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Location
Caribbean
Island of Hispaniola
20.06 N 73.31 W |
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Time
GMT -5
Area
27,750 sq km (10,714 sq miles)
Population
8.5 million (UN, 2005)
Population Density
306 per sq km.
Capital
Port-au-Prince
Population: 2 million
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Government
Republic. Gained independence from France in 1804.
Head of State: President René Préval since 2006.
Head of Government: Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue.
Recent history: Despite the presence of the UN peacekeepers, the country
has continued to be blighted by political and criminal violence and instability.
Killings
and kidnappings are now a daily occurrence in the capital. The most recent
Presidential and Parliamentary elections took place on February 7 2006. The
polls, originally set for November 2005, had been postponed four times because
of security and organizational issues. The elections were the first since
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted from power nearly two years earlier.
For Haiti's poor, former President René Préval was seen to be the solution to the country's
problems. Initially it appeared Préval had not won the 50 per cent needed
to be elected outright. Préval alleged massive electoral fraud and crowds
of his supporters took to the streets in protest. However, following an agreement
between the Government and electoral officials, under which blank ballots were
subtracted from the total number of votes counted, it was announced that Préval
had gained 51.15 per cent, thus eliminating the need for a second round run-off.
Haiti's electoral council had to postpone the second round of Parliamentary
elections. Council head Rosemond Pradel said it was impossible to keep to
the 19 March 2006 date because complaints from the first round were still
being dealt with. In the absence of a Parliament, the inauguration of President-elect
Rene Preval, set for 29 March 2006, must also be delayed.
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Language
The official languages are French and Creole. English is spoken in tourist areas.
Electricity
110 volts (220 volts is also sometimes available) AC, 60Hz.
Mobile
telephone
The GSM network is run by Haïtel. Handsets can be hired locally.
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Religion
The official religions are Roman Catholicism (75 per cent) and Voodooism (25
per cent); most Haitians practice both. Voodooism is a polytheistic folk
religion, manifested by a series of complex ritual drawings, songs and
dances. It is an African religion, and not incompatible with a shared belief
in Christianity. There are Protestant minorities.
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Telephone
IDD available. Country code: 509. There are no
area codes.
The
internal service, operated by Telecommunications
d’Haïti
(Teleco), is reasonable.
There
are telephone booths in the towns which take cards.
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Internet
Internet cafes can be found in towns and cities.
ISPs
include Compa, Hintelfocus and Netcom.
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Post
Airmail to Europe takes up to one week. The main post office in Port-au-Prince,
Cité de l’Exposition, is in place d’Italie. Post office
hours: Mon-Fri 0800-2000, Sat 0830-1200. Letters posted after 0900 will
not be dispatched until the following working day.
Media
Press: The two main dailies, Le Matin and Le Nouvelliste,
are published in French. Haiti Progres, also in French, is published
weekly.
Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be
received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date
can be found online.
Public
Holidays
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007 - June 2007 period.
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Jan
1 2007: Independence Day
Jan 2: Ancestors' Day
Feb 19-21: Carnival
Apr 9: Good Friday
Apr 14: Pan-American Day/Bastilla's Day
May 1: Labor Day
May 17: Ascension
May 18: Flag and University Day.
Jun 7: Corpus Christi |
Contact
Information
Embassy of the Republic of
Haiti and Tourist Office in France
10 rue Théodule Ribot, BP275, Cedex 28, 75017
Paris, France
Tel: (1) 4763 4778.
E-mail: haiti01@francophonie.org
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1300 and 1400-1700;
Fri 1000-1600.
Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in
the USA
2311 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008,
USA
Tel: (202) 332 4090.
Website: www.haiti.org
Consulate General of Haiti in the USA
271 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016,
USA
Tel: (212) 697 9767.
website: www.haitianconsulate-nyc.org
Caribbean Tourism Organization in the
UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com or www.onecaribbean.org
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