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Geography of Haiti

Location:Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Geographic coordinates:19 00 N, 72 25 W
Map references:Central America and the Caribbean
Area:total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km
Coastline:1,771 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Climate:tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain:mostly rough and mountainous
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Natural resources:bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Land use:arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)
Irrigated land:920 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

Haiti Quickstats

  • Population: 8,706,497
  • Area: 27,750 sq km
  • Density: 292.7 /km² (38th)
  • GDP (total): $14.560 billion (124th)
  • GDP (per capita): $1,800 (148th)
  • Literacy: 52.9%

Languages of Haiti

Useful to know

  • Currency: Gourde (HTG)
  • Dial code: +509

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Haiti Internet

  • Usage: 500,000
  • Penetration: 6.1 %
  • Top Domain: .ha

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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