This page provides you with some important factual information on Haiti. It has been organized in a chart allowing you to compare the data with that of Canada.

You will also find an explanation of what each item means.

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Sources: CIDA Facts at a Glance, Haiti UN Human Development Report, 2005 and The World Guide, 2004 CIA World Fact book.
       
 
 
  Location


  


Haiti is located in the Caribbean Sea. It is the western
1/3 of the island of Hispaniola which Haiti shares with
the Dominican Republic.



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Indicator Haiti Canada
Capital Port-au-Prince Ottawa
Land Area 27,560 SQ KM 9,985,000 SQ KM
Population 8,300,000 32,000,000
Population Density (per sq. km.) 300 3
Ecological footprint
(global hectares per person)		 0.5 6.4
Human Development Index ranking
(of 177 countries)		 153rd 5th
Life expectancy at birth 50 years 79 years
Mortality rate under 5 165 / 1000 6 / 1000
Languages Kreyòl and French (both official). French is spoken by less than 10% of the population most speak Haitian Kreyòl a combination of French, West African languages, Spanish and English English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%
Religion Vodou, a mix of Catholicism and various African beliefs. Catholics (80%), Protestant (16%) Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16%
Literacy 52% 99%
Aid dollars, per capita Received per capita: $31 Donated per capita: $62
Main agricultural products Coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn Wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco
Land use Arable land: 28.3%
Permanent crops: 11.61%
Other: 60.09% (2001) 		Arable land: 4.96%
Permanent crops: 0.02%
Other: 95.02%
Main export commodities manufactured products, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment
Export partners US 81.2%
Dominican Republic 7.3%
Canada 4.1%		 US 85.2%
Japan 2.1%
UK 1.6%
Population undernourished 47% N/A
External debt $1.3 billion $570 billion
Gross National Income per Capita $380 $2,393
 
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Ecological footprint: A measure of how much productive land and water the country   requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates. The ecological footprint is measured in " global hectares ", or units that correspond to one hectare of biologically productive space with world average productivity.

The human development index (HDI) measures human development by combining three dimensions of development--longevity (life expectancy at birth), knowledge (adult literacy and mean years of schooling), and income.

Agricultural Products: This entry is an ordered listing of major crops and products starting with the most important.

Export Commodities: This entry provides a rank ordering of exported products starting with the most important

Gross National Income per Capita: Formerly gross national product or GNP. (GNI) is made up of GDP plus the net income earned from investments abroad (minus similar payments made to non-residents who contribute to the domestic economy).

External Debt: This entry gives the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency, goods, or services.

Aid dollars received: This entry refers to the net inflow of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to recipient countries.

Life Expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. Life expectancy can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital.



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