REPUBLIC OF HAÏTI Official name: République d'Haïti / Repiblik Dayti (Republic of Haïti) Location: Caribbean International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The Organisation of American States, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: Dominican Republic Coastline: Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean Land area: 27,750 Km2 Population: 7,000,000

Ethnicity: Over 95% of the population are of African descent. There is a small minority of mulatto (mixed African and European descent) people.
Languages: French and Haïtian Creole are the official languages. Almost the whole population speaks Creole as its first language.
Religion: Almost the entire population are officially Christians (Catholic 80%, Protestant 16%), but the majority also follow the traditional African-derived practices known as Voudon or Voodoo.
Form of government: Democratic presidential republic. Haïti is divided into ten departments.
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Haïti came into effect in March 1987.
Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term.
Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the President.
Legislature: has a bicameral legislature, the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale). The Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Députés) has 99 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies. The Senate (Sénat) has 30 members, elected for six-year terms from the departments.
Electoral authority: The Provisional Electoral Commission administers national elections.
Freedom House 2005 rating: Political Rights 7, Civil Liberties 6

Political history The island of Hispaniola, of which Haïti occupies the western half, was claimed for Spain by Columbus in 1492, but in 1697 Spain ceded it to France. French settlers imported African slaves whose descendants became most of the population. The colony was ruled by a small minority of Europeans and mulattos. In 1796, stimulated by the ideals of the French revolution, the slaves revolted, and after prolonged fighting Haïti became an independent republic in 1804. Haïti has always been one of the poorest and worst-governed countries in the Americas. Through the 19th century it was ruled by a series of dictators of varying degrees of incompetence. The outside world took little notice until 1915, when the country's unpayable debt led to American occupation. The US introduced a constitution (written by Franklin D Roosevelt) and other reforms. The occupation ended in 1934.

The Americans left Haïti in the hands of the mulatto minority, but in 1946 Dumarsais Estimé became the country's first black president. His efforts a reform sparked disorders and a coup in 1950, followed by renewed dictatorship. In 1957 Dr François Duvalier ("Papa Doc") came to power and established a bizarre personal dictatorship which lasted until his death in 1971, when he was succeeded by his son Jean-Claude Duvalier ("Baby Doc"). Duvalier junior was deposed in 1986, leading to a further period of upheaval.

The charismatic black leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected President in 1991, but deposed in a coup shortly after. This led to a renewed American occupation, and Aristide returned to power in 1994. He was succeeded by René Préval in 1996, but returned to office in 2001 after elections widely regarded as rigged. He ruled in an idiosyncratic and authoritarian manner and February 2004, when he was again overthrown. An interim government under Boniface Alexandre has held office since, while the country has slid into chaos and elections have been repeatedly postponed. Finally in January 2006 presidential and congressional elections were held, with René Préval returning to office.