Haiti is a country situated on the western third of the island of Hispaniola and the smaller islands of La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Grande Caye, and Ile a Vache in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba; the Dominican Republic shares Hispaniola with Haiti. Its total land area is 10,714 square miles (27,750 square km) and its capital is Port-au-Prince on the main island of Hispaniola. Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying east of Cuba. ... Note: There is also a group of islands called the Dry Tortugas, part of the Florida Keys. ... Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, south of the Gulf of Mexico. ... Categories: Caribbean geography stubs | Capitals in North America | Haiti ...

A former French colony, it was the first country in the Americas after the United States to declare its independence. In spite of its longevity, it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The French established colonies across the New World in the 17th century. ... The Americas (sometimes referred to as America) is the area including the land mass located between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, generally divided into North America and South America. ... The Western Hemisphere contains The Americas and nearby islands. ...

(In Detail)
National motto: L'Union Fait La Force (French: Union Makes Strength)
Official languages	Kreyòl, French
Capital	Port-au-Prince
President	Boniface Alexandre (interim)
Prime Minister	Gérard Latortue
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 143rd 27,750 km² 0.7%
Population  - Total (Year)  - Density	Ranked 92nd 7.5 million (July 2003) 271/km²
GDP  - Total (Year)  - GDP/head	$10.6 billion (2002) $1,400
Currency	Gourde (HTG)
Time zone	UTC -5 (no DST)
Independence  - Declared  - Recognised	(from France) January 1, 1804 1825 (Fr), 1863 (USA)
National anthem	La Dessalinienne
Internet TLD	.ht
Calling Code	509

History

Main article: History of Haiti The Spaniards used the island of Hispaniola - also known as Haiti, Quisqueya, and Bohio (of which the Republic of Haiti occupies the western third and the Dominican Republic the remainder in the modern era) - as a base in the early 16th century from which to establish European domination of the...

1492-1804: Years following colonization

The Hispaniola's indigenous Arawak (or Taíno) population suffered near-extinction in the decades after Christopher Columbus's arrival in 1492. The island was eventually repopulated by the late 17th century with African slaves to work the sugar plantations. Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying east of Cuba. ... The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for cassava flour), was used to designate the friendly Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in the Caribbean. ... The Taíno are the pre-colombian Amerindian inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Hispaniola ( Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Bahamas. ... No authentic contemporary portrait of Columbus has been found; this late 19th-century engraving is one of many conjectural images For information about the director, see the article on Chris Columbus. ... Events January 2 - Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada, surrenders his city to the army of Ferdinand and Isabella after a lengthy siege. ... A monument celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, erected in Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, Westminster, London Wiktionary has a definition of: Slavery Slavery can mean one or more related conditions which involve control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or...

In 1697 Spain ceded the western third of the Hispaniola - which was then called Saint-Domingue - to France. It became one of the richest colonies in the 18th century French empire. On August 22, 1791, the slave population revolted, which led to a war of attrition against the French. They defeated an army sent by Napoléon Bonaparte and declared independence on January 1, 1804. Events September 20 - The Treaty of Ryswick December 2 – St Pauls Cathedral opened in London Peter the Great travels in Europe officially incognito as artilleryman Pjotr Mikhailov Use of palanquins increases in Europe Christopher Polhem starts Swedens first technical school. ... 1791 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Spaniards used the island of Hispaniola - also known as Haiti, Quisqueya, and Bohio (of which the Republic of Haiti occupies the western third and the Dominican Republic the remainder in the modern era) - as a base in the early 16th century from which to establish European domination of the... Attrition warfare is a strategic concept that to win a war, ones enemy must be worn down to the point of collapse by continuous losses in personnel and materiel. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

1804-1915: Post-Independence

Haiti then established the world's first Black republic, making a commitment to end all slavery everywhere along with helping Venezuela, Peru and Colombia to achieve independence under such revolutionary leaders as Bolívar and Miranda. Toussaint L'Ouverture abolished slavery in the neighboring Dominican republic. Threatened by this attack on slavery and colonialism, the United States and Western Europe instated sanctions against Haiti. In addition to this economic blow, in 1825 France demanded "reparations" to former slaveholders, amounting to 90 million gold francs (equivalent to $21.7 billion today). Haiti continued to make payments to France until the 1950s. In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people that dont found their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people living in that state or country. ... Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a South American revolutionary leader. ... François-Dominique Toussaint LOuverture, also Toussaint-Louverture (1743 - April 7, 1803) was one of the leaders of the Haitian slave revolt of 1791 and a major figure in the struggles that followed. ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Haiti has since become the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has been plagued by political violence and corrupt dictators for most of its history. Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ...

