Part 88
note: suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991 military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to constitutional rule in May 2006
Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7 November 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly
election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 and 29 April 2007 (next regular election to be held in 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2, ALYANS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5, MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10; results for six other seats contested on 3 December 2006 remain unknown
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH); Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or L'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest); Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements); Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of Independent Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Orlando (Florida)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON
embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: use mailing address
telephone: [509] 229-8000
FAX: [509] 229-8028
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength); the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes
Economy ::Haiti
Economy - overview:
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. While the economy has recovered in recent years, registering positive growth since 2005, four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged the transportation infrastructure and agricultural sector. US economic engagement under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted apparel exports and investment by providing tariff-free access to the US. HOPE II, passed in October 2008, has further improved the export environment for the apparel sector by extending preferences to 2018; the apparel sector accounts for two-thirds of Haitian exports and nearly one-tenth of GDP. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP and more than twice the earnings from exports. Haiti suffers from high inflation, a lack of investment because of insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. Haiti is expected to receive debt forgiveness for about $525 million of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative by mid-2009. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$11.53 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 $11.38 billion (2007 est.)
$11 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$6.943 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 168 3.4% (2007 est.)
2.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 203 $1,300 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 20%
services: 52% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
3.643 million country comparison to the world: 93 note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2007)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 9%
services: 25% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs
Population below poverty line:
80% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.2 (2001) country comparison to the world: 8
Investment (gross fixed):
28.9% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Budget:
revenues: $967.5 million
expenditures: $1.162 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 194 8.5% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.81% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 2 46.99% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$704.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Industries:
sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate:
0% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Electricity - production:
448 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Electricity - consumption:
273 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 189
Oil - consumption:
12,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Oil - imports:
12,280 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 69
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
Current account balance:
-$611 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 -$407 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$490 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 $522 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee
Exports - partners:
US 70.7%, Dominican Republic 8.9%, Canada 3.1% (2008)
Imports:
$2.107 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 $1.618 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
Imports - partners:
US 34%, Dominican Republic 23.1%, Netherlands Antilles 10.6%, China 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$708 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 $555 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.817 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 $1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 39.216 (2008 est.), 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004)
Communications ::Haiti
Telephones - main lines in use:
108,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 142
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.2 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 105
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better; mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones in 2006
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Internet country code:
.ht
Internet hosts:
9 (2009) country comparison to the world: 222
Internet users:
1 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 90
Transportation ::Haiti
Airports:
14 (2009) country comparison to the world: 151
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 4,160 km country comparison to the world: 155 paved: 1,011 km
unpaved: 3,149 km (2000)
Ports and terminals:
Cap-Haitien
Military ::Haiti
Military branches:
no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,047,083
females age 16-49: 2,047,953 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,518,840
females age 16-49: 1,530,043 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 108,444
female: 106,243 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 167
Transnational Issues ::Haiti
Disputes - international:
since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island
Illicit drugs:
Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Antarctica)
Introduction ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Background:
These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.
Geography ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Location:
islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Geographic coordinates:
53 06 S, 72 31 E
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 412 sq km country comparison to the world: 201 land: 412 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
101.9 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
antarctic
Terrain:
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at 2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since, the most recent being in 2005
People ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Population:
uninhabited
Government ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
abbreviation: HIMI
Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Legal system:
the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Flag description:
the flag of Australia is used
Economy ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Economy - overview:
The islands have no indigenous economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited fishing in the surrounding waters.
Communications ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Internet country code:
.hm
Transportation ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
Transnational Issues ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on September 14, 2009
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@Holy See (Vatican City) (Europe)
Introduction ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Background:
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About one billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Geography ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Geographic coordinates:
41 54 N, 12 27 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 0.44 sq km country comparison to the world: 249 land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 3.2 km
border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Terrain:
urban; low hill
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)
People ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Population:
826 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 235
Population growth rate:
0.003% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Urbanization:
urban population: 100% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: none
adjective: none
Ethnic groups:
Italians, Swiss, other
Religions:
Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100%
Government ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Country name:
conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)
conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)
local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)
local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Government type:
ecclesiastical
Capital:
name: Vatican City
geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century
National holiday:
Election Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 19 April (2005)
Constitution:
Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaced the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Legal system:
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it
Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Executive branch:
chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005)
head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006)
cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope
elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope
election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI
Legislative branch:
unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Judicial branch:
there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See
note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
International organization participation:
CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI