CRISIS IN THE CARIBBEAN : HAITI ON THE EDGE

ABOUT THE COUNTRY

* Capital: Port-au-Prince (pop. 752,000) * Location: Caribbean, about 590 miles southeast of Miami

* Total area: 10,711 square miles, about the size of Maryland

* Official languages: French and Creole

* Population: 6.5 million

* Daily wage: About 90 cents in U.S. money. But most people are not paid on a daily basis and operate on a barter basis.

* Currency: The gourde floats, with the rate set daily. As of the end of August, the best rate was 25 gourdes for one U.S. dollar.

ABOUT LIFE THERE

Ethnicity African: 95% Other: 5% Religion Roman Catholic: 80% Protestant (Voodoo widely practiced): 10% Other: 10% Unemployment and Underemployment: 85% Literacy: 53% ***

* Education: Before the coup, it was estimated that in Port-au-Prince about 40% of the eligible children attended some school up to the third grade (fourth in U.S. terms). In the countryside, the figure would be about 15%.

* Life expectancy: No recent figures are available, but an official at the Catholic Relief Services says it is probably about 47 years for both sexes.

* Infant mortality rate: Estimated at 106 per 1,000 live births. Medical records are sketchy.

THE COALITION

* Twenty-four states, many of them small Caribbean countries, are among the U.S. coalition to restore Haiti’s democratic government. They have pledged a total of 2,000 troops, who will quickly follow U.S. forces heading any invasion. The nations are: Antigua Argentina Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Belgium Benin Bolivia Britain Costa Rica Dominica Grenada Guyana Israel Jamaica Jordan Netherlands Panama Poland St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent Trinidad & Tobago

THE PRICE OF REBUILDING

* In addition to planning a military invasion, the United States is making detailed arrangements to quickly bring food, fuel and jobs to Haiti, aware that reversing economic devastation there is critical to the mission’s success.

* First year: Price tag set at $550 million, more than half of which will be spent in the first 90 days to create 50,000 new jobs and feed 1.3 million people daily, according to the U.S. coordinator on Haiti aid.

* Who is paying the $550-million tab (in millions) U.S.: $100 International community: $350 Undecided: $100

QUOTED

‘This is a country with one dismantled helicopter and 7,000 troops. You can’t really say we have our borders threatened.’

--Caspar Weinberger, former defense secretary, voicing opposition to an invasion.