📰 Haiti · page 4

Amidst the continuing political chaos, a series of natural disasters hit Haiti.249 In 2004, Tropical Storm Jeanne skimmed the north coast, leaving 3,006 people dead in flooding and mudslides, mostly in Gonaïves.[197]250 In 2008, Haiti was again struck by tropical storms; Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike all produced heavy winds and rain, resulting in 331 deaths and about 800,000 in need of humanitarian aid.[198]251 The state of affairs produced by these storms was intensified by already high food and fuel prices that had caused a food crisis and political unrest in April 2008.[199][200][52]252

On 12 January 2010, Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake.253 This was the country's most severe earthquake in over 200 years.[201]254 The earthquake was reported to have left between 160,000 and 316,000 people dead and up to 1.6 million homeless, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded.[202][203][204]255 An estimated 80% of schools and more than half of Haiti's hospitals were destroyed or damaged.[195]256 The situation was exacerbated by a subsequent massive cholera outbreak that was triggered when cholera-infected waste from a United Nations peacekeeping station contaminated the country's main river, the Artibonite.[192][205][206]257 In 2017, it was reported that roughly 10,000 Haitians had died and nearly a million had been made ill.258 After years of denial, the United Nations apologized in 2016, but as of 2017, they have refused to acknowledge fault, thus avoiding financial responsibility.[207]259

General elections had been planned for January 2010, but were postponed due to the earthquake.[52]260 Elections were held on 28 November 2010 for the senate, the parliament and the first round of the presidential elections.261 The run-off between Michel Martelly and Mirlande Manigat declared Martelly the winner.[208][209]262 In 2011, both former presidents Jean-Claude Duvalier and Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned to Haiti; attempts to try Duvalier for crimes committed under his rule were shelved following his death in 2014.[210][211][212][208]263 In 2013, the Haitian government called for European governments to pay reparations for slavery and establish an official commission for the settlement of past wrongdoings.[213][214]264 Meanwhile, after continuing political wrangling with the opposition and allegations of electoral fraud, Martelly agreed to step down in 2016 without a successor in place.[208][215]265 After numerous postponements, partly owing to the effects of devastating Hurricane Matthew, elections were held in November 2016 with a record low voter turnout of just 17%.[195][216][217]266 The victor, Jovenel Moïse of the Haitian Tèt Kale Party, was sworn in as president in 2017.[218][219]267

Protests began on 7 July 2018 in response to increased fuel prices.268 Over time, these protests evolved into demands for the resignation of president Moïse.[220]269 On 7 July 2021, Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his private residence, and First Lady Martine Moïse was hospitalized in Miami.[221]270 Amid the political crisis, the government of Haiti installed Ariel Henry as the acting prime minister on 20 July.[222][223]271 On 14 August, Haiti suffered another huge earthquake, with many casualties.[224]272 The earthquake also damaged Haiti's economic conditions and led to a rise in gang violence which by September 2021 had escalated to a long-lasting full-blown gang war and other violent crimes within the country.[225][226]273 As of March 2022, Haiti still has no president, no parliamentary quorum, and a dysfunctional high court due to a lack of judges.[222]274 2022 protests against the government and rising fuel prices intensified.[227][228]275

By late 2023, gangs and armed groups controlled an estimated 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.[195]276 During 2023, gangs killed 4,789 people, kidnapped 2,490 more and displaced an estimated 362,000 from their homes (mostly in Port-au-Prince).[195][229]277 Doctors, lawyers, and other wealthy members of society were kidnapped and held for ransom.[230]278 Many victims were killed when ransom demands were not met, leading those with the means to do so to flee the country, further hampering efforts to pull the country out of the crisis.[230]279 It is estimated that amidst the crisis up to 20% of qualified medical staff had left Haiti by the end of 2023.[231]280

