Central bank discount rate:
6.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 66 6.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.58% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 48 14.61% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$344.2 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 100 $315.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$817.6 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 $728.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$829.4 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 110 $739.3 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 105 $262.4 million (31 December 2007)
$187.4 million (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, edible oils; beef, pork, poultry
Industries:
bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Electricity - production:
821 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Electricity - consumption:
667 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 190
Oil - consumption:
11,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 197
Oil - imports:
10,550 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 138
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 70
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Current account balance:
-$362 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 100 -$165.7 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$797 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 155 $674.9 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners:
Canada 20.8%, US 15.2%, UK 12.3%, Netherlands 7.2%, Portugal 4.7%,Trinidad and Tobago 4.7%, Jamaica 4.5%, Ukraine 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$1.294 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 167 $982.9 million (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners:
US 23.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.3%, Finland 7.7%, Cuba 6.1%, China 5.7% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$355.9 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 140 $313 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$804.3 million (30 September 2008) country comparison to the world: 157 $1.2 billion (2002)
Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 203.86 (2008 est.), 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004)
Communications ::Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use:
125,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 140
Telephones - mobile cellular:
281,400 (2005) country comparison to the world: 168
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Internet country code:
.gy
Internet hosts:
7,116 (2009) country comparison to the world: 129
Internet users:
205,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 134
Transportation ::Guyana
Airports:
99 (2009) country comparison to the world: 60
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 89
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 74 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 7,970 km country comparison to the world: 142 paved: 590 km
unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)
Waterways:
330 km country comparison to the world: 91 note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 country comparison to the world: 124 by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1
registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Georgetown
Military ::Guyana
Military branches:
Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 220,797 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 150,307
females age 16-49: 144,622 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 6,625
female: 6,365 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 90
Transnational Issues ::Guyana
Disputes - international:
all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Guyana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most trafficking appears to take place in remote mining camps in the country's interior; some women and girls are trafficked from northern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests Guyanese women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to neighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor exploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victims from Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to Caribbean destinations
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the government has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under the comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which became law in 2005; the government operates no shelters for trafficking victims, but did include limited funding for anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did not make any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007 (2008)
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Haiti (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Haiti
Background:
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. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 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'OUVERTURE. 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.
Geography ::Haiti
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:
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 27,750 sq km country comparison to the world: 147 land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km
Coastline:
1,771 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources:
bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)
Irrigated land:
920 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
14 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)
per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
People ::Haiti
Population:
9,035,536 country comparison to the world: 88 note: estimates for this country 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 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,735,917/female 1,704,383)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 2,621,059/female 2,665,447)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 120,040/female 188,690) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.2 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 20.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.838% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Birth rate:
29.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Death rate:
8.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
Net migration rate:
-2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 138
Urbanization:
urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 59.69 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 37 male: 66.18 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.78 years country comparison to the world: 181 male: 59.13 years
female: 62.48 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.81 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 28
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
120,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Haitian(s)
adjective: Haitian
Ethnic groups:
black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%,Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%
note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo
Languages:
French (official), Creole (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.9%
male: 54.8%
female: 51.2% (2003 est.)
Education expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (1991) country comparison to the world: 175
Government ::Haiti
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti
conventional short form: Haiti
local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti
local short form: Haiti/Ayiti
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Port-au-Prince
geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Constitution:
approved March 1987
note: suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991 military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to constitutional rule in May 2006
Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7 November 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly
election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years
elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 and 29 April 2007 (next regular election to be held in 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2, ALYANS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5, MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10; results for six other seats contested on 3 December 2006 remain unknown
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly ofProgressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Conventionfor Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action toBuild Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance orALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH); Effort andSolidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [JosephJASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope orL'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-rootsorganizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central PlateauPeasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest); Haitian Christian DemocraticParty or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; HaitianDemocratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and PierreSoncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT];Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [LucFLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN[Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Partyof Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social DemocraticParties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of AyitiCapable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congressof Democratic Movements); Mobilization for Haiti's Development orMPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN[Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN[Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy inHaiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for theReconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; NationalFront for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; NewChristian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Openthe Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal ofHaiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]; Struggling People's Organization orOPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitiansor UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [FignoleST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation ofWorkers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of IndependentHaitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, orKOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movementor MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations GatheringPower or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation:
ACP, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW,PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH
chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Orlando (Florida)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON
embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince
mailing address: use mailing address
telephone: [509] 229-8000
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength); the colors are taken from the French Tricolor and represent the union of blacks and mulattoes
Economy ::Haiti
Economy - overview:
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. 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. While the economy has recovered in recent years, registering positive growth since 2005, four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged the transportation infrastructure and agricultural sector. 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. HOPE II, passed in October 2008, has further improved the export environment for the apparel sector by extending preferences to 2018; the apparel sector accounts for two-thirds 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 high inflation, 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 is expected to receive debt forgiveness for about $525 million of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative by mid-2009. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$11.53 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145 $11.38 billion (2007 est.)
