Haiti Geography Profile 2009

Location

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 27,750 sq km
land: 27,560 sq km
water: 190 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries

total: 360 km
border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Coastline

1,771 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain

mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Natural resources

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

Land use

arable land: 28.11%
permanent crops: 11.53%
other: 60.36% (2005)

Irrigated land

920 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

14 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)
per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues

extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes

Geography - note

shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)