Haïti : The country
LOCATION:
Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean sea and the north Atlantic ocean, west of the Dominican republic
AREA:
27,750 sq km (10, 714 sq m) approximately the size of the state of Maryland in the U.S
CLIMATE:
Tropical-average temperature is 70-81 degrees f population: 10.6 million (approx 5 million in capital of port-au-prince) projected population in 2025: 13.2 million
INFANT MORTALITY RATE:
62.3 deaths per 1000 live births (8.26 in the United States of America)
LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH:
62.7 years (77.8 years in the United States)
HEALTH:
1.8 Doctor for every 10.000 people, 1.9 nurses for every 10.000 people
LITERACY
Only 60.7% of those over 15 can read and write (95.5% in the U.S)
NATIONAL HOLIDAY-INDEPENDENCE DAY-JANUARY 1rst
Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804.
ECONOMY
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with 80% of its population living under the poverty line. The per capita income in Haiti is $718.02 USD per year. The vast majority of Haitians live with less than $2 us per day.
LANGUAGE
French is the official language of the government and business, but the Haitian Creole, mixture of French and African languages, is primarily spoken.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The native of Taino Amerindians, who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, were virtually annihilated by the Spanish setters within 25 years. In the early 17th century the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean. This was accomplished only through the importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti’s nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint Louverture. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804.