Haiti Country & Tourist Information

Location
Caribbean, island of Hispaniola.

Area
27,750 sq km (10,714 sq miles).

Population
8.4 million (UN estimate 2006).

Population Density
302.7 per sq km.

Capital
Port-au-Prince.
Population: 2 million.

Government
Republic. Gained independence from France in 1804.

Language
The official languages are French and Creole. English is spoken in tourist areas.

Religion
The official religions are Roman Catholicism (75%) and Voodooism (70%); most Haitians practice both. Voodooism is a polytheistic folk religion, manifested by a series of complex ritual drawings, songs and dances. It is an African religion, and not incompatible with a shared belief in Christianity. There are Protestant minorities.

Time
GMT - 5.

Electricity
110 volts AC (220 volts is also sometimes available), 60Hz.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis since 2006.

Head of State
President René Préval since 2006.

Recent History
Despite the presence of the UN peacekeepers, the country has continued to be blighted by political and criminal violence and instability. Killings and kidnappings are now a daily occurrence in the capital. The most recent presidential and parliamentary elections took place in February 2006. The polls, originally set for November 2005, had been postponed four times because of security and organizational issues. The elections were the first since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted from power nearly two years earlier.

For Haiti’s poor, former President René Préval was seen to be the solution to the country’s problems. Initially it appeared Préval had not won the 50% needed to be elected outright. Préval alleged massive electoral fraud and crowds of his supporters took to the streets in protest. However, following an agreement between the government and electoral officials, under which blank ballots were subtracted from the total number of votes counted, it was announced that Préval had gained 51.15%, thus eliminating the need for a second round run-off.

Telephone
Country code: 509. There are no area codes. The internal service, operated by Telecommunications d’Haïti (Teleco), is reasonable. There are telephone booths in the towns which take cards.

Mobile Telephone
No roaming agreements have been declared. Handsets can be hired locally.

Internet
Internet cafes can be found in towns and cities.

Media
Radio is Haiti’s most important source of information. There are more than 250 private radio stations.


Post
Airmail to Europe takes up to one week. The main post office in Port-au-Prince, Cité de l’Exposition, is in place d’Italie.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-2000, Sat 0830-1200. Letters posted after 0900 will not be dispatched until the following working day.

Press
• The two main dailies, Le Matin and Le Nouvelliste, are published in French.
• Haiti Progres, also in French, is published weekly.

Radio
• Stations include Radio Metropole, Radio Galaxie and Radio Caraïbes FM.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan Independence Day.
2 Jan Ancestors' Day.
23-24 Feb Carnival. 
10 Apr Good Friday.
14 Apr Pan-American Day/Bastilla's Day.
1 May Labor Day. 
21 May Ascension.
18 May Flag and University Day. 
11 Jun Corpus Christi.
15 Aug Assumption.
17 Oct Anniversary of the Death of Dessalines.
24 Oct United Nations Day.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
2 Nov All Souls' Day.
18 Nov Battle of Vertièrés Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2010
1 Jan Independence Day.
2 Jan Ancestors' Day.
15-16 Feb Carnival. 
2 Apr Good Friday.
14 Apr Pan-American Day/Bastilla's Day.
1 May Labor Day. 
13 May Ascension.
18 May Flag and University Day. 
23 Jun Corpus Christi.
15 Aug Assumption.
17 Oct Anniversary of the Death of Dessalines.
24 Oct United Nations Day.
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
2 Nov All Souls' Day.
18 Nov Battle of Vertièrés Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

Contact Information:

Embassy of the Republic of Haiti and Tourist Office in France
10 rue Théodule Ribot, BP275, Cedex 28, 75017 Paris, France
Tel: (01) 4763 4778.
E-mail: haiti01@francophonie.org
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1300 and 1400-1700; Fri 1000-1600.

Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in the USA
2311 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 332 4090.
Website: www.haiti.org

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com


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