Country data

Location: Caribbean

Time zone: CET – 5 (during summer time CET – 6)

Total area: 27,750 km²

Land area: 27,560 km²

Water area: 190 km²

Length of the state border: 376 km

Bordering countries are allocated to: Dominican Republic: 376 km

Coastline: 1,771 km

Capital: Port-au-Prince

Districts: 10
Artibonite, Center, Grand’Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Electric current: 110 V / 60 Hz

Telephone code: 00 509 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Population

Population: approx. 10 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.1% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 360

Life expectancy: 62 (male), 65 (female)

Official language: French, Haitian

Religions:

• 80% Roman Catholic
• 16% Protestants
• 4% other

Climate

The climate in Haiti is subtropical. During the day the temperatures are around 25-37 ° C and at night around 15-24 ° C.

It is pleasantly warm all year round, with the sun shining almost every day. It’s hottest from June to October.

There are 2 main rainy seasons. These last from April to June and from September to November. Europeans can still bear the general humidity.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Gourde (HTG)

Classification: 1 gourde = 100 centimes

ATMs: not available.

International credit cards: These are only occasionally accepted in the capital.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts. A declaration is required from an equivalent value of 200,000 HTG

You should only carry US dollars as foreign currency. Other currencies are usually not exchanged.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 1,000 g tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• very small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Jewelry and sports equipment must be declared at customs upon entry.

All items required for a stay in Haiti should be brought with you upon entry, as buying them is difficult or very expensive.

Travel advice

Travel to Haiti is currently not recommended.

Since the new President, who was sworn in in February 2017, is not recognized by the losing parties, protests and demonstrations can always occur.

The generally tense internal political situation is aggravated again and again by constant unrest and violent actions.

Armed robberies, kidnappings, extortions and even murders are the order of the day. You can’t always rely on the Haitian police.

Numerous criminal prisoners escaped from prisons during the civil war. Many people are armed.

The Federal Foreign Office urgently advises postponing trips to Haiti until the situation has calmed down.

Behavioral advice

Since the internal political situation is still very unstable, you should avoid all large crowds.

At night, you should no longer be traveling alone and completely avoid cross-country trips.

Economy

Poverty in Haiti is very high. Most of the residents work on the coffee plantations for a very low income.

Due to the internal political unrest, the tourism industry has also come to a standstill.

Industries: coffee production, light engineering, textiles, tourism, sugar processing

Natural resources: bauxite, gold, calcium, copper, farmland, hydropower

Land use:

• Usable land: 20%
• Grain cultivation: 13%
• Pasture area: 18%
• Forests: 5%
• other: 44%