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Haiti,  «HAY tee», is a country in the West Indies. It covers the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which lies between Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. The Dominican Republic covers eastern Hispaniola. Most of Haiti is mountainous, and the country's name comes from an Indian word that means high ground.
Haiti’s official name in French is Republique d’Haiti. Its official name in Creole is Repiblik dAyiti. Both official names mean Republic of Haiti. Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s capital and largest city.
Haiti is the oldest black republic in the world. In addition, it is the second oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere. Only the United States is older. Haiti has been independent since 1804. Most of the time, it has been ruled by dictators.
Haiti is one of the most densely populated and least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere. Most Haitians are farmers who raise food mainly for their families. The country has a shortage of hospitals and doctors. Because of poor diet and medical care—especially in rural areas—the average life expectancy in Haiti is only about 50 years.
Christopher Columbus arrived at Hispaniola in 1492. His crew established a Spanish base in what is now Haiti. Later, French settlers developed Haiti into what was then the richest colony in the Caribbean.
Government. A president serves as Haiti's head of state. The people elect the president to a five-year term. The president appoints a prime minister to serve as head of the government. A parliament called the National Assembly makes the country's laws. The people elect members of the upper house, called the Senate, to six-year terms. Members of the lower house, called the Chamber of Deputies, are elected to four-year terms. Print "Government" subsection
People. Most of the people are descendants of Africans brought to Haiti to work as slaves. A majority of Haitians live in the country's overcrowded coastal plains and mountain valleys, where the soil is most productive. A typical Haitian family grows beans, corn, rice, yams, and other necessities on a tiny plot of land. They may also raise chickens, pigs, or goats. The family usually lives in a one-room dwelling built with a thatched roof and walls made of sticks covered with dried mud.
Most Haitian farmers use a hoe to till their land. Sometimes, a farmer will request help from other farmers for major jobs such as clearing the land, planting, or harvesting crops. This type of cooperative effort is called a combite (also spelled coumbite). During a combite, the farmers encourage one another with music and singing.
Most Haitians belong to the Roman Catholic Church. However, the religious beliefs and practices of many Haitians are strongly influenced by African customs. As a result, a form of religion traditionally known as Voodoo exists in Haiti. People who follow Voodoo, also spelled Vodou, believe that by performing certain ceremonies they can be monte (taken over) by spirits. For example, a houngan (Voodoo priest) draws a veve (sacred design) on the ground with flour. Then, the people dance until spirits have taken over one or more of them. The followers of Voodoo believe in many spirits, such as the gods of rain, love, war, and farming. Since the mid-1900’s, a growing number of Haitians have become Protestants.
About 5 percent of the people of Haiti are mulattoes (people of mixed African and European ancestry). Most mulattoes belong to the middle or upper class, and many have been educated abroad. Most live comfortably in modern houses and are merchants, doctors, or lawyers. A few Americans, Europeans, and Syrians also live in Haiti. Most Haitians speak Creole, a language partly based on French. The middle and upper classes also speak French. Print "People" subsection
Land. Mountains cover about 80 percent of Haiti. Two chains of rugged mountains run across the northern and southern parts of Haiti and form two peninsulas at the west end of the island. The northern peninsula juts about 100 miles (160 kilometers) into the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern peninsula extends about 200 miles (320 kilometers) into the Caribbean Sea. A gulf, Golfe de la Gonave, and an island, Ile de la Gonave, lie between the two peninsulas. The wide Artibonite Valley of the Artibonite River lies between the mountains in eastern Haiti. Tortue Island (also called Tortuga Island) lies off the northern coast. Tropical pines and mahogany forests cover some mountains, and tropical fruit trees grow on others.
The people grow coffee and cacao (seeds used to make cocoa and chocolate) in the mountains. Rice and sugar cane are the main crops in the black, fertile soil of the Artibonite Valley. Because of a shortage of suitable land, farmers raise crops wherever they can, even on steep mountain slopes. In some mountain areas, overcultivation has resulted in serious soil erosion.
Haiti has a tropical climate with mild temperatures. Temperatures range from 70 to 95 °F (21 to 35 °C) along the coasts and from 50 to 75 °F (10 to 24 °C) in the mountains. The tropical forests in the northern mountains receive about 80 inches (200 centimeters) of rain a year. The southern coast receives less than 40 inches (100 centimeters). Destructive hurricanes sometimes strike the country between June and October. Print "Land" subsection
Economy. Most of Haiti's workers farm for a living. But most farmers own less than 2 acres (0.8 hectare) of land, barely enough to grow food for their families. Some people who live in the mountains raise fruits and coffee beans that they sell in the marketplaces. A few mulattoes own large plantations, where laborers raise coffee, sugar cane, or sisal (a plant used to make twine). Many Haitians work on plantations in the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
Haiti has few industries. Coffee and sugar cane are processed there and sold to the United States, France, and other countries. Haiti also has a few cotton mills. Craftworkers in the cities sell tourists handicrafts woven from sisal or carved out of mahogany. Brightly colored paintings depicting scenes of Haitian life and myths of Haitian Voodoo are also sold. Haiti imports small amounts of cotton goods, grain, and machinery.
