
  12, but lack of facilities and staff, only a
  small proportion of Haitian children attend
  school, mostly in private or church-administered
  institutions
• More than half of the adult population is
  illiterate, and the rate of illiteracy is higher
  in the countryside than in the cities.
  
• The curriculum is based on the French model, and
  French is the main language of instruction
  
• The State University of Haiti (founded 1920)
  enrolls more than 10,000 students, whereas
  Quisqueya University (1988) is much smaller both
  are in Port-au-Prince. Many students attend
  universities in Europe and North America

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Health and Welfare

• Epidemics of infectious and parasitic diseases,
  diseases of the circulatory system, conditions
  associated with malnutrition, and AIDS
  
• Haiti has a higher incidence of AIDS and a higher
  infant mortality rate than any other country in
  the Western Hemisphere
  
• Three-fourths of Haitian households lack running
  water, and unsafe wateralong with inadequate
  housing and unsanitary living conditionscontribut
  es to the high incidence of infectious diseases.
  
• There is a chronic shortage of health care
  personnel, and hospitals lack resources.

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Sources

• Encyclopedia Britannica Haiti
• www.infoplease.com Haiti
• www.enchantedlearning.com The Flag of Haiti