Haiti
Haiti
Satellite Image of Haiti. Source: NASA
| Topics: |  Hazards & Disasters Geography |
Haiti is a Creole and French-speaking Caribbean country. It occupies the western side of island of Hispaniola, while the Dominican Republic occupies the eastern side. Hispaniola is part of the group of islands known as the Greater Antilles. 
One of the distinguishing features of Haiti is that it is a small, densely populated (266.5 persons/km2) and predominantly rural country.
In 1998, about 75% of the population lived under the poverty line. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active force.
Location of Haiti. Source: Vardion
Its major environmental issues include extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; and inadequate supplies of potable water.
Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes and periodic droughts.
January 12, 2010 Earthquake
Map of Haiti (Source: CIA, The World Factbook)
On January 12, 2010 at 4:53 p.m. local time, Haiti experienced a major earthquake of magnitude 7.0, centered 10 miles (15 km) southwest of the capitol city of Port-au-Prince. In a "Haiti Mission Report" by the United Nations Environment Programme released two months after the eathquake, the impacts was sumarrized as follows:
According to official United Nations (UN) estimates, the earthquake killed 222,570 people, injured an estimated 300,000 and left 1,000,000 homeless, making it comparable, in terms of human tragedy, to the South-East Asian tsunami of 2004 (which caused 230,000 deaths spread across fourteen countries). This catastrophic event was also characterized by severe damage to the capital city, where the majority of casualties were incurred, and by the enormity of its impact on humanitarian response mechanisms, due to the destruction of all lifeline buildings (ranging from the presidential palace to schools and hospitals).
In addition to the severe damage in Port-au-Prince, several cities and villages in the south of the island were impacted, resulting in extensive death and destruction. The Government has estimated that some 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings collapsed or were badly damaged. The earthquake has thus led to significant population displacement, with many people, including some whose homes were not damaged, vacating the city and moving out into the open. The United Nations estimates that up to 1.9 million people are in need of food aid for the foreseeable future.
and,
. . . all the fatalities in this case occurred within 100 kilometers of Port-au-Prince in an area covering only about 25 percent of the total geographical area of Haiti. The earthquake killed 222,570 people – one in every 45 Haitians – which is perhaps one the largest such ratios in history (major tragedies have typically occurred in more populated places). In addition, it devastated the capital city, demolished the presidential palace (along with numerous other ministries and Government buildings), destroyed the office of the United Nations (killing 92 UN staff including the Head of the Mission), and killed the leader of the opposition party and the capital’s archbishop.
Location of the January 12, 2010 Haiti Earthquake. Source: USGS
While the country experiences earthquakes frequently, this is the largest earthquake experienced by the island in over a century and occurred near a heavily populated area with few buildings designed or built to withstand significant earthquakes. The US Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that nearly three million people were exposed to severe shaking. Because the earthquake occurred inland, there was no related tsunami, however landslides related to the earthquake are expected.
History
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. IIn 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'Ouvertture. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to moderate structural damage. The earthquake is assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years and massive international assistance will be required to help the country recover.
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.
Geographic Coordinates: 19 00 N, 72 25 W
Area: 27,750 square km (27,560 sq km of land and 190 sq km of water)
arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)
Land Boundaries: 360 km with the Dominican Republic
Coastline: 1,771 km
Maritime Claims: Territorial sea to 12 nautical miles; contiguous zone to 24 nautical miles; exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles; continental shelf to depth of exploitation.
Natural Hazards: Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts.
Terrain: Mostly rough and mountainous. The highest point is Chaine de la Selle (2,680 meters).
Climate: Tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds. Strong and irregular rains characterize the tropical humid weather, which are a consequence of the country's mountainous terrain. The average annual precipitation in Haiti is 1,461 millimeters (mm), yet it varies enormously especially with elevation and exposure to the dominant winds.
