Haiti at a glance
General
| Land Mass | 10,714 square miles |
| Population | 9,035,536 |
| Population Density | 843.3 per square mile |
| Capital city | Port-au-Prince (population 1,998,000) |
| Head of state | President René Garcia Préval |
| Head of government | Prime minister Michle Duvivier Pierre-Louis |
| Currency | Gourde |
| Population mix | African-Caribbean 95%, mixed and European 5% |
| Religion | Catholic 55%, Protestant 29%, none 10%. About half the population practice voodoo, officially recognized as a religion since 2003 |
| Main languages | French, Creole |
| National icons | Wyclef Jean (musician) Fabrice Noel (footballer) |
| Main industries | Sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light manufacturing |
| Key crops/livestock | Coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum |
| Key exports | Clothing, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee |
| Unemployment rate | 66% without formal jobs |
| Media freedom index | 73 (out of 173) |
Source: www.bbc.co.uk, www.guardian.co.uk, www.cia.gov, www.haiti.org
Selected Basic Indicators - 2007 figures (unless stated)
| Under-5 mortality rank | 47th |
| Under-5 mortality rate | 76 |
| Infant mortality rate (under 1) | 57 |
| Neonatal mortality rate | 32 (2004) |
| Maternal Mortality per 100,000 | 680 (WHO/UNICEF) |
| Annual no. of births | 270,000 |
| Annual no. of under-5 deaths | 21,000 |
| GNI per capita (US$), 2007 | 560 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 61 years |
| HIV/AIDS rate | 2.2% (UNAIDS) |
| Total adult literacy rate (%) | 62% (2000-7) |
| Primary school net enrolment/attendance | 50% (2000-7) |
| % share of household income - lowest 40% | 9 (1995-2005) |
| % share of household income - highest 20% | 63 (1995-2005) |
| Doctors per 1,000 head of population | 0.3 |
Source: The State of the World's Children on www.unicef.org, UNAIDS
See http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/stats_popup1.html for glossary of data definitions.
Some issues facing children in Haiti (UNICEF)
Haiti has the highest rates of infant, under-five and maternal mortality in the Western hemisphere. Diarrhoea, respiratory infections, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are the leading causes of death.
Some 60 per cent of people, primarily in rural areas, lack access to basic health-care services.
Numerous schools and hospitals have closed because teachers, social workers and health providers could not go to work for fear of violence.
It is estimated that about 5.6 per cent of people aged 15-49 years old in Haiti are living with HIV/AIDS. This includes about 19,000 children. Antiretroviral drugs are extremely scarce.
As many as 2,000 children a year are trafficked to the Dominican Republic, often with their parents' support.
Only a little over half of primary school-age children are enrolled in school. Less than 2 per cent of children finish secondary school.
Approximately 1,000 children are working as messengers, spies and even soldiers for armed gangs in Port Au Prince.
To learn more about Haiti on the web visit:
BBC providing an excellent country profile: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1202772.stm#facts