Haiti

Description of Haiti

Officially known as the Republic of Haiti, this country is situated on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. On the same island, Dominican Republic is also situated.

History, Map and Language

The first day of the recorded history of Haiti is 5^th December 1492 when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola. At that time, it was inhabited by Taino. Columbus claimed the island for the Spanish Crown and established a first proper settlement here using the timber of his wrecked ship. After that he went back and came again in 1493. On his arrival, he discovered that his settlement was destroyed. So, he continued traveling and settled another settlement on the eastern part of the island. This marched the beginning of Spanish empire there, which went on till 1625.

In 1625, French established their colony here. Slavery was the promoted by them. They discriminated people on the basis of color and created very poor conditions for the slaves. Finally, in 1791 the native people started the Haitian revolution for their freedom. In 1804, Haiti declared itself as independent and became the first country of the Caribbean to get independence. Haiti today has a stable semi-presidential government. In 2010, the country was struck by a drastic earthquake that caused a lot of damages. But the country recovered very quickly.

Haiti covers the total area of 27,750 km² and has a population of about 10 million. It has the Dominican Republic as its only neighbor on the map. French and Haitian Creole are the official languages.

Culture and Holidays

People of many different cultures have settled here over the centuries. These include Africans, French, Spanish and the ancient natives Taino. Contribution of all those cultures can be seen even today. Paintings and other forms of arts have been, and still are, promoted here. Dance and music are very popular among the people. Haiti is very rich when it comes to food. There are literally hundreds of different dishes that originated here. Football is the favorite sport of locals. There are numerous football clubs that promote this game. Haiti celebrates a lot of holidays, both national and international.

Presently this country is popular for the Haiti Adoption programs. This is a very thoughtful attempt for finding new homes for children who have lost their families. Haiti Mission is another great cause for improving the standard of living here.

Climate and Weather

Most of the year, the country has a hot and humid climate. The rest of the year the weather is mostly dry. There is an annual rain of about 150 cm. In winters, the temperature is between 15 and 25^oC and in summers it is between 25 and 35.

Travel and Tourism

Tourism is greatly promoted here. Haiti hotels are considered to be pretty good. The markets and beaches are nice for travel. And the food here is too good. If you like history, knowing about Haiti facts will take up all your time.

Vacation and destinations

For vacation, beaches are considered to the best destinations. Besides that there are a lot of beautiful historic monuments to see.

Some facts about Haiti

Gallery of Haiti

Haiti video guide

More information about Haiti

Top cities of Haiti