In March 2024, Ariel Henry was prevented by gangs from returning to Haiti, following a visit to Kenya corpus.[232]281 Henry agreed to resign once a transitional government had been formed.282 As of that month, nearly half of Haiti's population was living under acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme.[22]283 On 25 April 2024, the Transitional Presidential Council took over the governance of Haiti and remained in power until 7 February 2026 after no presidential election was held.[233]284 Michel Patrick Boisvert was named acting prime minister.[233]285 On 3 June 2024, the council swore in Garry Conille as acting prime minister.[234]286 On 10 November, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé replaced Conille as acting prime minister.[235]287

Geography

Main article: Geography of Haiti

Haiti forms the western three-eighths of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles.288 At 27750 km2 Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the latter sharing a 360 km border with Haiti.289 The country has a roughly horseshoe shape and because of this it has a disproportionately long coastline, second in length (1771 km) behind Cuba in the Greater Antilles.[236][237]290

Haiti is the most mountainous country in the Caribbean.291 Its terrain consists of mountains interspersed with small coastal plains and river valleys.[238]292 Plains are only 22% of its territory.[239]293 The climate is tropical, with some variation depending on altitude.294 The highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2680 m.[240][238][52]295

The northern region or Marien Region consists of the Massif du Nord (Northern Massif) and the Plaine du Nord (Northern Plain).296 The Massif du Nord is an extension of the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic.[52]297 It begins at Haiti's eastern border, north of the Guayamouc River, and extends to the northwest through the northern peninsula.298 The lowlands of the Plaine du Nord lie along the northern border with the Dominican Republic, between the Massif du Nord and the North Atlantic Ocean.299

The central region or Artibonite Region consists of two plains and two sets of mountain ranges.300 The Plateau Central (Central Plateau) extends along both sides of the Guayamouc River, south of the Massif du Nord.301 It runs from the southeast to the northwest.302 To the southwest of the Plateau Central are the Montagnes Noires, whose most northwestern part merges with the Massif du Nord.303 The most important valley in terms of crops is the Plaine de l'Artibonite, which lies between the Montagnes Noires and the Chaîne des Matheux.[52]304 This region contains the country's longest river, the Riviere l'Artibonite, which begins in the western region of the Dominican Republic and continues for most of its length through central Haiti, where it then empties into the Golfe de la Gonâve.[52]305 Also in this valley lies Haiti's second largest lake, Lac de Péligre, formed as a result of the construction of the Péligre Dam in the mid-1950s.[241]306

The southern region or Xaragua Region consists of the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac (the southeast) and the mountainous southern peninsula (the Tiburon Peninsula).307 The Plaine du Cul-de-Sac is a natural depression that harbors the country's saline lakes, such as Trou Caïman and Haiti's largest lake, Étang Saumatre.308 The Chaîne de la Selle mountain range – an extension of the southern mountain chain of the Dominican Republic (the Sierra de Baoruco) – extends from the Massif de la Selle in the east to the Massif de la Hotte in the west.[52]309

Haiti includes several offshore islands.310 The island of Tortuga is located off the coast of northern Haiti.311 The arrondissement of La Gonâve is located on the island of the same name, in the Golfe de la Gonâve; Haiti's largest island, Gonâve is moderately populated by rural villagers.312 Île à Vache is located off the southwest coast; also part of Haiti are the Cayemites, located in the Gulf of Gonâve north of Pestel.313 Navassa Island, located 40 nmi west of Jérémie on the southwest peninsula,[242] is subject to an ongoing territorial dispute with the United States, who currently administer the island.[243]314

Climate

The climate is tropical with some variation depending on altitude.[238]315 Port-au-Prince ranges in January from an average minimum of 23 °C to an average maximum of 31 °C; in July, from 25 – 35 °C. The rainfall pattern is varied, with rain heavier in some of the lowlands and the northern and eastern slopes of the mountains.316 The dry season occurs from November to January.317

Port-au-Prince receives an average annual rainfall of 1370 mm.318 There are two rainy seasons, April–June and October–November.319 Haiti is subject to periodic droughts and floods, made more severe by deforestation.320 Hurricanes are a menace, and the country is prone to flooding and earthquakes.[238]321

