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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2006) - Haiti (2006)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2006) z Haiti (2006)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)Haiti (2006)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryHaiti
Administrative divisions - 10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Age structure - 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 1,770,523/female 1,749,853)


15-64 years: 54.2% (male 2,201,957/female 2,301,886)


65 years and over: 3.4% (male 125,298/female 158,987) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products - coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Airports 1 (2006) 12 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 8


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Area total: 54,400 sq km


land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km


water: 54,340 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
total: 27,750 sq km


land: 27,560 sq km


water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Maryland
Background Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. 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-Betrand 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 have prompted repeated postponements, and Haiti missed the constitutionally-mandated presidential inauguration date of 7 February 2006.
Birth rate - 36.44 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget - revenues: $400 million


expenditures: $600.8 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
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
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Coastline 698 km 1,771 km
Constitution - approved March 1987; 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 remains technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's departure in 2004
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
conventional long form: Republic of Haiti


conventional short form: Haiti


local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti


local short form: Haiti/Ayiti
Death rate - 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external - $1.313 billion (2005 est.)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON


embassy: 5 Harry S Truman Boulevard, Bicentenaire-Port-au-Prince


mailing address: P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince


telephone: [509] 222-0200


FAX: [509] 223-9038
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH (as of October 2005)


chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090


FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Disputes - international Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain; 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 fleeing economic privation and civil unrest continue to cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island
Economic aid - recipient - $153 million (FY05 est.)
Economy - overview All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps. In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, 80% of the population lives 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. The economy grew 1.5% in 2005, the highest growth rate since 1999. Haiti suffers from rampant inflation, a lack of investment, and a severe trade deficit. In early 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government is reliant on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP in 2005.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 507.8 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military 546 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Environment - current issues NA 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, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes
Ethnic groups - black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
Exchange rates - gourdes per US dollar - 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002), 24.429 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard ALEXIS (since 30 May 2006)


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%
Exports - NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities - manufactures, coffee, oils, cocoa, mangoes
Exports - partners - US 80.8%, Dominican Republic 6.9%, Canada 4% (2005)
Fiscal year - 1 October - 30 September
Flag description white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag 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)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 28%


industry: 20%


services: 52% (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 1.8% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E 19 00 N, 72 25 W
Geography - note archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption
Imports - NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities - food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
Imports - partners - US 49.3%, Netherlands Antilles 12%, Colombia 3.2% (2005)
Independence - 1 January 1804 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate - NA%
Industries - sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly industries based on imported parts
Infant mortality rate - total: 71.65 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 78.01 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 65.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 15.7% (2005 est.)
International organization participation - ACCT, ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 0 sq km 920 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Labor force - 3.6 million


note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 66%


industry: 9%


services: 25%
Land boundaries 0 km total: 360 km


border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2005)
arable land: 28.11%


permanent crops: 11.53%


other: 60.36% (2005)
Languages - French (official), Creole (official)
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006, run-off elections to be determined (next regular election to be held in 2010)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, OPL 4, FL 3, FUSION 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, ALYANS 1, PONT 1, 3 seats subject to run-off election; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 19, FUSION 15, ALYANS 10, OPL 8, FL 6, UNCRH 6, MPH 4, RDNP 4, LAAA 3,KONBA 3, FRN 1, MOCHRENHA 1, MRN 1, Tet-Ansanm 1, MIRN 1, JPDN 1, UNITE 1, PLH 1, 13 seats subject to run-off election
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 53.23 years


male: 51.89 years


female: 54.6 years (2006 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 52.9%


male: 54.8%


female: 51.2% (2003 est.)
Location archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Map references Political Map of the World Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 -
Military branches - the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are constitutionally abolished
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $25.96 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 0.9% (2003 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Nationality - noun: Haitian(s)


adjective: Haitian
Natural hazards NA lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Net migration rate - -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders - Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or ALYANS (coalition composed of KID and PPRH) [Evans PAUL]; Effort and Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or L'ESPWA (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest) [Rene PREVAL]; Grand Center Right Front coalition (composed of MDN, MRN, and PDCH) [Hubert de RONCERAY]; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT]; Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN [Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic Parties or FUSION or FPSDH (merged Ayiti Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress of Democratic Movements) [Serge GILLES]; Mobilization for Haiti's Development or MPH [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 in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN and Daniel SUPPLICE]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union for Haiti or UPH (coalition of MIDH and FL) [Marc BAZIN]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]
Political pressure groups and leaders - Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or KOREGA; Group of 184 Civil Society Organizations, or G-184 [Andy APAID]; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church; Protestant Federation of Haiti
Population no indigenous inhabitants


note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.)
8,308,504


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 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line - 80% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate - 2.3% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
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
Sex ratio - at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available


domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet


international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better


domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service


international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 140,000 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 400,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) mostly rough and mountainous
Total fertility rate - 4.94 children born/woman (2006 est.)
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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