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Haiti

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

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   Haiti
                            Repiblik d Ayiti
   République d'Haïti
   Republic of Haiti

   Flag of Haiti Coat of arms of Haiti
   Flag          Coat of arms
   Motto: L'Union Fait La Force
   (French for "Unity Makes Strength")
   Anthem: La Dessalinienne
   Location of Haiti
   Capital
   (and largest city)                  Port-au-Prince
                                       18°32′N 72°20′W
           Official languages          French and Haitian Creole
   Government                          Republic
    - President                        René Préval
    - Prime Minister                   Jacques-Edouard Alexis
                Formation
    - as French colony, Saint-Domingue 1697
    - as Independent Haiti             January 1, 1804
    - From American Occupation         1934
                                  Area
    - Total                            27,750 km² ( 147th)
                                       10,714 sq mi
    - Water (%)                        0.7
                               Population
    - July 2005 estimate               8,528,000^1 ( 88th)
    - 1982 census                      5,053,792
    - Density                          292.7/km² ( 39th)
                                       758.1/sq mi
               GDP ( PPP)              2005 estimate
    - Total                            $12.94 billion ( 124th)
    - Per capita                       $1,600 ( 148th)
              GDP (nominal)            2005 estimate
    - Total                            $4.211 billion ( 134th)
    - Per capita                       $478 ( 151st)
               HDI  (2003)             0.475 (low) ( 153rd)
                Currency               Gourde ( HTG)
                Time zone              ( UTC-5)
    - Summer ( DST)                    ( UTC-4)
              Internet TLD             .ht
              Calling code             +509
   ^1 Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
   effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
   expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
   and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
   and sex than would otherwise be expected.

   Haiti (Haïti in French; Ayiti in Haitian Creole; Hayti in nineteenth
   century English), officially the Republic of Haiti, occupies one-third
   of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, and also includes many smaller
   islands such as La Gonâve, La Tortue ( Tortuga), Les Cayemites, Île de
   Anacaona, and La Grande Caye. The uninhabited island of Navasse is
   claimed both by Haiti and the United States. Haiti shares the island of
   Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. The total area of Haiti is
   27,750  km² (10,714  sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

   A former French colony, Haiti was to become the first independent black
   republic, and the only nation ever to have formed from a successful
   slave revolt. Haiti became the second non-native country in the
   Americas (after the United States) when it declared its independence on
   January 1, 1804.

   Haiti has recently undergone a state of transition following an
   uprising, which forced President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to resign on
   February 29, 2004. He had been re-elected in 2000 in an election which
   several parties boycotted due to disputes with the vote-counting of a
   previous parliamentary election. René Préval was elected president in
   his place on February 7, 2006, and took office in May.

History

   The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third,
   was originally inhabited by Taíno and Arawak. On December 5, 1492, the
   Santa Maria, captained by Christopher Columbus, ran aground on the
   present site of Môle Saint-Nicolas, Haiti, and claimed the island for
   Spain.

Colonial Rule

   Enslavement, harsh treatment of the natives, and especially epidemic
   diseases such as smallpox caused the Arawak and Taino population to
   plummet over the next quarter-century. In response, the Spanish began
   to import African slaves to search for gold on the island. Spanish
   interest in Haiti waned, however, after the 1520s, when vast reserves
   of gold and silver were discovered in Mexico and South America.

   Fearful of pirate attacks, the king of Spain in 1609 ordered all
   colonists on Haiti to move closer to the capital city, Santo Domingo.
   However, this resulted in British, Dutch and French pirates
   establishing bases on the island's abandoned northern and western
   coasts. French settlement of the island began in 1625, and in 1664
   France formally claimed control of the western portion of the island.
   By the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded the western third of
   Hispaniola to France. France named its new colony Saint-Domingue.

   While the Spanish side of the island was largely neglected, the French
   side prospered and became the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere,
   exporting large amounts of sugar and coffee. French colonial society
   contained three population groups: Europeans (about 32,000 in 1790) who
   held political and economic control; the gens de couleur, some 28,000
   free blacks (about half of which had mulatto background) who faced
   second-class status; and the slaves, who numbered about 500,000.
   (Living outside French society were the maroons, escaped ex-slaves who
   formed their own settlements in the highlands.) At all times, a
   majority of slaves in the colony were African-born, as the very brutal
   conditions of slavery prevented the population from experiencing growth
   through natural increase. African cultures thus remained strong among
   slaves until the end of French rule.

