Haiti

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{{Infobox_Country |native_name = Repiblik d Ayiti
République d'Haïti |conventional_long_name = Republic of Haiti |common_name = Haiti |image_flag = Flag_of_Haiti.svg |image_coat = Haiti_coat_of_arms.png |image_map = LocationHaiti.png |national_motto = French: L'Union Fait La Force
(English: "Union Makes Strength") |national_anthem = La Dessalinienne |official_languages = Kreyòl, French |capital = Port-au-Prince |latd=18 |latm=32 |latNS=N |longd=72 |longm=20 |longEW=W |largest_city = Port-au-Prince |government_type = Republic |leader_titles = President
Prime Minister |leader_names =René Préval
Gérard Latortue |area_rank = 143rd |area_magnitude = 1 E10 |area=27,750 |areami²= 10,714 |percent_water = 0.7 |population_estimate = 8,121,6221 |population_estimate_rank = 92nd |population_estimate_year = July 2005 |population_census = 7.9 million |population_census_year = 2003 |population_density =292.7 |population_densitymi² = 758.1 |population_density_rank = 28th |GDP_PPP = $12.94 billion |GDP_PPP_rank = 133rd |GDP_PPP_year= 2005 |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1,600 |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 193rd |sovereignty_type = Independence |established_events = (from France) |established_dates = January 1, 1804
- Recognised:
1825 (Fr), 1863 (USA) |HDI = 0.475 |HDI_rank = 153rd |HDI_year = 2003 |HDI_category = low |currency = Gourde |currency_code = HTG |country_code = |time_zone = |utc_offset = -5 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = -4 |cctld = .ht |calling_code = 509 |footnotes = 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. }}

The Republic of Haiti is a country situated on the western third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and also includes the smaller islands of La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Les Cayemites, Île à Vache, La Grande Caye, and Navasse. Haiti shares Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. The total area of Haiti is 10,714 square miles (27,750 km²) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

A former French colony, it became the second independent country in the Americas (after the United States) when it declared its independence in 1804. It was also the first independent black republic in the world. Despite its longevity, it is the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Haiti is currently in a state of transition following a coup d'état (see 2004 Haiti rebellion) which deposed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide 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.

Contents

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History

Main article: History of Haiti

The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, was originally inhabited by Taíno and Arawak. It was claimed for Spain by Christopher Columbus in 1492. In 1697 Spain ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France. French settlers imported African slaves, who became the most numerous segment of the population. The colony was ruled by a small minority of Europeans and gens de couleur, who were free people of color, both mulatto and black.

Perhaps inspired by the French Revolution, the slaves in the north rose against the French slaveholders on August 14, 1791. According to tradition, the Haitian Revolution began on at a Vodou Ceremony at Bois Caiman (Alligator Woods) presided over by a Houngon (Vodou Priest) named Boukman. Within hours the plantations in the north near Cap Francais (now called Cap Haitian) were in flames. Boukman was captured and executed, but the revolution continued under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture, and was joined by the gens de couleur joined with mawon (escaped ex-slaves).

Toussaint's armies defeated in succession, the French colonists, the Spanish, a massive British invasion and an invasion of the French Imperial forces of Napoleon beginning in 1802. In the struggle Toussaint L'Ouverture was captured and died in a French prison. The revolutionary war continued under the leadership of Dessalines, Henri Christophe and others.

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

The slaveholding powers surrounding Haiti isolated the new nation under a cordon sanitaire, fearing slave revolutions of their own, and with good reason. The Haitian example inspired numerous slave revolts in the Caribbean and United States. The blockade was virtually total. The Vatican withdew its Priests from Haiti. Not until 1862 did Haitian state the United States, under Lincoln, finally recognize Haiti as a sovereign nation, and send diplomatic representation.

Haiti supported universal freedom as best it could. Haiti aided Simón Bolívar, allowing him refuge and supporting his revolutionary efforts under the condition he free latin America's slaves.

In 1806 Dessalines was murdered in a power struggle with political rivals. The nation divided into two parts, a southern republic founded by Alexandre Pétion, the world's first black independent republic. the north became a kingdom under Henri Christophe. Christophe built for himself 6 châteaux, 8 palaces including his capital San Souci and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress in the Western hemisphere.