$11 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$6.943 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 168 3.4% (2007 est.)
2.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 203 $1,300 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 20%
services: 52% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
3.643 million country comparison to the world: 93 note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2007)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 66%
industry: 9%
services: 25% (1995)
Unemployment rate:
note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs
Population below poverty line:
80% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
59.2 (2001) country comparison to the world: 8
Investment (gross fixed):
28.9% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Budget:
revenues: $967.5 million
expenditures: $1.162 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
15.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 194 8.5% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.81% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 2 46.99% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$704.7 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Agriculture - products:
coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Industries:
sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly based on imported parts
Industrial production growth rate:
0% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Electricity - production:
448 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Electricity - consumption:
273 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 189
Oil - consumption:
12,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Oil - imports:
12,280 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 69
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
Current account balance:
-$611 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 -$407 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$490 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 $522 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee
Exports - partners:
US 70.7%, Dominican Republic 8.9%, Canada 3.1% (2008)
Imports:
$2.107 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 $1.618 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
Imports - partners:
US 34%, Dominican Republic 23.1%, Netherlands Antilles 10.6%, China 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$708 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 $555 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.817 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 $1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 39.216 (2008 est.), 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004)
Communications ::Haiti
Telephones - main lines in use:
108,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 142
Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.2 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 105
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed in Latin America and the Caribbean; domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better; mobile-cellular telephone services are expanding rapidly due, in part, to the introduction of low-cost GSM phones in 2006
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service
international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Internet country code:
.ht
Internet hosts:
9 (2009) country comparison to the world: 222
Internet users:
1 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 90
Transportation ::Haiti
Airports:
14 (2009) country comparison to the world: 151
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 8 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 4,160 km country comparison to the world: 155 paved: 1,011 km
unpaved: 3,149 km (2000)
Ports and terminals:
Cap-Haitien
Military ::Haiti
Military branches:
no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper until or unless they are constitutionally abolished (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,047,083
females age 16-49: 2,047,953 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,518,840
females age 16-49: 1,530,043 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 108,444
female: 106,243 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 167
Transnational Issues ::Haiti
Disputes - international:
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
Illicit drugs:
Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Antarctica)
Introduction ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Background:
These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.
Geography ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Location:
islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 412 sq km country comparison to the world: 201 land: 412 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
101.9 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
antarctic
Terrain:
Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben volcano 2,745 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island
Environment - current issues:
Geography - note:
Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at 2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since, the most recent being in 2005
People ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Population:
uninhabited
Government ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands
abbreviation: HIMI
Dependency status:
territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Legal system:
the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of Australia)
Flag description:
the flag of Australia is used
Economy ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Economy - overview:
The islands have no indigenous economic activity, but the AustralianGovernment allows limited fishing in the surrounding waters.
Communications ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Internet country code:
.hm
Transportation ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols
Transnational Issues ::Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on September 14, 2009
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@Holy See (Vatican City) (Europe)
Introduction ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Background:
Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About one billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Geography ::Holy See (Vatican City)
Location:
Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 0.44 sq km country comparison to the world: 249 land: 0.44 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 3.2 km
border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Terrain:
urban; low hill
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location 19 m
highest point: unnamed location 75 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
Environment - current issues:
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Geography - note: