...Haiti From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Republic of Haiti République d'Haïti Repiblik Ayiti Flag Coat of arms Motto: "L'Union Fait La Force" (French) "Linyon Fe Lafòs" (Haitian Creole) "Strength through Unity" Anthem: La Dessalinienne Capital (and largest city) Port-au-Prince 18°32′N 72°20′W / 18.533°N 72.333°W / 18.533; -72.333 Official languages French, Haitian Creole Ethnic groups Black 95%; Mulatto and White 5%[1] Demonym Haitian Government Presidential republic - President René Préval - Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis Formation - as Saint-Domingue 1697 - Independence from France 1 January 1804 Area - Total 27,751 km2 (147th) 10,714 sq mi - Water (%) 0.7 Population - 2007 estimate 8,706,497[2] (85th) - 2003 census 8,527,817 - Density 335/km2 (38th) 758.1/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate - Total $11.150 billion[3] (133th) - Per capita $1,291[3] (154th) GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate - Total $6.031 billion[3] - Per capita $698[3] Gini (2001) 59.2 (high) HDI (2007) ▲ 0.529 (medium) (146th) Currency Gourde (HTG) Time zone (UTC-5) Drives on the right Internet TLD .ht Calling code 509 Haiti (pronounced /ˈheɪtiː/; French Haïti pronounced [aiti]; Haitian Creole: Ayiti), officially the Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti ; Repiblik Ayiti), is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic...
Words: 6691 - Pages: 27
...Haiti, just like any country in the world has its vast history that influences what it is today. Haiti is unique because of its regional, historical, and ethnicities. Haiti has its many firsts compared to many nations: it is the first country in the Caribbean that got its independence, the first post-colonial nation that is predominantly black, and the first one that got its independence through slave rebellion which was successfully staged. Moreover, Haiti is the only country in the Caribbean who uses French as its official language. However, with this historic “firsts”, Haiti remains to be a nation where development seems to be too elusive. The purpose of this brief paper is to for me to assist in providing you a bird’s eye view of the entirety of Haiti as a nation from its discovery until today. In December 5, 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Hispaniola which we now know as Haiti. The Spaniards gave a third part of Hispaniola to France in 1697 and the latter called it Saint Domingue which later became known to be the richest colony in the world. However, it is the most cruel where half a million slaves were starved, beaten, and buried alive for petty offenses. Because of this cruelty, a black rebellion ensued in 1791 which triggered the civil war. Five years later, the chaos ended through the efforts of Toussaint L’Ouverture, a doctor and military man. However, in 1802, slavery was again introduced through the Convention of Paris, triggering more revolts...
Words: 2341 - Pages: 10
...Throughout its history, Haiti represents the epitome of poorly structured developing countries around the world. Furthermore, it has dealt with the same reoccurring situations and has failed to fix them, which only continues to hurt the Haitian people. As one of the poorest countries in the world, Haiti suffers various issues, such as corrupt government, health crises, and natural disasters. Corruption has proven to be a repeating trend in the Haitian government through its lack of a supporting leadership and vile dictatorship from its political officials. Haiti’s most infamous and cruel leader was Francois Duvalier, “Papa Doc”, who was best known for his human rights violations. An example of his horrendous deeds as president was when he would take mulattos and political dissidents and execute them maliciously. Unfortunately, after his reign, his son, known as “Baby Doc”, came into power and continued his father’s actions. Within the parliamentary government, the politicians are biased due to the fixed elections paid off by the Ministry of the Interior. Selfishly, these officials unthinkably stole from their country and people by embezzling money from the government treasury. “This means to say, in this country everything is money. There isn’t value in any other thing”(Gaston) Consequently, the actions of the government explain why Haiti has not developed into a functioning Due to the faults in the Haitian government, there is a numerous amount of economic and social issues...
Words: 414 - Pages: 2
...Haiti Haiti is about 10,714 square miles big and is about the same size of Massachusetts. It is located on the island known as Hispaniola in the middle of the Caribbean sea where Haiti takes up the western 1/3 of the island and the Dominican Republic takes up the eastern 2/3. Haiti was inhabited by the indigenous Taino people, and later, it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1942. Columbus' ship Santa Maria sank on the north side of what is now Haiti. The Spanish quickly learned that Hispaniola was not rich in gold, but a place they converted to be a farming source for them. African slaves were imported to Hispaniola as early as 1504 to labor the sugar, coffee, and tobacco crops. The Spanish started losing interest in Hispaniola and in the 17th century, French pirates purchased Haiti from the Spanish and this is when the island of Hispaniola was divided into two countries. For the next 100 years, Haiti was becoming one of the wealthiest countries in the world with the cheap slave labor and the amount of resources (sugar, coffee, the die indigo, tobacco, cotton, and exotic spices) they were producing. But the foolish Frenchmen got carried away with their slave workers and had a 10-1 free to slave population with almost 500,000 slaves and only 50,000 free men. The spirit of the French revolution affected Haiti and in 1791, a huge slave revolt broke out and a revolutionary war lasted for more than 10 years. Haiti finally gained its independence in 1804 and became the...