1915: U.S. Occupation

American President Woodrow Wilson sent the first sailors and marines to Port-au-Prince on July 28, 1915. Within six weeks, representatives from the United States controlled Haitian customs houses and administrative institutions. For the next nineteen years, Haiti's powerful neighbor to the north guided and governed the country. During this period the legal government of Haiti was (both technically and effectively) the U.S. Marine Corps. The specific order from the Navy to the invasion commander, Admiral William B. Caperton, was to "protect American and foreign" interests. Dr. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 45th state Governor of New Jersey (1911-1913) and later the 28th President of the United States (1913-1921). ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...

Representatives from the United States wielded veto power over all governmental decisions in Haiti, and Marine Corps commanders served as administrators in the provinces. Local institutions, however, continued to be run by Haitians, as was required under policies put in place during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.

Philippe Sudre Dartiguenave, the mulatto president of the Senate, agreed to accept the presidency of Haiti after several other candidates had refused on principle. Representation of Mulattos during the Latin American colonial period Mulatto (also Mulato) is a term of Spanish and/or Portuguese origin describing first-generation offspring of African and European ancestry. ...

With a figurehead installed in the National Palace and other institutions maintained in form if not in function, Admiral Caperton declared martial law, a condition that persisted until 1929. 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1917 President Dartiguenave dissolved the legislature after its members refused to approve a constitution written by United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt. A referendum subsequently approved the new constitution (by a vote of 98,225 to 768), however, in 1918. Generally a liberal document, the constitution allowed foreigners to purchase land. Dessalines had forbidden land ownership by foreigners, and since 1804 most Haitians had viewed foreign ownership as anathema. 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

1918: Rebellion

The occupation by the United States had several effects on Haiti. An early period of unrest culminated in a 1918 rebellion by up to 40,000 former cacos and other disgruntled people. The scale of the uprising overwhelmed the Gendarmerie, but marine reinforcements helped put down the revolt at the estimated cost of 2,000 Haitian lives. Thereafter, order prevailed to a degree that most Haitians had never witnessed. The order, however, was imposed largely by white foreigners with deep-seated racial prejudices and a disdain for the notion of self-determination by inhabitants of less-developed nations. These attitudes particularly dismayed the mulatto elite, who had heretofore believed in their innate superiority over the black masses. The whites from North America, however, did not distinguish among Haitians, regardless of their skin tone, level of education, or sophistication. This intolerance caused indignation, resentment, and eventually a racial pride that was reflected in the work of a new generation of Haitian historians, ethnologists, writers, artists, and others, many of whom later became active in politics and government. Still, as Haitians united in their reaction to the racism of the occupying forces, the mulatto elite managed to dominate the country's bureaucracy and to strengthen its role in national affairs.

The occupation greatly improved some of Haiti's infrastructure. Roads were improved and expanded through the use of forced-labour gangs. This violent form of "corvee labour", with chain-gangs and armed guards permitted to shoot anyone who fled compulsory service, was widely regarded as tantamount to slavery. The education system was re-designed from the ground up; however, this involved the destruction of the pre-existing system of "Liberal Arts" education inherited (and adapted) from the French. It is to be observed that the U.S. Marine corps was even less successful in creating a system of education for Haitians than the contemporary government of the U.S. was in providing access to education for its own Black population. Also, due to its emphasis on vocational training, the American system that replaced the French was despised by the elite. Thus, among the two major infrastructural programs carried out by the government of occupation, the use of forced labour enraged the lower classes of rural Haiti, and the educational "reform" enraged the urban elite.

