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, and 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 its 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 departure 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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 8,706,497 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 1,846,175/female 1,817,082) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 2,313,542/female 2,426,326) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 134,580/female 168,792) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 18.4 years male: 17.9 years female: 18.8 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 2.453% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 35.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: -0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.016 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.954 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.797 male(s)/female total population: 0.973 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 63.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.03 years male: 55.35 years female: 58.75 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 4.86 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.6% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 280,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 24,000 (2003 est.)

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Nationality: noun: Haitian(s) adjective: Haitian

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Ethnic groups: black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

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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

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Languages: French (official), Creole (official)

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9% male: 54.8% female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

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 agriculture sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. A macroeconomic program developed in 2005 with the help of the International Monetary Fund helped the economy grow 1.8% in 2006, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from higher inflation than similar low-income countries, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. In 2006, Haiti held a successful donors conference in which the total aid pledged exceeded Haiti's request. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.79 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $5.964 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,800 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 28% industry: 20% services: 52% (2004 est.)

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Labor force: 3.6 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 66% industry: 9% services: 25%

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Unemployment rate: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 80% (2003 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.4% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 27.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $385 million expenditures: $807.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

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Industries: sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly based on imported parts

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Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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Electricity - production: 536.2 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 498.6 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 11,600 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Current account balance: -$58.72 million (2006 est.)

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Exports: $443.7 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes

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Exports - partners: US 80.4%, Dominican Republic 7.7%, Canada 3% (2006)

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Imports: $1.721 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

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Imports - partners: US 46%, Netherlands Antilles 11.8%, China 3.4% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $123.4 million (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $1.309 billion (2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: $153 million (FY05 est.)

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Currency (code): gourde (HTG)

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Exchange rates: gourdes per US dollar - 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002)

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Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September