Several international airlines make stops in Port-au-Prince. The cities of Cap-Haïtien, Les Cayes, and Saint-Marc are important seaports. During the 1950’s, tourism was an important part of Haiti’s economy. However, since the 1970’s, tourism has greatly decreased because of political unrest in the country. Some cruise ships stop at Labadie, a small resort on Haiti’s northern coast. Print "Economy" subsection
History. Christopher Columbus arrived at an island he named Hispaniola in 1492. One of his ships, the Santa Maria, ran aground on Christmas Day on reefs near the present-day city of Cap-Haïtien. Columbus' crew used the ship's timber to build a fort, which Columbus named Fort Navidad. Some of the crew stayed to hold the fort when Columbus sailed on. But the Arawak Indians who lived on the island destroyed the fort and killed the men.
Columbus discovered gold in what is now the Dominican Republic. Other Spanish settlers then rushed to Hispaniola. They forced the Indians to mine gold and raise food. They treated the Indians so harshly that by 1530 only a few hundred Indians were alive. Africans were then brought in and forced to work as slaves.
Spanish settlers began leaving Hispaniola for more prosperous Spanish settlements in Peru and Mexico. By 1606, there were so few Spaniards left on Hispaniola that the king of Spain ordered them to move closer to the city of Santo Domingo (in what is now the Dominican Republic). French, English, and Dutch settlers then took over the abandoned northern and western coasts of Hispaniola. Many settlers became pirates called buccaneers. The buccaneers used the small island of Tortue (also called Tortuga) as a base and attacked ships carrying gold and silver to Spain. The Spanish tried to drive out the buccaneers but failed. In 1697, Spain recognized French control of the western third of the island.
France named its new colony Saint-Domingue. French colonists brought in Africans as slaves and developed big coffee and spice plantations. By 1788, there were eight times as many slaves (almost 500,000) as colonists.
In 1791, during the French Revolution, the slaves in Saint-Domingue rebelled against their French masters. The slaves destroyed plantations and towns. Toussaint Louverture, a former slave, took control of the government and restored some order to the colony. Toussaint wanted to separate Saint-Domingue from France. He wrote a constitution that essentially removed Saint-Domingue from French control. But Napoleon I came to power in France in 1799, and in 1802, he sent an army to Saint-Domingue to restore French rule. After several battles, the army sent by Napoleon captured Toussaint and imprisoned him in France, where he later died. In Saint-Domingue, many of the French soldiers caught yellow fever and died. After a long campaign, the African rebels defeated the French army in 1803. On Jan. 1, 1804, General Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the leader of the rebels, proclaimed the colony an independent country named Haiti.
Dessalines became the nation's first chief of state. When he was killed in 1806, two other generals, Alexandre Petion and Henri Christophe, struggled for power. Petion took control of southern Haiti, and Christophe took control of the northern part of the country. Jean-Pierre Boyer replaced Petion in 1818 and reunited the country after Christophe committed suicide in 1820. In 1821, Boyer took control of the Spanish colony in eastern Hispaniola. Haiti ruled it until the colony revolted in 1844. During the next 70 years, 32 different men ruled Haiti. Unrest spread throughout the country.
In 1915, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sent marines to Haiti to restore order. He feared other nations might try to take Haiti if unrest continued. Haitians resented this interference. The U.S. occupation force made Haiti make payments on its large debts to other countries. It strengthened the government, built highways, schools, and hospitals, and set up a sanitation program that eliminated yellow fever in Haiti. The U.S. force withdrew in 1934, and Haiti regained control of its own affairs. The next two Haitian presidents encouraged foreign companies to invest money in Haiti. But the upper-class mulattoes benefited most from these investments.
Army officers took control of Haiti's government in 1946, and again in 1949 after riots broke out. An army officer, Paul Magloire, was elected president in 1950. He resigned in 1956 when rioting broke out, and the army took control of the government again.
François Duvalier, a country doctor, was elected president of Haiti in 1957. In 1964, he declared himself president for life. Duvalier ruled as a dictator. In 1971, Haiti's Constitution was amended to allow the president to choose his successor. Duvalier chose his son, Jean-Claude. François Duvalier died in April 1971. Jean-Claude, then only 19 years old, succeeded him. He also declared himself president for life and ruled as a dictator. Both the Duvaliers controlled Haiti's armed forces and a secret police force. The secret police enforced the Duvaliers' policies, often using violence. The people called the secret police Tontons Macoutes (bogeymen). See Back in Time: Haiti (1964); Haiti (1971).