Geology

There are blind thrust faults associated with the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system over which Haiti lies.[244]322 After the earthquake of 2010, there was no evidence of surface rupture, and geologists' findings were based on seismological, geological and ground deformation data.[245]323 The northern boundary of the fault is where the Caribbean plate shifts eastwards by about 20 mm per year in relation to the North American plate.324 The strike-slip fault system in the region has two branches in Haiti, the Septentrional-Oriente fault in the north and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault in the south.325

A 2007 earthquake hazard study notes that the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone could be at the end of its seismic cycle and concludes that a worst-case forecast would involve a 7.2 Mw earthquake, similar in size to the 1692 Jamaica earthquake.[246]326 A study team performing a hazard assessment of the fault system recommended "high priority" historical geologic rupture studies, as the fault was fully locked and had recorded few earthquakes in the preceding 40 years.[247]327 A magnitude 7.0 earthquake happened on this fault zone on 12 January 2010.[248]328

Haiti has rare elements such as gold, which can be found at the Mont Organisé gold mine.[249]329 There are no currently active volcanoes; no volcanic activity has been experienced since the Miocene age.[250]330

Environment

Main article: Environment of Haiti, Deforestation in Haiti

The soil erosion released from the upper catchments and deforestation have caused periodic and severe flooding, as experienced, for example, on 17 September 2004.331 Earlier in May that year, floods had killed over 3,000 people on Haiti's southern border with the Dominican Republic.[251]332

Haiti's forests covered 60% of the country as recently as 50 years ago, but that has been halved to a current estimate of 30% tree cover.333 This estimate poses a stark difference from the erroneous figure of 2% which has been oft-cited in discourse concerning the country's environmental condition.[252]334 Haiti had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.01/10, ranking it 137th globally out of 172 countries.[253]335 Major national parks in Haiti include the La Visite National Park and the Pic Macaya National Park.[254]336

Scientists at the Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network and the United Nations Environment Programme are working on the Haiti Regenerative Initiative, an initiative aiming to reduce poverty and natural disaster vulnerability through ecosystem restoration and sustainable resource management.[255]337

Biodiversity

Main article: Wildlife of Haiti

Haiti is home to four ecoregions: Hispaniolan moist forests, Hispaniolan dry forests, Hispaniolan pine forests, and Greater Antilles mangroves.[256]338 Despite its small size, the mountainous terrain and resultant multiple climatic zones have resulted in a wide variety of plant life.[257]339 About 5,000 species of plants have been identified in Haiti, including over 3,000 woody plants, trees, and shrubs, 600 species of fern, and 160 orchids.[258]340 Notable tree species include the breadfruit tree, mango tree, acacia, mahogany, coconut palm, royal palm and West Indian cedar.[257]341

Most mammal species are not native, having been brought to the island since colonial times.[257]342 However, there are various native bat species, as well as the endemic Hispaniolan hutia and Hispaniolan solenodon.[257]343 Whale and dolphin species can be found off the coast.344 There are over 260 species of birds, 31 endemic to Hispaniola.[259]345 Notable endemic species include the Hispaniolan trogon, Hispaniolan parakeet, grey-crowned tanager and the Hispaniolan amazon.[259]346 There are also several raptors, as well as pelicans, ibis, hummingbirds and ducks.347 Reptiles are common, with species such as the rhinoceros iguana, Haitian boa, American crocodile and gecko.[260]348

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Haiti

See also: Foreign relations of Haiti

The government is a semi-presidential republic,[238] a multiparty system wherein the president of Haiti is head of state and elected directly by popular elections held every five years.[52][261][262]349 A president cannot serve two consecutive terms or more than two terms in total, but can be reelected for a second term after an interval.[263]350 The prime minister of Haiti acts as head of government and is appointed by the president, chosen from the majority party in the National Assembly.[52][264]351 Executive power is exercised by the president and prime minister who together constitute the government.[265][266]352 The president is the nominal commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Haiti and the National Police.[267]353