In August 1820, Christophe suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. When the news spread of his infirmities, the seeds of rebellion began to grow. On October 2, 1820, the military garrison at St. Marc led a mutiny that sparked a revolt. The mutiny coincided with a conspiracy of Christophe's own generals. Some of his trusted aides took him to the Citadel to await the inevitable confrontation with the rebels. Christophe ordered his attendants to bathe him and dress him in his formal military uniform, place him in his favorite chair in his den and leave him alone. Shortly after the attendants left his side, Christophe committed suicide.

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

Just as it does today, newly independent Haiti struggled with the problem of severe poverty. France refused to recognize Haitian independence, and repeatedly threatened a new invasion. In 1838, the French government agreed recognize Haitian independence on the condition that Haiti pay 150 million francs (perhaps worth over 1 billion U.S. dollars today) as an indemnity for the loss by French slave owners of their slaves and plantations. Unable to make payments, Haiti, in an attempt to win international acceptance, sought loans totaling some seventy million francs.

Throughout the 19th century, the country was ruled by a series of dictators of varying degrees of effectiveness. The outside world took little notice until 1915, when, citing various reasons, the U.S. invaded and occupied Haiti.

The U.S. imposed a constitution (written by future president Franklin D. Roosevelt); a system of compulsory corvée labor for members of the poor, black majority; and other reforms. The occupation had many long-lasting (and oft-regarded as ill) effects on the country -- including centralization of government and industry from the provinces to the capital (which produced a rural exodus that continues today). Additionally, the U.S.-controlled government created an American-trained National Army which in future decades would be said to commit many atrocities against its own people. The occupation began dissolving in the late 1920's and ended with complete American troop withdrawal in 1934.

The Americans left Haiti in the hands of the mulatto minority, but in 1946 Dumarsais Estimé became the country's first black president. His efforts at reform sparked disorders and a coup in 1950, followed by renewed dictatorship.

In 1957 Dr. François Duvalier ("Papa Doc") came to power, and in 1964 he established a personal dictatorship. He was widely known for his army of volunteer secret police, the Tonton Macoute, who wore sunglasses when on government business. Upon Duvalier's death in 1971, he was succeeded by his son Jean-Claude Duvalier ("Baby Doc"). The younger Duvalier was deposed in 1986, ushering in a new period of upheaval.

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, then a renewed American occupation in 1994 that ultimately returned Aristide to power.

Aristide was succeeded by a close ally, René Préval, in 1996. Préval's administration was most notable for the fact that he was the first person in Haiti's history to be elected president and to serve his complete term, leaving office voluntary 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 illegal 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 Aristide was indeed overthrown, by a small armed group of primarily expatriate Haitians. These rebels were led by former members of the army, which Aristide's government had disbanded, and were loosely allied with the political opposition. As Aristide departed the country, his entire government fled or went into hiding, and the U.S. again sent Marines into Port-au-Prince. Fanning out through the capital, the U.S. troops encountered violence and chaos that was severe even for turbulent Haiti.

After Aristide's departure, Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre succeeded to the Presidency in accordance with the stipulations of the 1987 constitution.

U.S. and international occupation gave way to a U.N. mission that was notable in its controversy among the Haitian people. The previous mission to Haiti, in the 1990's, had been seen as having a calming effect. But the new mission, charged among other things with disarming the two warring sides, had very little success and was frequently accused of complicity in the deaths of innocent bystanders to a confrontation. The U.N. claimed most of these alleged incidents were misunderstandings about what had transpired. Nonetheless, among Aristide's supporters (still thought to number the majority of the poorest Haitians), there was near-universal condemnation of the U.N. mission as opposing the Aristide partisans and favoring the conservative groups.

Elections were held in February 2006, and René Préval was again elected president. See Haitian elections, 2006.

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Politics

Main article: Politics of Haiti

Haiti is a presidential republic with an elected president and National Assembly. However, some believe it to be an authoritarian government in practice. On 29 February 2004, a rebellion culminated in the defacto resignation of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The current constitution was introduced in 1987 under the administration of Henry Namphy and is modeled on those of the United States and France. Having been either completely or partially suspended for a period of years starting in 1988, it was fully reinstated in 1994.

Under the constitution, the president is the head of state and is elected by popular vote to a term of five years. A president may be elected to a second term, but only after he has left office and a succeeding president has served a complete term.

The current interim president is Boniface Alexandre, who, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, succeeded President Aristide upon his departure, pursuant to a stipulation of the 1987 constitution.