In the early 1970's, many people left Haiti because of poor economic conditions and severe treatment by the secret police. In 1986, Haitians staged a revolt against Jean-Claude Duvalier. Jean-Claude fled from Haiti. Lieutenant General Henri Namphy became head of the government. Namphy tried to disband the Tontons Macoutes but failed. See Back in Time: Haiti (1986).
A constitution adopted in March 1987 provided for presidential and national assembly elections by the people. But the government tried to shift control of the elections from a civilian electoral council to the army. The presidential election was to be held on Nov. 29, 1987. But as a result of terrorist attacks on voters at polling places, the election was canceled. In January 1988, new elections were held. The voters elected a parliament and a civilian president. In June 1988, Namphy overthrew the government and seized power. He declared himself president of a military government.
In September 1988, officers of Haiti's Presidential Guard seized power from Namphy. Lieutenant General Prosper Avril declared himself president and began to rule as a dictator. In March 1990, Avril resigned his office following protests against his rule.
In December 1990, the Haitian people elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president. However, in September 1991, military leaders overthrew Aristide. Aristide fled the country. The Organization of American States (OAS), an association of North and South American nations, led a trade boycott against Haiti designed to force Aristide's return to power. The United Nations (UN) later imposed its own boycott. Following the coup, many Haitians attempted to flee to the United States in small boats. At first, the U.S. government forced most of the refugees to return to Haiti. Later, the government sent fleeing refugees to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. See Back in Time: Haiti (1991).
On July 3, 1993, the Haitian military agreed to allow Aristide to return to office and restore a democratic government by October 30. But the military leaders failed to carry out the agreement and barred Aristide from returning. The UN and the United States demanded that the agreement be followed. On Sept. 18, 1994, the United States began sending troops to Haiti to force the Haitian military to do so. The military then agreed to give up control and allow Aristide to return. United States troops were stationed in Haiti to help keep order. Aristide returned to office in October. The OAS and UN boycotts were then ended. The refugees at Guantanamo returned to Haiti. See Back in Time: Haiti (1994). Most U.S. troops left Haiti in March 1995, though some remained as part of a UN peacekeeping force. In late 1995, René Préval, a member of Aristide's Lavalas coalition, was elected president. Préval took office in early 1996. The United States withdrew the last of its combat troops from Haiti in April 1996. UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 1998. Aristide was again elected to the presidency in November 2000. He took office in early 2001.
Under Aristide, Haiti suffered economic hardship and political instability. His opponents claimed that the presidential and legislative elections held in 2000 were fraudulent. As a result, foreign donors refused to release aid to Haiti. Coup attempts and demonstrations both for and against Aristide erupted in Haiti in the years following the election. Political opposition groups refused to take part in or deal with a government that included Aristide.
In early 2004, a violent rebellion spread across northern Haiti. The rebels, who included former members of Haiti's army, demanded Aristide's resignation. On February 29, Aristide resigned and fled to Africa. Soon afterward, a U.S.-led peacekeeping force arrived in Haiti. The chief justice of Haiti's Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, became president of a transitional government. In exile, Aristide said that the United States had forced him to resign, but U.S. officials denied the charge. In June 2004, the U.S.-led peacekeeping force handed over its duties to a UN peacekeeping force led by Brazil.
In May 2004, flash floods from torrential rains caused widespread destruction in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. More than 1,400 people were killed in the two countries, and more than 1,800 others were missing. In Haiti, entire villages were wiped out, including Mapou and Fond Verrettes. Extensive deforestation of Hispaniola contributed to the flooding. In September, flooding and mud slides caused by Tropical Storm Jeanne killed over 3,000 people in Haiti.
In February 2006, Haitians voted for a president and parliament to replace the interim government that had held power since 2004. An electoral commission declared former President René Préval the winner following accusations of election fraud and street protests in Préval's favor. Préval, a former ally of President Aristide, belongs to the L'Espwa (The Hope) party and has wide support among Haiti's poor.
Tropical storms and hurricanes killed hundreds of Haitians and left many thousands homeless in August and September 2008. The city of Gonaïves was largely destroyed, and the country's agriculture suffered huge losses.
In April 2008, rioting broke out in Les Cayes and Port-au-Prince over steeply rising food prices. In response, the Haitian parliament dismissed Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis, claiming he had not done enough to improve the troubled economy. Michèle Pierre-Louis, Haiti's second woman prime minister, replaced him in September. In October 2009, the Senate dissolved Pierre-Louis's government because of her economic policies. President Préval then appointed Jean-Max Bellerive, Pierre-Louis's minister of planning and external cooperation, as prime minister.
A powerful earthquake—the region's worst in more than 200 years—struck Haiti in January 2010. The earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince. It was estimated initially that thousands of people had been killed, and several million affected, by the disaster. Print "History" subsection
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