Key Facts About Haiti
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 29, 2004; 9:09 AM
Facts about Haiti:
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GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE:
- Haiti shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. About 95 percent of Haitians are of African descent. French and Creole are the two official languages, although only 10 percent of the country's 8 million people speak French.
- The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has seen large-scale emigration, principally to the United States but also to Canada, France and other Caribbean islands. About one in every eight Haitians lives abroad. The average per-capita income is about $425 a year.
HISTORY:
- The country was founded in 1804 after the world's first successful slave rebellion. Over two centuries, political turmoil and economic despair have plagued the country. The country has seen more than 30 coups, and a string of leaders have driven it into disarray.
- In 1990, Aristide won a landslide democratic election after decades of dictatorship. He was deposed in a military coup in 1991. He was restored to power three years later by U.S. troops. He was re-elected in 2000 in a vote widely criticized as flawed.
© 2004 The Associated Press
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