Historical Considerations
Haitians are largely descendants of African slaves, formerly French controlled. They declared freedom from France in 1804.
Haiti has a long history of a corrupt military and political system. Rural areas do not see the influence of leaders and refuse to vote in (likely) “rigged” elections (Britannica, 2018).
Of historical note related to the health of the haitians: Haiti is prone to earthquakes and its capital is on a major fault line. The last major quake in 2010 was a 7.0 on the richter scale and resulted in 200,000 deaths (Britannica). 38 out of the 47 island hospitals were rendered inoperable (Watts, 2014).
Haiti at a Glance
Location: Shared island (named Hispaniola) with Dominican Republic, just over ¼ of the island. Cuba to the west, Bahamas north, Jamaica also nearly adjacent.
Climate: Tropical (Enclyclopedia Britannica, 2018).
Natural Resources: Rugged, mountainous, rocky, low fertility land. Natural harbor made by long peninsula.
Prone to erosion (it is an island).
(Enclyclopedia Britannica, 2018).
demographics
Population: 11.1 million
(Haiti Population, 2018)
Demographics
By Race:
94.2% Black
5.4% Mulatto
0.4 % Other
By Age (2015):
<15 33.3%
15-29 30.5%
30-44 19%
45-59 10.7%
60-74 5.2%
75-84 1.1%
>85 0.2%
By Religion:
Roman Catholic 54%
Baptist 15.4%
Pentecostal 7.9%
Vodou 2.1%
Nonreligious 10.2%
Other/Unknown 9.7%
(Encyclopedia Brittannica, 2018)