The United States was Haiti's primary trading partner, buying 84 percent of its exports and supplying 64 percent of its imports. Transportation Haiti's road network was built by U.S. Marines during the U.S. occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934. Even main roads are in poor condition, and most bridges have become unusable. Domestic air service is provided by a government-owned airline. The only railroad tracks are privately owned.
International communications tend to be better than domestic.
There were four daily newspapers in 1990, with an average circulation of about 45,000, or about 7 papers per 1000 inhabitants. Rural Haitians depend on personal contacts to disseminate information. Since the overthrow of the dictatorship of Jean Claude Duvalier in 1986, Haiti has had five governments, most installed by coup d' tat. Haitian constitutions have been modified to suit individual rulers throughout the nation's history. Local government has traditionally been left to appointed supporters of the regime in power and has often been characterized by violence.