Revolution

   Jean Jacques Dessalines became Haiti's first emperor in 1804.
   Enlarge
   Jean Jacques Dessalines became Haiti's first emperor in 1804.
   Unofficially leading the nation politically during the revolution,
   Toussaint L'Ouverture is considered the father of Haiti.
   Enlarge
   Unofficially leading the nation politically during the revolution,
   Toussaint L'Ouverture is considered the father of Haiti.

   Inspired by the French Revolution, the gens de couleur pressed the
   colonial government for expanded rights. In October 1790, 350 revolted
   against the government. On May 15, 1791, the French National Assembly
   granted political rights to all blacks and mulattoes who had been born
   free - but did not change the status quo regarding slavery. On August
   22, 1791, slaves in the north rose against their masters near
   Cap-Français (now Cap-Haïtien). This revolution spread rapidly and came
   under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture. He soon formed alliances
   with the gens de couleur and the maroons, whose rights had been revoked
   by the French government in retailiation for the uprising.

   Toussaint's armies defeated the French colonial army, but then joined
   forces with it in 1794, following a decree by the revolutionary French
   government that abolished slavery. Under Toussaint's command, the
   Saint-Domingue army then defeated invading Spanish and British forces.
   This cooperation between Toussaint and French forces ended in 1802,
   however, when Napoleon sent a new invasion force designed to subdue the
   colony; many islanders suspected the army would also reimpose slavery.
   Napoleon's forces initially were successful at fighting their way onto
   the island, and persuaded Toussaint to a truce. He was then betrayed,
   captured and died in a French prison. This backfired on the French, as
   it motivated Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe, leaders of
   separate military factions, to resume the rebellion. Napoleon's forces
   were further troubled by a yellow fever epidemic that swept through the
   island.

Independence

   Dessalines's army defeated the French forces at the Battle of Vertières
   on November 18, 1803. On January 1, 1804 the nation declared its
   independence, securing its position as the second independent country
   in the New World, and the only successful slave rebellion in world
   history. Dessalines was its first ruler. The name Haiti was chosen in
   recognition of the old Arawak name for the island, Ayiti.

   The new State of Haiti supported the abolitionist cause wherever
   possible. Haiti aided Simón Bolívar, allowing him refuge and supporting
   his revolutionary efforts under the condition he free Latin America's
   slaves. The slaveholding powers surrounding Haiti isolated the new
   nation under a cordon sanitaire, fearing slave revolutions of their
   own. The Haitian Revolution is thought to have inspired numerous slave
   revolts in the Caribbean and United States. The blockade was virtually
   total. The Vatican withdrew its priests from Haiti and did not return
   them until 1860. France refused to recognize Haiti's independence until
   it agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million francs, to compensate for
   the losses of French planters in the revolutions, in 1833. Payment of
   this indemnity brought the government deeply in debt and crippled the
   country's economy.

   In 1806, Dessalines, by now Emperor, was murdered in a power struggle
   with political rivals who thought him a tyrant. The nation divided into
   two parts, a southern republic founded by Alexandre Pétion (mulatto),
   becoming the first black-led republic in the world and the first
   Caribbean state to achieve independence while the north became a
   kingdom under Henri Christophe. The idea of liberty in the southern
   republic was as license, a fondness for idleness shared by elite and
   peasant. Christophe believed that liberty was the opportunity to show
   the world that a black nation might be equal, if not better than the
   white nations. Consequently he worked the field hands under the same
   unrelenting military system he developed under Toussaint. He also built
   for himself eight palaces including his capital Sans Souci and the
   massive Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress in the Western
   hemisphere.

   In August 1820, King Henri I (Henri Christophe) suffered a stroke that
   left him partially paralyzed. When the news spread of his infirmities,
   the whispers of rebellion, deceit and treachery began. On October 2,
   1820, the military garrison at St. Marc led a mutiny that sparked a
   revolt. The mutiny prempted a conspiracy of some of Christophe's most
   loyal generals. Some of his trusted aides took him from the palace of
   Sans-Souci up to his Citadel, to await the inevitable confrontation
   with the rebels. Christophe ordered his attendants to dress him in his
   formal military uniform and for two days desperately tried to raise the
   strength to lead out his troops. Finally, from the desk he barked and
   snarled orders in these last days and finally ordered his doctor to
   leave the room. Shortly after he left, Christophe raised his pistol and
   shot himself dead through the heart.

   Following Christophe's death the nation was reunited as the Republic of
   Haiti under Jean-Pierre Boyer, Petion's successor. Boyer invaded the
   Spanish colony of Santo Domingo and united the entire island of
   Hispaniola under Haitian rule until 1844 when the Dominican Republic
   obtained its independence.

