272 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
272 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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HAITI
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 27,750 km2; land area: 27,560 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
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Land boundary: 275 km with the Dominican Republic
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Coastline: 1,771 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: claims US-administered Navassa Island
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Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade
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winds
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Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous
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Natural resources: bauxite
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Land use: arable land 20%; permanent crops 13%; meadows and
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pastures 18%; forest and woodland 4%; other 45%; includes irrigated 3%
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Environment: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject
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to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and
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earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion
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Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic
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PEOPLE
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Population: 6,286,511 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 106 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 55 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Haitian(s); adjective--Haitian
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Ethnic divisions: black 95%, mulatto and European 5%
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Religion: Roman Catholic is the official religion; Roman
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Catholic 80% (of which an overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo),
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Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%),
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none 1%, other 3% (1982)
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Language: French (official) spoken by only 10% of population; all
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speak Creole
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Literacy: 53% (male 59%, female 47%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 2,300,000; agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%;
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shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)
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Organized labor: NA
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Haiti
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Type: republic
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Capital: Port-au-Prince
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Administrative divisions: 9 departments, (departements,
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singular--departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est,
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Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
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Independence: 1 January 1804 (from France)
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Constitution: 27 August 1983, suspended February 1986; draft
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constitution approved March 1987, suspended June 1988, most articles
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reinstated March 1989; March 1987 Constitution fully observed by
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government installed on 7 February 1991
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Legal system: based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory
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ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
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Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
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Nationale) consisting of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or
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House of Deputies
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Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February
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1991);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Rene PREVAL (since
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13 February 1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD) led by Jean-Bertrand
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ARISTIDE, including Congress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), Victor
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BENOIT; National Konbite Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH;
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National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP), a coalition
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consisting of Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti (MIDH),
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Marc BAZIN; National Progressive Revolutionary Party (PANPRA), Serge
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GILLES; and National Patriotic Movement of November 28 (MNP-28), Dejean
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BELIZAIRE;
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National Agricultural and Industrial Party (PAIN), Louis DEJOIE;
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Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene THEODORE;
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Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Sylvio CLAUDE;
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Assembly of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT;
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National Party of Labor (PNT), Thomas DESULME;
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Mobilization for National Development (MDN), Hubert DE RONCERAY;
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Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti (MODELH), Francois
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LATORTUE;
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Haitian Social Christian Party (PSCH), Gregoire EUGENE;
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Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 16 December 1990 (next election to be held
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by December 1995);
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results--Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 67.5%, Marc BAZIN 14.2%, Louis
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DEJOIE 4.9%;
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Senate--last held 16 December 1990, with runoff held 20 January
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1991 (next to be held by December 1992);
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results--percent of vote NA;
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seats--(27) FNCD 13, ANDP 6, PAIN 2, MRN 2, PDCH 1, RDNP 1, PNT 1,
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independent 1;
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Chamber of Deputies--last held 16 December 1990, with runoff
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held 20 January 1991 (next to be held by December 1994);
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results--percent of vote NA;
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seats--(83) FNCD 27, ANDP 17, PDCH 7, PAIN 6, RDNP 6, MDN 5, PNT 3,
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MKN 2, MODELH 2, MRN 1, independent 5, other 2
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Communists: United Party of Haitian Communists (PUCH), Rene
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THEODORE (roughly 2,000 members)
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Other political or pressure groups: Democratic Unity Confederation
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(KID), Roman Catholic Church, Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH),
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Federation of Workers Trade Unions (FOS), Autonomous Haitian Workers
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(CATH), National Popular Assembly (APN)
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Member of: ACCT, CARICOM (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT,
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IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
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INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
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UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador (vacant), Charge
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d'Affaires Raymond Alcide JOSEPH; Chancery at 2311 Massachusetts Avenue
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NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-4090 through 4092; there
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are Haitian Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York,
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and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
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US--Ambassador Alvin P. ADAMS, Jr.; Embassy at Harry Truman
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Boulevard, Port-au-Prince (mailing address is P. O. Box 1761,
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Port-au-Prince), telephone 509 (1) 20-354 or 20-368, 20-200, 20-612
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Flag: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a
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centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms which contains a palm
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tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto
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L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
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ECONOMY
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Overview: About 85% of the population live in abject poverty.
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Agriculture is mainly small-scale subsistence farming and employs
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two-thirds of the work force. The majority of the population does not
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have ready access to safe drinking water, adequate medical care, or
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sufficient food. Few social assistance programs exist, and the lack of
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employment opportunities remains one of the most critical problems
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facing the economy, along with soil erosion and political instability.
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GDP: $2.7 billion, per capita $440; real growth rate - 3.0% (1990
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est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 25-50% (1990 est.)
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Budget: revenues $300 million; expenditures $416 million, including
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capital expenditures of $145 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $169 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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commodities--light manufactures 69%, coffee 19%, other agriculture
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8%, other 8%;
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partners--US 84%, Italy 4%, France 3%, other industrial 6%,
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less developed countries 3% (1987)
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Imports: $348 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
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commodities--machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%,
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petroleum products 14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9%;
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partners--US 64%, Netherlands Antilles 5%, Japan 5%, France 4%,
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Canada 3%, Germany 3% (1987)
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External debt: $838 million (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate 0.3% (FY88); accounts for
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15% of GDP
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Electricity: 230,000 kW capacity; 264 million kWh produced,
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43 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: sugar refining, textiles, flour milling, cement
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manufacturing, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
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Agriculture: accounts for 33% of GDP and employs 66% of work force;
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mostly small-scale subsistence farms; commercial crops--coffee, mangoes,
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sugarcane and wood; staple crops--rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of
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wheat flour
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Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $700
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $682 million
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Currency: gourde (plural--gourdes); 1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes
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Exchange rates: gourdes (G) per US$1-- 5.0 (fixed rate)
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Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 40 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge, single-track, privately
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owned industrial line
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Highways: 4,000 km total; 950 km paved, 900 km otherwise improved,
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2,150 km unimproved
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Inland waterways: negligible; less than 100 km navigable
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Ports: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien
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Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 15 total, 10 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: domestic facilities barely adequate,
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international facilities slightly better; 36,000 telephones;
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stations--33 AM, no FM, 4 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army (including Police), Navy, Air Corps
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,287,179; 691,926 fit for
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military service; 61,265 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)
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