1922: Louis Borno

In 1922 Louis Borno replaced Dartiguenave, who was forced out of office for temporizing over the approval of a debt consolidation loan. Borno ruled without the benefit of a legislature (dissolved in 1917 under Dartiguenave) until elections were again permitted in 1930. The legislature, after several ballots, elected mulatto Sténio Vincent to the presidency. 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Sténio Joseph Vincent (1874-1959) was President of Haiti from November 18, 1930 to May 15, 1941. ...

The occupation of Haiti continued after World War I, despite the embarrassment that it caused Woodrow Wilson at the Paris peace conference in 1919 and the scrutiny of a congressional inquiry in 1922. By 1930 President Herbert Hoover had become concerned about the effects of the occupation, particularly after a December 1929 incident in Les Cayes in which marines killed at least ten Haitian peasants during a march to protest local economic conditions. Hoover appointed two commissions to study the situation. A former governor general of the Philippines, W. Cameron Forbes, headed the more prominent of the two. The Forbes Commission praised the material improvements that the United States administration had wrought, but it criticized the exclusion of Haitians from positions of real authority in the government and the constabulary, which had come to be known as the Garde d'Haïti. In more general terms, the commission further asserted that "the social forces that created [instability] still remain--poverty, ignorance, and the lack of a tradition or desire for orderly free government." Missing image Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) is best known as being the 31st (1929-1933) President of the United States. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

1932: U.S. Withdrawal

The Hoover administration did not implement fully the recommendations of the Forbes Commission, but United States withdrawal was under way by 1932, when Hoover lost the presidency to Roosevelt, the presumed author of the most recent Haitian constitution. On a visit to Cap Haïtien in July 1934, Roosevelt reaffirmed an August 1933 disengagement agreement. The last contingent of marines departed in mid-August, after a formal transfer of authority to the Garde. As in other countries occupied by the United States in the early twentieth century, the local (U.S.-trained) military was often the only cohesive and effective institution left in the wake of withdrawal. This sowed the seeds for a sequence of military-backed dictatorships, all attached to American patronage, which would define the next 50 years of Haiti's history. 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ...

The Rise of Duvalier

A medical doctor, François Duvalier was not allowed to establish his own practice due to racist customs in Haiti (he was black). After securing employment with an American medical project that was fighting widespread tuberculosis, Duvalier had the opportunity to see the poverty that existed in the countryside. François Duvalier known as Papa Doc (possibly April 14, 1907 - April 21, 1971) was the President of Haiti from 1957 and later dictator from 1964 until his death. ...

This fueled his interest in politics, and despite the fact that the Haitian government was predominantly mulatto, Duvalier was able to gain a following and joined forces with powerful union leader Daniel Fignole. Together they formed the popular Mouvement Ouvriers Paysans (MOP) party. They continued to gain public support and waited for their moment to seize the power.

Both men wanted to take the top job of President, therefore the party was split and in 1957 Fignole became president of Haiti. His position lasted only 18 days, however, because Duvalier was able to overthrow him and began what was to become a 29-year dynasty.

1957-1986: Duvaliers and Aborted freeport

Duvalier, also known as "Papa Doc," became president in 1957 and dictator in 1964. He was known for his army of sunglasses-clad volunteers, the Tonton Macoute. In 1967 proposals were made to construct a freeport on the Haitain island of Tortuga by a consortium formed in the United States by Don Pierson of Eastland, Texas. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A Tonton Macoute brandishing his machete The Tonton Macoutes (singular Tonton Macoute referring to a member thereof; or Ton Ton Macoute) was a Haitian militia force under the control of François Duvalier (better known as Papa Doc). Created in 1959 and renamed officially in 1971 as the VSN (Volontaires... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Freeport is the name of several localities. ... Note: There is also a group of islands called the Dry Tortugas, part of the Florida Keys. ... Donald Grey Pierson was born October 11, 1925 and died age 70 on March 30, 1996 at Eastland, Texas. ... On July 24, 1915, the Eastland, along with the Theodore Roosevelt and the Petoskey, were hired to take employees from Chicagos Western Electric Company to a picnic in Michigan City, Indiana. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ...