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Ecology and Biodiversity
Mangrove Forest in Haiti. Source: Mifter/Wikipedia
See main articles: Hispaniolan moist forests, Hispaniolan pine forests, Enriquillo wetlands, and Greater Antilles mangroves
The Island of Hispaniola is home to a rich mixture of ecoregions and biodiversity. However, Haiti's ecology has been significantly degraded over a sustained period of time and stands in stark contrast to the environmental conditions of the Dominican Republic which occupied the eastern two-thirds of the islands of Hispaniola. It it estimated that only 1.44% of the total original forest coverage remains. Deforestation has led to increased runoff of rain and significant soil degradation. Flooding, particularly when tropical storms or hurricanes occur in the region, has been a recurrent problem exacerbated by deforestation. Haiti hosts four distinct ecoregions, each with distinct and important endemic species:
The wet forests of Hispaniola originally occupied more than half (~60%) of the original vegetation on the island of Hispaniola, from the lowlands particularly on the eastern coast of the island (Haiti) to the valleys, plateaus, slopes and foothills of the many mountain ranges, up to an altitude of about 2,100 meters. In the Dominican Republic, moist forest frequently occur covering most of the eastern half of the country all along these shores till ending at the higher elevations of the mountains. Between the slopes of the eastern range and along the northern range in Haiti, the moist forests continue across the entire island of Hispaniola only lacking distinct presence in the southern extension of the island. They also exist on most of the Tiburón peninsula, in southern Haiti.
Despite their degradation, these wet forests still maintain an exceptionally diverse insular biota with many endemic regional and insular species belonging to a large number of taxons. These forests have been isolated from the contiguous continents and have thus maintained relict taxons. In the mountains of Selle-Bahoruco alone there are five endemic genera of plants. This ecoregion is found in the five most important centers of plant diversity and endemism on the island. In Haiti, these centers are found in the low mountain forests of Morne la Visite with 335 plant species and 30% insular endemisms and in the low mountain forests of Pic Macaya with 665 species and 30% endemisms. Less than 200 km2 of unaltered rainforest remains in Haiti.
The pine forests of Hispaniola Island are located on slopes with shallow soils and higher elevations of the mountain systems of both Dominican Republic and Haiti. Located primarily in the central Dominican mountain range with the highest point in the Antilles then continuing in the northern massif of Haiti. This ecoregion is mainly in mountainous areas of the Cordillera Caentral, the Sierra de Bahoruco and other small patches of both countries. There are several other paices in the La Selle massif and in the La Hotte massif and on the Tiburón peninsula, in Haiti. The pine forests of Hispaniola Island contain various endemic species of plants and animals, including numerous specialist species in limestone and serpentine soils that are among those listed in the Global 200 ecoregions that have been assigned the highest conservation priority. This ecoregion is found in four of the five most important centers of plant diversity and endemism on the island. In Haiti, the low montane forests of Morne la Visite area listed with 335 plant species and 30% of endemisms on the island and those of the Pic Macaya area are listed with 665 species and 30% of endemics. In Haiti, this ecoregion is only represented in parts of the Pic Macaya National Park and the La Visite National Park.
Consisting of a series of lagoons, this ecoregion corresponds to the remains of an old marine channel that divided the island of Hispaniola into two paleoislands more than 5,000 years ago. The largest lake in this ecoregion, Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic is the largest and most hypersaline lake in all of the Antilles. In Haiti, Saumatre Lagoon (Étang Saumatre or Lago Azuei) is the country's largest lake. It occupies another concavity 10 km west of {C}Lake Enriquillo, separated from it by the {C}Jimaní anticline. It covers an area of approximately 120 km2 and is located in the far east of the {C}Cul-de-sac Valley. Another smaller lake on the Haitian {C}coast and close to Saumatre is {C}Trou Cayman, measuring approximately 15 km2. Among its rich biota is {C}manatí ans the island's endemic Hispaniolan slider (Trachemys decorata).
It is estimated that Haiti has about 134 km2of mangroves that are part of the Greater Antilles mangroves ecoregion and it is home to much biodiversity.
Protected Areas
See main article: Protected areas of Haiti
There are two national parks in Haiti: Pic Macaya National Park (Parc National Pic Macay) (55 km2) and La Visite National Park (Parc National La Visite) (20 km2).
International Environmental Agreements
Haiti is a party to International agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, and Ozone Layer Protection.
People and Society
Population: 9,719,932 (July, 2011 est.)
