+509 is the dialing code for Haiti.
Haiti, which is the western half of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, is strongly influenced by its African heritage. Almost all the residents are descendants of African slaves brought here by Spaniards and Frenchmen from the 16th century. The Haitians are proud to have been the first in Latin America to expel the colonizers and proclaim independence, 1804. But after the revolution, French claims and brutal rulers have made the country the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. An earthquake in 2010 required around a quarter of a million lives.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Haiti, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Haiti is located in the Caribbean and represents one third of the island of Hispaniola, the eastern part of which is occupied by the Dominican Republic. Haiti consists of four-fifths of mountains or steep slopes.
Hispaniola is, together with Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, in the Greater Antilles, one of several archipelagos that make up the Caribbean (Caribbean). From Haiti it is almost eight miles to Cuba in the west.
In northern Haiti, the Massif du Nord mountain range lies within the coastal plain and in the south, the La Hotte and La Selle mountain ranges spread. In the latter is the country’s highest peak, Pic la Selle, which reaches 2,680 meters above sea level. Haiti’s central parts are also dominated by mountains and high plateaus.
The mountain ranges in the north and south form two peninsulas that extend to the west. Between them is the deep and wide Gulf of Gonâve with the country’s largest island, Gonâve. At the far end of the bay lies the capital Port-au-Prince. To the east of this is an earthquake-hit lowering, Cul-de-Sac, which continues into the Dominican Republic.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 66.4 % |
| Land area | 27750 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 1,172 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 58.6 % |
| Death rate | 7.83 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 64.95 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 62.07 years |
| Birth rate | 22.31 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.483 |
| Population | 10110019 |
| Infant mortality | 47.98 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 1089 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 395.7 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 11.6 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 68 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 12 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 40.6% of the workforce |
| GDP | 1800 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 38.1 % |
| Secondary profession | 11.5 % |
| Tertiary professions | 50.4 % |
The climate is subtropical. It is hottest between April and September but the temperature varies with the altitude differences: in the mountains it is cooler and along the coast the sea breeze gives cool in the humid heat. The rainfall is most abundant on the eastern and northern slopes of the mountains. At least rain falls on the northern peninsula and the island of Gonâve where severe drought can occur.
During the rainy periods in April – May and September – October, Haiti is often hit by severe storms and hurricanes, sometimes with heavy rainfall, severe flooding and landslides. This happened, for example, at the end of 2016, when Hurricane Matthew caused great havoc. The hurricanes of Irma and José in September 2017 did not cause as much damage, but nevertheless caused extensive flooding and the harvests in the northern parts of the country were destroyed.
Haiti is located in an area where other natural disasters also occur, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. An unusually powerful earthquake in January 2010 destroyed, among other things, large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and more than a million people became homeless. The data on the number of dead varies between 50,000 and over 300,000 (see Modern History).
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
27 750 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish –6 hours
Adjacent country (s)
Dominican Republic
Capital with number of residents
Port-au-Prince 2.6 million residents of the metropolitan area
Other major cities
Gonaïves 324,000 inv, Port-de-Paix 306,000, Cap-Haïtien 250,000, Saint-Marc 242,000 (estimate 2017)
Highest mountain
Pic de la Selle (2,680 m asl)
Important rivers
Artibonite
Largest lake
Saumâtre
Average Precipitation / year
1370 mm
Average / day
Port-au-Prince 27 °C (Jan), 30 °C (July)
2012
December
The UN appeals for help against the cholera epidemic
The UN is asking the world for $ 2 billion to fight the cholera epidemic, which has now claimed nearly 8,000 lives. The outbreak is the most serious in the world. The United Nations has not responded to allegations of the origin of the infection, but lawyers representing thousands of Haitians have suffered damages. Recently, the government has also requested emergency assistance because of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in October. The UN has warned that 1.5 million people are at risk of food shortages.
October
The energy causes severe damage
Hurricane Sandy advances over Haiti, where it has been raining heavily for two months – and raining heavily earlier this year. The devastation is great and over 50 people perish in the floods that Sandy causes. Over 70 percent of the harvest, not least of bananas and maize, is estimated to be destroyed.
June
Increased rights for Haitians abroad
A constitutional change gives Haitians the right to own land and stand for election. Haitians also have the right to have dual citizenship. The amendments were approved by Parliament in May 2011, but Martelly has previously refused to sign. Around 2 million Haitians abroad have long wanted to have a greater influence on politics in their home country. Money they send home is of great importance to the country’s economy.
May
New prime minister takes office
Former Foreign Minister Laurent Lamothe may take office as prime minister after being approved by Parliament’s two chambers.
February
The Prime Minister resigns
Garry Conille goes into protest after only four months, after many in the government refused to cooperate with a dual citizenship inquiry among senior politicians and civil servants.