These plans reached maturity in 1971 when a 99-year contract was entered into by François Duvalier on behalf of the Haitian government. Although construction of infastructure and a new international airport was commenced, two other events brought about the sudden demise of the whole venture. When François Duvalier suddenly died in 1971 his son Jean-Claude Duvalier ("Baby Doc") took over at the age of 19. In 1974 it became known that the freeport had entered into a multimillion dollar contract with the Gulf Oil corporation to advance development on the island. This news prompted "Baby Doc" to expropriate the venture for himself, which in turn caused its sudden collapse. 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed B Doc or Baby Doc) (born July 3, 1951) was President of Haiti from 1971 to 1986. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Gulf Oil was a major United States oil company in the 1930s and 1940s. ...

When Jean-Claude Duvalier was deposed in 1986, the entire country remained in poverty lacking international commercial development. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1986: After Duvalier Regime

Over three decades of dictatorship were followed by military rule which ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president. Most of his term was usurped by a military coup d'etat, but he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the presidency in 1996. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jean-Bertrand Aristide Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born July 15, 1953) is a Haitian politician and former priest who was President of Haiti in 1991, from 1994 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2004. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

2000-2004: Crisis and the post-Aristide era

In May 2000, Haiti held legislative and local government elections. The Family Lavalas Party won over 50% of the vote is nearly all the contests but a dispute arose about the method used to tabulate the percentages for the Senate elections. The OAS and the international community condemed the results for the Senate elections as fradulent. The Haitian government refused to re-calculate the percentages. In response, most of the opposition parties refused to acknowledge the results or take part in second-round run-offs. In the months leading up to the Presidential election at the end of the year, numerous negotiations failed to produce a settlement. Therefore, most opposition groups boycotted the Presidential election. Aristide easily won this election, but due to the earlier dispute, the opposition parties never accepted his victory as legitimate. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Arisitide took office on February 7, 2001, but his presidency was mired in controversy, and his government was undermined by the political impasse and international reluctance to release foreign assistance. By 2003, the country was deeply divided between pro-and anti-Aristide camps.This finally led to an armed conflict which increased in intensity on February 5, 2004, 200 years after the Haitian Revolution, when an armed rebel group calling itself the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front took control of the Gonaïves police station. This rebellion then spread throughout the central Artibonite province by February 17 and was joined by opponents of the government who had been in exile in the Dominican Republic. February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Haitian Revolution was the first successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere and established Haiti as a free, black republic, the first of its kind. ... The National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Haiti is a rebel group in Haiti that presently controls most of the country. ... Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of Artibonite department. ... Categories: Caribbean geography stubs | Departments of Haiti ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

At 5:30AM on February 29, 2004, President Aristide left Haiti on a white US jet with an American flag on the tail wing. He alleges he was kidnapped from Haiti by a group of Haitians, 20 US soldiers, and 19 American employees of a private American security company called the Steele Foundation. There were also wives and a one year old baby on board. The US (including Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, and Colin Powell) have consistently maintained that Aristide left Haiti willingly. But in an interview that Amy Goodman of Pacifica Radio conducted with Aristide's bodyguard, Franz Gabriel, the bodyguard contradicted the US version of events, stating that he thought it was in fact a kidnapping. According to Gabriel, he and Aristide were mislead on the morning of Sunday, the twenty-ninth by Luis Moreno, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince into believing that they were going to a press conference at the US embassy. Instead the convoy turned into the airport rather than continuing onto the embassy. Once at the airport he said they witnessed the white jet land, and amidst a group of battle-ready US soldiers they were whisked onto the plane. At no time, according to Gabriel, were they told the destination of their flight. Gabriel also recalled that the soldiers quickly changed into civilian clothes once on board the plane. And at no point during the flight were either Aristide or Gabriel consulted with or spoken to about what was happening. After making an unannounced stop in Antigua the plane landed in the Central African Republic, seemingly a strange choice given the diplomatic and political isolation of CAR. February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is the current Secretary of Defense of the United States, since January 20, 2001, under President George W. Bush. ... Condoleezza Condi Rice, Ph. ... Colin Luther Powell (pronounced koh lihn, born April 5, 1937) was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving from January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005 under President George W. Bush. ... Pacifica Radio is a network of five independent, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations in the United States that is known for its leftist and pacifist political views. ...

Pursuant to Haiti's constitution, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, took over as interim president. Boniface Alexandre (b. ...

