Haiti Travel Guide

Haiti — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Caribbean, island of Hispaniola.
Language: The official languages are French and Creole. English is spoken in tourist areas.
Area: 27,750 sq km (10,714 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT - 5.
Electricity: 110 volts AC (220 volts is also sometimes available), 60Hz.
Population: 8.4 million (UN estimate 2006).
Population Density: 302.7 per sq km.
Capital City: Port-au-Prince. Population: 2 million.
Government: Republic. Gained independence from France in 1804.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive since 2009.
Head of State: President René Préval since 2006.
Religion: The official religions are Roman Catholicism (75%) and Voodooism (70%); most Haitians practise 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.

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.

Communications

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.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.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day

2011
1 Jan Independence Day
2 Jan Ancestors’ Day
7 Mar - 8 Mar Carnival
14 Apr Pan-American Day/Bastilla’s Day
22 Apr Good Friday
1 May Labor Day
18 May Flag and University Day
19 May Ascension
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
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
2 Nov All Souls’ Day
18 Nov Battle of Vertièrés Day
25 Dec Christmas Day

2012
1 Jan Independence Day
2 Jan Ancestors’ Day
20 Feb - 21 Feb Carnival
6 Apr Good Friday
14 Apr Pan-American Day/Bastilla’s Day
1 May Labor Day
17 May Ascension
18 May Flag and University Day
7 Jun Corpus Christi
15 Aug Assumption
17 Oct Anniversary of the Death of Dessalines
24 Oct United Nations 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.