Words: 2198 - Pages: 9
...Haiti Ads by Google Traditional Dress - Women - Authentic Chinese Traditional Dress In $20 Range & No Tax. Buy Online! - www.periwing.com Marry in Haiti - Amazing Women from Haiti Meet, Date & Marry Your Loved One. - AmoLatina.com Food And Culture - You can find it on Yahoo! Learn about Food And Culture - Yahoo.com Business Without Borders - Your Online Source For Global Business Analysis And Insights. - businesswithoutborders.com Culture Name Haitian Orientation Ads by Google JCPenney® Official Site Shop Our Great Brands at JCPenney. Welcome to the New JCPenney. JCPenney.com/OfficialSite Cultural Traditions Find great deals and save! Compare products, prices & stores www.Shopping.com free people clothing Top Free Clothes Coupons Savings from Free Clothes! www.ShopAtHome.com/FreeClothes Fashion Accessories Hosiery,Footwear,Rainwear,Apparel, Home,Novelty,Jewelry on sale now! www.eretailmall.com Identification. Haiti, a name that means "mountainous country," is derived from the language of the Taino Indians who inhabited the island before European colonization. After independence in 1804, the name was adopted by the military generals, many of them former slaves, who expelled the French and took possession of the colony then known as Saint Domingue. In 2000, 95 percent of the population was of African descent, and the remaining 5 percent mulatto and white. Some wealthy citizens think of themselves as French, but most residents...
Words: 6088 - Pages: 25
...Hope for Haiti? On January 12th, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck ten miles from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, plummeting the already poorest country in the Western Hemisphere completely to the ground (Huttes 1). The Earth shook violently for 35 seconds, “walls rippled as if they were made of liquid,” and Haitians ran out onto the streets screaming, thinking the rapture had arrived (Woolley 41). Within days, millions of dollars of foreign aid flowed into Haiti, but every day remained a struggle for survival. 230,000 Haitians were killed instantly, morgues soon overflowed, and the stench of flesh contaminated the streets. The death toll grew so large that corpses were hauled to mass graves to be buried with hundreds of their fellow countrymen. Identities were lost forever, and hundreds and thousands of children were orphaned and left homeless. The scale of the disaster was massive beyond comprehension, and foreign aid reached only small fractions of the population. The outside world began to ask, “What would it take to rebuild Haiti?” More importantly, “What would it take to remove Haiti from their 200 year pattern of poverty and failure (Smith)?” Throughout its history, Haiti has constantly depended on foreign aid, especially from the United States and France. Today, over two years after the earthquake, they’re still in great need of assistance. We as Americans owe it to our resilient Caribbean brothers to lead them to a prosperous and thriving future. While helping...
Words: 2540 - Pages: 11
...Voodoo expanded as the prevailing theology of the Haitian people by uniting numerous traditions imported by oppressed Africans to the New World. Black and Carib population’s braved brutalizing, domineering conditions for five centuries. The departure and their vulnerability to European conventions, including Roman Catholic traditions, characterized and differentiated Voodoo convictions and ceremonies. Art inspired by Voodoo gives new understanding on the magnificence and secrecy of Afro-Caribbean religion and society. Externally comprehended by westerners since the eighteenth century, voodoo has been reviled as disturbing, archaic, depraved and misguided through endless correspondence. Vodun, despite its initial elaboration in Haiti, is one of the notable accomplishments of individuals of African heritage in the western half of the world: an energetic, refined amalgamation of the customary religions of Dahomey, Yorubaland, and Kongo with an implication of Roman Catholicism. Furthermore, Vodun has propelled an astounding custom of spiritual...
Words: 527 - Pages: 3
...Review of Haiti’s Monetary Sector and Gross Domestic Product The country of Haiti was originally from an Indian word meaning “high land”. Haiti is known to own up to its name due to the land being covered in about four-fifths with mountains. According to “Haiti”, there are three mountain ranges which run east to west, and separate the country into valleys and fecund plains known as Massif du Nord, Massif de la Hotte, and Massif de la Salle. Stated in “The World Book of Encyclopedia”, “the country lies in the western part of the island Hispolonia in the West Indies, which reaches out into the Windward Passage in two peninsulas, which lays the Gulf of Gonaives” .The country is approximately the same size as Maryland. With 450 citizens to...
Words: 1290 - Pages: 6
...The country of Haiti gained independence in 1804 it is geographically located in the Caribbean Sea and its capital is Port-au-Prince. The official languages are Haitian Creole and French. Haiti shares a border with the Dominican Republic located to the east. The country’s system of governance is a republic. Based on numerous economic reports and modeling tools such as The World Bank, Transparency International, and the U.S. State Department among others. Haiti consistently ranks as one of the poorest countries when extreme poverty and a low level of development, is factored into the results. However, in recent years Haiti’s growth is steadied mainly due to the United States initiated incentives. According to The World Bank (2015) the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Haiti was last recorded at $810 U.S. dollars in 2013....
