GEOGRAPHY
Location:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Total Area:
27,750 sq km
Area comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous
Natural resources:
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
PEOPLE
Population:
8,308,504 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years - 42.4%, 15-64 years - 54.2%, 65 years and over - 3.4% (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
71.65 deaths/1,000 births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population - 53.23 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.94 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Ethnic groups:
black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16%, none 1%, other 3% (1982) note: roughly half of the population also practices Voodoo
Languages:
French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy:
52.9% (definition - 15 and over can read and write)
GOVERNMENT
Government type:
elected government
Capital:
Port-au-Prince
Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)
Chief of State:
President Rene Preval
ECONOMY
Population below poverty line:
80% (2003 est.)
Labor force by occupation:
agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%
Unemployment rate:
widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs
Industries:
sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Agriculture products:
coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, wood
Export commodities:
manufactures, coffee, oil, cocoa
Import commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
Currency:
gourde (HTG)
Exchange rate:
gourde per US dollar - 38.4 (September 2006)
Source of Information: The World Factbook 2006 | 
