Basic Statistics on Haiti

Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola (shared with the Dominican Republic, southeast of Cuba
Area: 27,750 sq km (slightly smaller than Maryland)
Population: 8,308,504
Average life expectancy: 53 years old
Official Languages: French; and Creole
Literacy: 52.9% of total population
Population below poverty line: 80% (2003 estimate)
Current environmental 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
Transnational issues: Since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; pervasive corruption
Statistics obtained from CIA Factbook