Note : population estimates for Haiti explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 35.9% (male 1,748,677/female 1,742,199)
15-64 years: 60.1% (male 2,898,251/female 2,947,272)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 170,584/female 212,949) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.787% (2009 est.)
Note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)
Birthrate: 24.4 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death Rate: 8.21 deaths/1,000 population
Note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -8.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Urbanization: 52% of total population (2010)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 62.17 years
Total Fertility Rate: 3.07 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Languages: French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy: 52.9%
The 2010 Human Development Index for Haiti is 0.404, which gives Haiti a rank of 145th out of 169 countries with data.
Water
Haiti has 14 km3 of internal renewable water resources plus 0.9 cubic kilometers (km3) of external renewable water resources that come from the Artibonite River from the Dominican Republic. Currently, only about 7.5% of the renewable water resources are utilized, of which 7.1% for irrigation. The rivers' water flow is characterized by wide seasonal fluctuation, partly because of rainfall irregularity, but also because of erosion and deforestation of catchments.
Freshwater withdrawal:0.99 cu km/yr (5% domestic/1% Industrial/94% Agricultural)
Freshwater withdrawal per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)
Irrigated land: 920 sq km (2003)
Agriculture
Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active force. However, the performance of Haiti's agricultural sector has been stagnant. From 1985 to 1989, agriculture's average annual growth rate was -0.5%, continuing the negative trend that began in 1980. However, the 1992, 1993 and 1994 harvests were the highest in recent years due to abundant rainfall and adoption of improved production practices. Economic value of agricultural production has been decreasing, even though land and labor resources allocated to agricultural production have been increasing. Land and labor productivity losses have resulted from a deterioration in the quality of the country's capital stock (e.g., soil fertility, irrigation systems, and roads), reflecting a political and economic environment that has discouraged investment. Yields, with the exception of rice, show a negative trend and are becoming increasingly lower than those recorded in other countries of the region. The impossibility for the state to supply much-needed public goods has been the key factor hampering the development of an institutional framework conducive to growth.
Agricultural products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Conflict
International Disputes: 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
Economy
Haiti's economy suffered a severe setback when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake damaged its capital city, Port-au-Prince, in January 2010. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty, the damage to Port-au-Prince caused the country's GDP to contract an estimated 8% in 2010. 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. 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. Congress voted in 2010 to extend the legislation until 2020 under the Haitian Economic Lift Act (HELP); the apparel sector accounts for three-quarters 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 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 received debt forgiveness for over $1 billion of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative in 2009. The remainder of its outstanding external debt was cancelled by donor countries in early 2010 but has since climbed back to about $500 million. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $11.18 billion (2010 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $6.495 billion (2010 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: -8% (2010 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2010 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 20%
services: 57% (2009 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line: 80%
Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly based on imported parts
Natural Resources: bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Currency: Gourdes (HTG)
Further Reading
- The CIA World Factbook
- Haiti Mission Report 20 January - 19 March 2010, Muralee Thummarukudy, Programme Officer, Post Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, United Nations Environment Programme, March 2010. Download Report.
- Water profile of Haiti, Food and Agriculture Organization.
- World Wildlife Fund Homepage
- Energy profile of Caribbean from the Energy Information Administration
- January 12, 2010 Haiti Earthquake from the United States Geological Survey
- [http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/?tag=earthquakes USGS
Return to the Latin America and the Caribbean Collection
Citation
World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, U.S. Geological Survey (Lead Author);CIA::FAO::Eia::USGS (Content Source);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Haiti". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth February 4, 2010; Last revised Date December 30, 2011; Retrieved February 8, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Haiti>
The Authors
Known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Now in its fifth decade, WWF works in more than 100 countries around the globe to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. With nearly 1.2 million members in the U.S. and another 4 million worldwide, WWF is the world's largest privately financed conservation organization. WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: 1) saving endangered ... (Full Bio)
A U.S.-based, international organization, Conservation International (CI) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
CI applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., CI works in more than 40 ... (Full Bio)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the primary research arm of the Department of the Interior. As the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage ... (Full Bio)
Contact Us
Send to a Friend
Comments
There are no comments.