Haiti © Seomra Ranga 2010 . Haiti © Seomra Ranga 2010 .

Haiti

© Seomra Ranga 2010 www.seomraranga.com

Haiti


Haiti


Haiti flag including coat of arms

Haiti• Official Name: Republic of Haiti• Local Name: République d’Haïti• Location: the western third of the island of

Hispaniola in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea

• Area: 27,750km2 / 10,712m2 • Population: 10 million (pre-2009 estimate)• Time Zone: GMT -5


Haiti• Capital: Port-au-Prince• Chief Towns: Port-de-Paix, Cap-Haïtien,

Gonaïves, Les Cayes, Jacmel, Jérémie• Currency: 1 Gourde (G, Gde) = 100

centimes• Languages: French, Creole• Religions: Catholic 80%, Protestant 15%• Ethnic Groups: Black 95%, Mulatto and

White 5%


Haiti

• Tropical maritime• Average monthly temperatures 240 – 290

• Wet Season: May – September• Hurricanes are common


Climate

Haiti

• President elected by popular vote for a five-year term

• Prime Minister appointed by the President• Cabinet chosen by the Prime Minister in

consultation with the President


Government

Haiti

• Mostly based on agriculture• Large plantations grow coffee, sugar, sisal,

rice, bananas, corn, sorghum, cocoa, mangoes

• Other industries include flour milling, cement, light assembly industries, lobster fishing, tourism


Economy

Haiti• Hispaniola discovered by Christopher

Columbus in 1492• Haiti created when France took over western

third of the island in 1697• 1791-1804 Haitian Revolution, the only

successful slave revolution in the New World• 1804 Haitian Independence declared• Haiti had an Emperor until 1859,when it

became a republic


History

Haiti• 1822-1844 Haiti was united with Santo

Domingo (Dominican Republic)• 1915-1934 Haiti under US occupation• 1957 – 1986 Haiti under absolute power of

Duvalier family• 1990 Jean-Bertrand Aristide elected

President but soon had to flee into exile• 1994 Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned as

President


History

Haiti• 1996 René Préval elected President• 2004 Haiti Rebellion• 2006 René Préval again elected President


History

Haiti• Even before the 2010 earthquake, Haiti was

recognised as the poorest country in the Americas

• People survive, on average, on $2 per day• About 80% of the population live in poverty• 50% of the population are illiterate• Many people live in slums• Many children are forced into slavery,

working as unpaid servants


Poverty

Haiti• Corruption has been widespread• Drug trafficking is a major industry• Haiti survives on Foreign Aid


Poverty

Haiti• January 12th 2010 an earthquake

measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale strikes Haiti and devastates the capital Port-au-Prince as well as other towns

• 33 aftershocks recorded• More than 100,000 people believed to have

been killed• 3 million people affected by the earthquake


Earthquake

Haiti


Earthquake

Haiti Earthquake, January 12th, 2010

Haiti• Concern (www.concern.ie)• Goal (www.goal.ie)• UNICEF (www.unicef.ie)• Trócaire (www.trocaire.org)• Irish Red Cross (www.redcross.ie)• Medecins Sans Frontiers (www.msf.ie)• Haven (www.havenpartnership.com)• CBM (www.cbm.ie)• Christian Aid (www.christianaid.ie)• Oxfam (www.oxfamireland.org)


How to donate money:

http://www.concern.ie/

http://www.goal.ie/

http://www.unicef.ie/

http://www.trocaire.org/

http://www.redcross.ie/

http://www.msf.ie/

Haiti © Seomra Ranga 2010 . Haiti © Seomra Ranga 2010 .

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