Using the pretext that Aristide had freely left his own country, a delegation of Aristide's friends and supporters, among them Congresswoman Maxine Waters and TransAfrica founder Randal Robinson, as well as the journalist Amy Goodman, flew to CAR to return him to the Caribbean. Leaving CAR did not prove easy for Aristide and his departure from CAR was at first opposed by the US ambassador to Haiti, James Foley, who said that Aristide and his wife Mildred should not be allowed to return within 150 miles of Haiti -- Jamaica being 130 miles away. But the delegation did prevail, and Aristide was flown to Kingston, Jamaica. Maxine Waters Maxine Waters (born August 15, 1938), United States politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1991, representing the 35th District of California. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Location of Kingston Kingston (population 600,000) is the capital of Jamaica and it is located southeast of the country. ...

Aristide and his family now live in exile in South Africa, and he maintains that he is the President of Haiti, and that he will return to Haiti some day. See Exile (disambiguation) for other meanings. ...

While in exile Aristide has granted few interviews. But, in a rare interview Aristide granted to the Afro-French journalist Claude Ribbe (2/21/2005), marking the anniversary of his removal from power, Aristide revealed that he was pressured by two French emissaries to leave the country or risk being killed. Aristide went on in the interview to identify the emisaries as Veronique de Villepin, sister of the French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, and Régis Debray, the French Foreign Minister's appointee. (To see the interview with Ribbe, go to: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8151.htm) In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. ... Dominique de Villepin photo: José Cruz/ABr Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin (born November 14, 1953; generally known as Dominique de Villepin;  pronunciation?) is a French civil servant and politician. ... Régis Debray is a French intellectual, journalist, government official and professor. ...

Sources: Democracynow.org, February 25, 2005 show marking anniversary of Aristides departure. And the March 16, 2004 Press Release from Congresswoman Maxine Waters: http://www.house.gov/waters/pr040316.htm

2004: Hurricane Jeanne

In mid-September 2004, Haiti was soaked by the flooding rains of Hurricane Jeanne. While Jeanne was only a tropical storm at the time with weak winds, the rains caused large mudslides and coastal flooding which killed more than 1,500 people and left 200,000 starving and homeless. September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with the 2004 Hurricane Jeanne. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... This article is about landslides of mud; a mudslide is also an alcoholic drink. ...

On the departure of Aristide on February 29th 2004, the US and France sent troops to restore order to the capital. These forces were eventually replaced by a 6,000 UN peacekeeping force. Since the end of September 2004, the UN troops have been involved in bitter street fighting with armed gangs - mostly supportive of the ousted Aristide government - in the capital's slum areas.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Haiti Haiti is officially a presidential republic, although it is often claimed to be authoritarian in practice. ...

Haiti is a presidential republic with an elected president and National Assembly. However, some claim it to be an authoritarian government in practice. On 29 February 2004, a rebellion culminated in the defacto resignation of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and it is unknown if the current political structure will remain. In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people that dont found their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people living in that state or country. ... The term authoritarian is used to describe an organization or a state which enforces strong and sometimes oppressive measures against the population, generally without attempts at gaining the consent of the population. ... February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jean-Bertrand Aristide Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born July 15, 1953) is a Haitian politician and former priest who was President of Haiti in 1991, from 1994 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2004. ...

The constitution was introduced in 1987 and is modeled on those of the United States and France. Having been either completely or partially suspended for some years, it was fully reinstated in 1994. 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Departments

Main article: Departments of Haiti Haiti is divided into nine departments (départements): Artibonite Centre GrandAnse Nord Nord-Est Nord-Ouest Ouest Sud Sud-Est Categories: Lists of subnational entities | Haiti | Departments of Haiti ...

Haiti is divided into ten departments (subdivisions):

• Artibonite
• Centre
• Grand'Anse
• Nippes
• Nord
• Nord-Est
• Nord-Ouest
• Ouest
• Sud
• Sud-Est

Categories: Caribbean geography stubs | Departments of Haiti ... Categories: Caribbean geography stubs | Departments of Haiti ... GrandAnse is one of the nine departments of Haiti. ... Categories: Stub | Departments of Haiti ... Categories: Stub | Departments of Haiti ... Categories: Caribbean geography stubs | Departments of Haiti ... Ouest (English: West) is one of the nine departments of Haiti. ... Categories: Stub | Departments of Haiti ... Categories: Stub | Departments of Haiti ...

