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).
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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)
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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)