American occupation

   Throughout the nineteenth century, the country was ruled by a series of
   presidents, most of whom remained in office only briefly. Meanwhile,
   the country's economy was gradually dominated by foreigners,
   particularly from Germany. Concerned about German influence, and
   disturbed by the hanging of President Guillaume Sam by an enraged
   crowd, the United States invaded and occupied Haiti in 1915. The United
   States imposed a constitution (written by future president Franklin D.
   Roosevelt) and applied an old system of compulsory corvée labor to
   everyone. Previously this system had been applied only to members of
   the poor, black majority. The occupation had many long-lasting effects
   on the country. United States forces built schools, roads and
   hospitals, and launched a campaign that eradicated yellow fever from
   the island. As their occupation resulted in the centralization of
   government and industry from the provinces to the capital, destroying
   the socio-economic fabric of the country and launching an exodus from
   the countryside, some nationalist rebels, called the Cacos, waged a
   strong guerilla warfare, headed by Charlemagne Péralte and later
   Dominique Batraville. As a consequence, the U.S.-controlled government
   created a National Guard which in future decades would become the Armée
   d'Haiti and be said to commit many atrocities against its own people.
   The occupation was ended in 1934.

The Duvaliers

   The Americans left Haiti in the hands of the mulatto minority, but in
   1946 Dumarsais Estimé became the country's first black president since
   the American occupation began. His efforts at reform sparked disorder,
   and when he attempted to extend his term of office in 1950 (as most
   previous presidents had done) there was a coup, followed by the second
   formal Military Council of Government led by Paul Magloire.

   In 1957, Dr. François Duvalier ("Papa Doc") came to power in the
   country's first universal suffrage election; many believed this outcome
   was manipulated by the army. In 1964, he declared himself president for
   life. Duvalier maintained control over the population through his
   secret police organization, the Volunteers for National Security -
   nicknamed the Tonton Macoutes ("bogeymen") after a folkloric villain.
   This organization drew international criticism for its harsh treatment
   of political adversaries, both real and suspected. Upon Duvalier's
   death in 1971, he was succeeded by his 19-year-old son Jean-Claude
   Duvalier (nicknamed "Baby Doc") as Haiti's new president for life. The
   younger Duvalier regime became notorious for corruption, and was
   deposed in 1986, ushering in a new period of upheaval.

Catholic pro-democratic movement

   The unravelling of the Duvalier regime began with a popular movement
   supported by the local church and set in motion by the visit of Pope
   John Paul II in 1983, who before embarking his plane gave a rousing
   speech ending with an angry exclamation: "Things must change here!" In
   1984, anti-government riots broke out throughout the nation and the
   Haitian Catholic Bishops' Conference initiated a literacy program
   designed to prepare the Haitian public for participation in the
   electoral process.

Aristide

   The charismatic black leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected
   president in 1991, but was deposed in a coup shortly after. There
   followed three years of brutal control by a military junta led by Raoul
   Cedras, before a second American invasion and occupation in 1994
   returned Aristide to power. One of the first acts of the re-installed
   government of Aristide was to disband the army, to great popular
   acclaim.

   Aristide was succeeded by a close ally and former prime minister, René
   Préval, in 1996. While Aristide was the first democratically elected
   president in Haitian history, Préval's administration was most notable
   for the fact that he was the first person in Haiti's history to
   constitutionally succeed a president and then serve a complete term,
   leaving office voluntarily at the prescribed time. Every previous
   president had either died in office, been assassinated, been deposed,
   overstayed his prescribed term, or been installed by a foreign power.

   Aristide returned to office in 2001 after elections that were boycotted
   by many of his opponents, who accused his party, Fanmi Lavalas, of
   counting votes improperly in a previous senatorial election, as well as
   threatening critics. Aristide denied the charges and accused his
   opponents of accepting U.S. assistance, and plotting to overthrow his
   government. The opposition mostly denied this, but many of its members
   continually called for his early resignation.

   In February 2004, the Aristide government was overthrown by armed
   rebels, consisting mostly of paramilitary groups led by ex-U.S. Special
   Forces agent Guy Philippe. These armed opponents were alleged to be
   allied with the political opposition. As Aristide departed the country,
   many members of his government fled or went into hiding, and the United
   States again sent Marines into Port-au-Prince. After Aristide's
   departure, Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre succeeded to
   the presidency appointed by a council of elders and supported by the
   United States, Canada, and France. In the months following the February
   Coup, the country was engulfed into violence between the interim
   government's forces and Lavalas supporters, and many members of the
   Lavalas party were sent to jail, exiled, or killed. Much of the
   violence began after police of the interim force began shooting at
   peaceful Lavalas demonstrations in mid 2004. Over 10,000 workers in
   Haitian civil enterprises lost their jobs following the coup. A study
   published in the British medical journal "The Lancet" found through
   single spatial sampling that 8,000 murders and 35,000 sexual assaults
   occured in the great Port-au-Prince area during the period of the
   interim regime.