The prime minister, the head of government, is appointed by the president and ratified by the National Assembly. Yvon Neptune was prime minister from 2002 until the 2004 coup. After his de-facto removal from office, he was replaced by an interim prime minister, Gérard Latortue.

Prime Minister Latortue was chosen through an ad-hoc process not provided for in the constitution. However, by March 2006, the terms of most members of the National Assembly had expired without new elections being held. Therefore, if interim President Alexandre had appointed a candidate of his choosing, the candidate would have had no constitutional way of assuming office.

The first elections since the coup were held on February 8, 2006. René Préval was declared the winner of the race for President. Legislative runoff elections for are scheduled for May.

See List of Presidents of Haiti, 2006 Haitian Elections, 2000 Haitian Elections, 1995 Haitian Elections, 1990 Haitian Elections, and the Constitution of Haiti.

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Departments

Main article: Departments of Haiti

Haiti is divided into ten departments (provinces):

Image:Haiti map.png

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Geography

Main article: Geography 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 8,793 feet (2,680 m). The 224-mile (360 km) 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. Over the years, the population cut down 95% of its trees and in the process destroyed fertile farmland soils. 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. Charcoal production has accounted for the bulk of Haitian logging.

In addition to soil erosion, the deforestation has 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. [1]

There has also been 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 U.S. claims the island pursuant to its own Guano Islands Act of 1856.

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Economy

Main article: Economy of Haiti

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 since President René Préval took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing.

Under the second Aristide administration and the current Alexandre-Latortue administration, difficulty in reaching agreements with international sponsors has 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 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.

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Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Haiti

Although Haiti averages about 758 people per square mile (293/km²), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of predominant African descent with Caucasian (around 10%) and Taíno admixture. The rest of the population is mostly mulatto, or mixed Caucasian-African, ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage.

About two thirds of the population live in rural areas. The largest city is the capital Port-au-Prince with a metropolitan population of over 2.5 million, followed by Cap-Haïtien with 600,000 and Gonaïves with at least 200,000.

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Culture

Main articles: Culture of Haiti, Music of Haiti

Nearly all Haitians speak Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole), the country's official language. French is the other official language, spoken by educated people.

Roman Catholicism is the state religion, which the majority professes. Some have converted to Protestantism. Protestant churches of numerical strength are Assemblées de Dieu, the Convention Baptiste d'Haïti, the Seventh-day Adventists, the Church of God (Cleveland), the Church of the Nazarene, the Église Episcopale d'Haïti and the Mission Evangelique Baptiste du Sud-Haïti.

Many Haitians also practice the religion of Vodoun or Voodoo, whether exclusively or alongside their Christian observances. While Vodoun has origins in Africa, many Haitian traditions and artistic styles reflect a unique syncretism, or combination, of Catholicism and Vodoun.

The music of Haiti is easily distinguished from other styles. It includes konpa and kadans, and Haitians have also imported zouk from the lesser Antilles and merengue from the Dominican Republic. Some Haitian popular musicians perform regularly in the United States and Québec.

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See also

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External links

Template:Sisterlinks

News

  • Yahoo News Full Coverage
  • [2], news briefs in several languages.
  • [3], Articles and News Focusing in on Canada's Role in Haiti
  • [4], Website of Haitian Populat Movement Fanmi Lavalas
  • [5], Articles and News Focusing in on Canada's Role in Haiti
  • [6], ZMag analysis on current situation in Haiti
  • [7], Coalition of Organizations in US for Haiti justice
  • AlterPresse, news briefs in several languages.
  • IFEX independent news
  • Haiti News
  • Haiti-news list, Haitian news

History

Other

Countries in the Caribbean
Independent nations: Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago
Dependencies: -British: Anguilla | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Montserrat | Turks and Caicos Islands | -Dutch: Aruba & Netherlands Antilles | -French: Guadeloupe & Martinique | -U.S.: Navassa Island | Puerto Rico | U.S. Virgin Islands


 
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 		Image:Caricom-Flag.png
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti² | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela
¹ member of the community but not the CARICOM (Caribbean) Single Market and Economy.
² membership temporarly suspended.

Countries and North America as a continent
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago | United States
Dependencies: Denmark: Greenland | France: Guadeloupe · Martinique · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | Netherlands: Aruba · Netherlands Antilles | UK: Anguilla · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Montserrat · Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S.: Navassa Island · Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands
als:Haiti

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