Geography

Map of Haiti

Main article: Geography of Haiti Map of Haiti. ... Map of Haiti. ...

Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys. The east and central part is a large elevated plateau.

The biggest city is the capital Port-au-Prince with 2 million inhabitants, followed by Cap-Haïtien with 600,000. Categories: Caribbean geography stubs | Capitals in North America | Haiti ... Cap-Haïtien (or Le Cap) is a city of about 500,000 people on the north coast of Haiti. ...

Economy

Main article: Economy of Haiti Since the demise of the Duvalier dictatorship in 1986, international economists have urged Haiti to reform and modernize its economy. ...

Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 150th of 175 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index.

About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty, making it the second poorest country in the world. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced little job creation since President René Préval took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Failure to reach agreements with international sponsors have denied Haiti badly needed budget and development assistance. René Préval (born January 17, 1943) was the President of Haiti from February 7, 1996 to February 7, 2001. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Haiti Although Haiti averages approximately 250 people per square kilometre (650 per sq. ...

Although Haiti averages about 270 people per square kilometer, its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly mulatto, or mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage. About two thirds of the population live in rural areas. World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... Representation of Mulattos during the Latin American colonial period Mulatto (also Mulato) is a term of Spanish and/or Portuguese origin describing first-generation offspring of African and European ancestry. ... Caucasian is originally a geographical term, meaning relative or pertaining to the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe and West Asia. ... This article is about the continent. ... The Levant is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and in the east, the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia. ...

French is one of two official languages, but it is spoken by only about 10% of the people. Nearly all Haitians speak Krèyol(Creole), the country's other official language. English is increasingly spoken among the young and in the business sector. Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen) is a creole language based on the French language. ...

Roman Catholicism is the state religion, which the majority professes. Some have converted to Protestantism. Many Haitians also practice voodoo traditions, seeing no conflict with their Christian faith. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The term Voodoo (Vodun in Benin; also Vodou or other phonetically equivalent spellings in Haiti; Vudu in the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African ancestor-based Theist-Animist religious tradition. ...

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Haiti, Music of Haiti Religion of Haiti Although the official religion of Haiti, as inherited from the French colonialists, is Roman Catholicism, about 10% of the population believes in Voodooism, a religion that arose from the slavery-era. ... The music of Haiti is influenced most greatly by French colonial ties and African immigration (through slavery), as well as by its neighbor, the Dominican Republic (see music of the Dominican Republic). ...

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Haiti
• Transportation in Haiti
• Military of Haiti
• Foreign relations of Haiti

Telephones - main lines in use: 60,000 (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995) Telephone system: Domestic facilities are barely adequate. ... Railways: total: 40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line) - closed in early 1990s narrow gauge: 40 km 0. ... Since 1995, when the HNP was created to bring public security under civilian control as mandated in Haitis constitution, more than 6,000 police officers have completed training in modern law enforcement. ... Haiti is one of the original members of the United Nations and several of its specialized and related agencies, as well as a member of the Organization of American States (OAS). ...

External links

• AlterPresse (http://www.alterpresse.org), news briefs in several languages.
• CIA World Fact Book - Haiti (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ha.html)
• FAU Haitian Student Association (http://www.KonbitKreyol.com./)
• Haiti News (http://www.HavenWorks.com/world/haiti)
• Haiti Support Group (http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org/)
• National Coalition for Haitian Rights (http://www.nchr.org)
• National Palace (http://www.palaisnational.info/)
• Port Haiti (http://www.port-haiti.com/cgibin/search/port-haiti.cgi/)
• Haitian History, Maps and News (http://www.travelinghaiti.com/)
• Le Site haitien du développement alternatif (http://www.rehred-haiti.net/membres/papda/)
• US Senate Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs - Haiti (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1982.htm)
• Windows on Haiti (http://haitiforever.com)
• Haiti-news list (https://listhost.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/haiti-news), news about Haiti
• Haiti Paper Money (http://www.numismondo.com/pm/hti/) - Private, Colonial and Government Issues from 1790 to 2004 (bicentennial). Approximately 450 different banknotes displayed along with relevant original articles.