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...Have you ever heard of Haiti? You might have heard it on the news after multiple, unbearable natural disasters occurred there. Even though Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, there are so many things you can do, both night and day. Hawaii? Overdone. India? Forget it. Haiti? Perfect! To begin, why would anyone want to go to Haiti? Well something fun you can do is celebrating the holidays with the Haitians. Even though most people would expect everyone in Haiti to be sad and depressed, but everyone in Haiti is happy when the holidays. They celebrate Easter, New Year's, Labor Day, and the Independence Day, they also celebrate Carnival, and dress up as monsters in a parade. The celebration continues for three days both night...
Words: 400 - Pages: 2
...Another layer to President Clinton’s concerns when it came to Cuba and Haiti was the immigration situations surrounding both countries. President Clinton felt and saw the potential for thousands of immigrants to make their way towards U.S. soil all at once if he and his administration did not act to deter this from happening. When looking at each country President Clinton had good reason to be cautious and somewhat fearful of a swell in immigration based off of his past experiences in office. Clinton, while concerned with the Cuban-American community, had greater concerns for a potential Mariel boat lift as the previous one is why he saw to be the main reason he was not reelected as the governor of Arkansas (Pastor). In 1980 the Mariel boatlift...
Words: 1152 - Pages: 5
...People, Culture, & Economy of Haiti Have you ever traveled outside of your country? This was my first time traveling outside the United States of America. I thought it would be to vacation to paradise, but it’s to Haiti. Not what I wanted, however some opportunities you can’t let pass you up. Have you ever paid to traveled to do community/relief service outside your country? The act of traveling to help others has to be a true passion in life. I have vacationed outside the country once and it was a trip to Haiti. I rather travel to another country for relief work, than just to vacation. During my process of traveling I figured that you can’t be traveling to help others because you feel sorry. You must truly love to help others in life. My name is Stephen Gordon and I just completed my first year at Upper Iowa University with a Business Administration major. I am from Altgeld Gardens, which is located on the far south side in Chicago, Illinois. Atlgeld Gardens was named after Illinois Governor John Altgeld. It was established in 1945 and it’s an historic site. Altgeld Gardens is the first public housing projects built in the United States of America and was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Altgeld is completely occupied by low income families. The residents of Altgeld Gardens have little education and live off public aid and SSI. Most people love living off the money the government provides. The typical household in Altgeld Gardens is a single mom...
Words: 2598 - Pages: 11
...Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. This country is made of Religion which eighty percent of Haitians are Catholic. Over time effects of Haiti evolved such as Diseases that are common in Haiti which is why the orphanage percentage is extremely high. Only about ten percent of children who were enrolled in elementary grow up to go to high school in which can be successful . This country has the highest percentage than any other country of orphanage. Just a little over half of Haitians can read and write while the others are illiterate. The Literate population makes up only fifty two percent. Another significant role in Haiti is the popular sport of Soccer; this is commonly played in the country. One of the greatest...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
... Haiti is a known country with different and notable attributes; some are good while others are as bad. It has a population of 9.8 million inhabitants making it the most populous state in the Caribbean. Haiti is the first republic of the African descent and it is the second oldest country in the continent America from the US. On the other hand, Haiti was known to abolish slavery without extensive blood letting as compared to other nations in the continent. Haiti in economic terms, has the lowest per capita income in the continent (Richard, 1991). Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and has been facing economic challenges as well as ecological obstacles for development. Over the years, the country’s economy has been deteriorating. Frequent ocurrence of natural calamities like floods and earthquake have made the Haiti’s economy sink deeper. According to the World Bank, in 1988, it was the only country in the Americas that had US$425. In the 1980s, the Haitian economy started to be dependent on agriculture, although, depending on agriculture alone could not sustain the country’s economy bearing that the labor cost have risen compared to the decrease in exports. Agricultural expansion in the country contributed to the deforestations which on the other hand caused soil erosions hence reduced production. There were other several avenues that contributed to the Haiti’s economy that included manufacturing, tourism and transportation. Haiti was considered...
Words: 1692 - Pages: 7
...Haiti is located in the West Indies and is made up by the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. This country is about the size of the state Maryland in the U.S. Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country made up of countless valleys, widespread plateaus, and small plains. Agriculture is the prime economic activity in Haiti. Subsistence crops include cassava, rice, sugarcane, sorghum, yams, corn, and plantains. Most Haitians own and farm small pieces of land throughout the country. The great population density has caused rural poverty and is also a major factor in the country's extensive deforestation, which has contributed to the scarcity of agricultural land. Haiti's biggest exports are light manufactures and coffee; other exports include oils, cocoa, mangoes, sugar, sisal, and bauxite. Haitians' exports are mainly agricultural goods and services: 66% of the population work in agriculture, 9% in industry and 25% in services, yet 28% of the profit comes from agriculture, 20% from industry and 52% from services (CIA, 2010). The United States is the country's primary trading partner. Industry in Haiti consists largely of light assembly of imported parts and the...
Words: 590 - Pages: 3