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"Haiti," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2004
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Article Outline
Introduction; Land and Resources; Population; Economy; Government; History
I Introduction
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Haiti, independent republic of the West Indies, occupying the western third of the island of Hispaniola. Haiti became the first independent black-led republic in the modern world in 1804, after the Haitian Slave Revolt. Throughout its history, the country has been divided between a small wealthy elite and a large underclass of people with little economic or political power. The country also has had a long history of political instability with dictators, most notably François Duvalier (known as Papa Doc), stifling any political opposition. At the beginning of the 21st century, Haiti has struggled to establish the legitimacy of its government and to improve the economic and social conditions of its people.
II Land and Resources
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Haiti is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the Dominican Republic, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the Windward Passage, a channel that separates the country from Cuba. Its area is 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq mi). Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s capital and largest city.
Haiti consists of two peninsulas, which are separated by the Gonâve Gulf. Much of Haiti’s land is mountainous. In all, five mountain ranges cross the country. The Chaîne du Haut Piton, which runs along the northern peninsula, reaches a height of 1,183 m (3,881 ft). The Massif de la Selle, which begins just southeast of Port-au-Prince, reaches a height of 2,680 m (8,793 ft) at Pic la Selle, the highest point in Haiti. The Massif de la Hotte reaches a height of 2,347 m (7,700 ft) at the extreme western end of the southern peninsula. The other chains, which include the Massif des Montagnes Noires and Chaîne des Cahos, and the solitary peak of Montagne Terrible, range between 1,128 and 1,580 m (3,701 and 5,184 ft) high.
The Gonâve Gulf contains the largest of Haiti’s offshore islands, the island of Gonâve. The other islands include Île de la Tortue (Tortuga) and Grande Cayemite. Haiti’s shoreline is irregular, and there are many natural harbors. The numerous rivers—most of which are short, swift, and unnavigable—have their sources in the mountains. Only the Artibonite River, the country’s largest, is navigable for any length. Haiti’s inland areas include three productive agricultural regions, the Plaine du Nord, the Artibonite River valley, and the Cul-de-Sac Plain. Saumâtre Lake, a saltwater lake in the Cul-de-Sac, is the nation’s largest lake, while Péligre Lake, formed by a dam on the upper Artibonite River, is the largest freshwater lake.
A Climate
Haiti has a tropical climate. The distribution of mountains and lowlands affects temperature and rainfall, causing significant climate variations from place to place. Rainfall varies from a high of 3,600 mm (144 in) on the western tip of the southern peninsula to 600 mm (24 in) on the southwest coast of the northern peninsula. Most of the rain in the southwest falls in early and late summer. Port-au-Prince, located at sea level, has a yearly average temperature of 27°C (80°F). In Kenscoff, located just south of Port-au-Prince at an elevation of 1,430 m (4,700 ft), temperatures average 16°C (60°F). The mountains surrounding the Cul-de-Sac trap air in the valley, making the air hot, dry, and stagnant. Haiti is vulnerable to hurricanes and occasionally hit by destructive storms.
B Plants and Animals
Clearing forests for farms and wood for charcoal has stripped Haiti of most of its valuable native trees. Only some pine forests at high elevations and mangroves in inaccessible swamps remain. Semidesert scrub covers the ground in drier zones. Environmental deterioration has had a severe impact on Haiti’s plants, animals, soil, and water resources. Tropical reefs surrounding the country are threatened by the large quantities of silt washed down from the eroding mountainsides. Coffee and cacao trees spread across the mountains in scattered clumps, while sugarcane, sisal, cotton, and rice cover most of the good farmland. Most of Haiti’s native animals were hunted to extinction long ago. Caiman and flamingo are the most common wildlife seen today. Haiti’s large population and the degree of deforestation already present seem to preclude the reestablishment of wildlife, although the climate would be hospitable to any tropical plants or animals.
C Natural Resources
Some 33 percent of Haiti is cultivated or used for plantation agriculture, even though years of poor farming techniques have depleted the soil. Bauxite was Haiti’s most valuable mineral but extraction has ceased to be profitable in recent years. Small quantities of copper, salt, and gold exist but are not considered commercially viable.
III Population
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About 95 percent of Haitians are of African origin. The remaining 5 percent are mulatto and other races. The mulatto population makes up about half of the country’s elite. French and Creole, which uses both French colonial and West African phrases and words, are the official languages, the latter attaining that status in 1987. The poorer class (about 90 percent of the population) speak Creole, while the elite speak modern French. About 80 percent of Haiti’s people are nominal Roman Catholics, many of them combining an African animism called Vodou or Vodun (commonly spelled voodoo) into their religious beliefs and ceremonies.
A Population Characteristics
The population of Haiti is 7,527,817 (2003 estimate), giving the country an overall population density of 271 persons per sq km (703 per sq mi). In arable areas, however, there are about five times more people than the average. Some 64 percent of the population lives in rural areas.
B Political Divisions and Principal Cities
Haiti is divided into nine departments, each of which is subdivided into the more politically important arrondissements and communes. Port-au-Prince (population, 1999 estimate, 990,558) is the only modern city and the country’s capital and principal port. Other cities and towns include Cap-Haïtien (113,555), an export center and seaport; Les Cayes (45,904), an important coffee export center and seaport; and Gonaïves (63,291), a seaport in western Haiti.
C Education
By law, education is free and compulsory in Haiti for children between the ages of 6 and 11. In practice, access to education is sharply limited by school location, language comprehension (classes are taught in French), the cost of school clothes and supplies, and the availability of teachers. As a consequence of limited educational opportunities, only 53 percent of the adult population is literate. The State University of Haiti, located in Port-au-Prince, has colleges of medicine, law, business, agronomy, social sciences, architecture, and engineering. Many university-level students attend foreign universities.
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