   Elections were held in February 2006, and René Préval was again elected
   president. Preval has promised to bring peace and stability to the
   country. See Haitian elections, 2006.

Politics

   Politics of Haiti takes place in a framework of a presidential
   republic, and of a pluriform multi-party system, whereby the President
   of Haiti is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is head of
   government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative
   power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the
   National Assembly of Haïti.

Administrative Divisions

   Map of the departments of Haiti in alphabetical order.
   Enlarge
   Map of the departments of Haiti in alphabetical order.

   Administratively, Haiti is divided into ten départements:
    1. Artibonite
    2. Centre
    3. Grand'Anse
    4. Nippes
    5. Nord
    6. Nord-Est
    7. Nord-Ouest
    8. Ouest
    9. Sud-Est
   10. Sud

   Each department is divided into from three to seven arrondissements,
   and the arrondissements are further divided into communes.

Geography

   Map of Haiti
   Map of Haiti

   Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains with small coastal
   plains and river valleys. The east and central part is a large elevated
   plateau. The highest point in Haiti is Chaine de la Selle at 2,680 m
   (8,793  feet). The 360-km (224- mile) border is shared with the
   Dominican Republic.

   In 1925, Haiti was a lush tropical paradise, with 60% of its original
   forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the
   population has cut down all but 2% of its forest cover, and in the
   process has destroyed fertile farmland soils while contributing to
   desertification. Erosion has been severe in the mountainous areas.
   Pictures from space glaringly show the stark difference in forestation
   between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic. Most Haitian
   logging is done to produce charcoal, the country's chief source of
   fuel. The plight of Haiti's forests has attracted international
   attention and has led to numerous reforestation efforts, but these have
   met with little success to date.

   In addition to soil erosion, the deforestation has also caused periodic
   flooding, as seen on September 17, 2004. Tropical storm Jeanne skimmed
   the north coast of Haiti leaving 3,006 people dead in flooding and
   mudslides, mostly in the city of Gonaïves.

   There has been a dispute between the United States and Haiti about
   Navassa Island (Navasse), which both countries claim. The Haitian claim
   relies on documentation that Navassa became part of Haiti after a 1697
   agreement between France and Spain that gave France the western third
   of Hispaniola plus nearby islands, including Navassa Island. The United
   States claims the island pursuant to its own Guano Islands Act of 1856.

Economy

   Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and
   one of the poorest in the world. Comparative social and economic
   indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing
   countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now
   ranks 153rd of 177 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. About
   80% of the population lives in abject poverty, ranking the country
   second-to-last in the world for that metric.

   Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which
   consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming. The country has
   experienced little formal job creation over the past decade, although
   the informal economy is growing.

   Under the second Aristide administration and the Alexandre-Latortue
   administration, difficulty in reaching agreements with international
   sponsors denied Haiti badly needed budget and development assistance.
   In addition to these geopolitical obstacles, another major impediment
   to development during the last 20 years has been the repeated episodes
   of violence that have rocked the country. While there was relative calm
   under the governments of Fanmi Lavalas, this may not have been
   sufficiently long-lived to convince foreign investors to commit
   significant capital to Haiti.

   Consequently, the country has experienced shortages, severe trade
   deficits, and periodic high inflation during this 20-year period.
   Reports have suggested that most of Haiti's flow of foreign reserves,
   during at least the last five years, has come from a combination of
   remittances from the sizeable expatriate community and taxes on
   incoming phone calls.

Demographics

   Although Haiti averages about 293 people per km² (758 people/sq mi),
   its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal
   plains, and valleys. About 90% of Haitians are of predominant African
   descent. The rest of the population is mostly mulatto, mestizo, or
   mixed Caucasian-African, and Amerindian-African ancestry. A few are of
   European or Levantine heritage. Despite the predominance of African
   ancestry, Taino bloodlines are argued to be present in a rather modest
   percentage of the population, with mixed-raced Haitians also claiming
   this. There are Haitians who are also od dominican descent. Haiti's
   official languages are French and Haitian Creole, however, Spanish is
   spoken near the border due to the proximity of the Dominican Republic
   and is increasingly being spoken westward from the border as Dominican
   and Cuban trade influence Haitian affairs.
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