Haiti - Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
President
(pronounced "zhuhn BARE-trahnd air-ess-TEED")
"Power no longer resides with the bayonet but instead with the people's ballots."
The Republic of Haiti occupies the western third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, with a total area of 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq mi). The capital is Port-au-Prince, located in the southeastern region of the country. Haiti shares the island with the neighboring Dominican Republic. Cuba lies about 80 km (50 mi) to the west; the Bahamas are to the north. The population has been estimated at 7 million. Ninety-five percent of Haitians are of African descent; the other 5% are mixed African-Caucasian. Haiti is one of the world's most densely populated countries, with 277 people per sq km (717 per sq mi); 65% of Haitians live in rural areas. Roman Catholicism, the state religion, comprises 80% of the population, while Protestantism makes up 16%. Voodoo practice is widespread, and most Haitians see no conflict between religious faith and voodoo rituals and rites. The official languages are French, spoken by only about 20% of the people, and Creole, which is spoken universally. Only 20% of Haiti's territory is arable land. With nearly two-thirds of Haitians engaged in subsistence farming, the pressures on the land have been enormous and devastating.
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