Haiti

Haiti (pronounced ˈheɪtiː French Haïti pronounced: for French [a.iti] Haitian Creole Ayiti officially the Republic of Haiti République d'Haïti ; Repiblik Ayiti), is a Haitian Creole language and French speaking Caribbean country.

The name Haiti comes from the Taino word for the entire island of Hispaniola, Ayiti, which means "Mountainous Land". The French staked their claim on the entire island based on the settlement of Tortuga and Gonave Islands by French pirates in the 15th and 16th centuries. The colony was officially incorporated in the early 1600s. By 1697, with the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick with Spain, the French took the western third of the island, which they named Saint-Domingue (a gallicization of the Spanish name, Santo Domingo ("Saint Dominic") During this French colonial period, the colony earned the name “La Perle des Antilles” ("The Pearl of the Antilles") due to its economic prosperity and importance. With the declaration of Saint-Domingue's independence from France on January 1, 1804, following the Haitian Revolution, Revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines restored the original Taino name as a symbolic gesture of honor to the Taino people and as defiance against European rule.

Christopher Columbus reached the isle on December 5, 1492. He named the island Hispaniola (Spanish for "Spanish Island"). He landed on the north coast of what is now Haiti in Mole Saint Nicolas, where he soon established a settlement called La Navidad. A branch of the Arawaks, the Tainos, occupied the island before the arrival of the Spaniards. Their number at the end of the 15th century was estimated to be lower than 100,000. Following the destruction of La Navidad by the Amerindians, Columbus moved to the eastern side of the island and established La Isabela. The Spaniards exploited the island for its gold, which was mined largely by the local Amerindians directed by the Spanish occupiers. Those refusing to work in the mines were slaughtered or forced into slavery. The few who evaded capture fled to the mountains and established independent settlements. The Europeans brought typical infectious diseases with them. Combined with ill treatment, malnutrition and a drastic drop of the birthrate, these decimated the indigenous population. The Spanish governors began importing enslaved Africans for labor. In 1517, Carlos V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, authorized the draft of the slaves. Many enslaved Africans married Amerindians, forming a line of people known in Haiti as marabou.

The western part of Hispaniola soon was settled French buccaneers. Among them, Bertrand d'Ogeron succeeded in growing tobacco, which prompted many of the numerous buccaneers and freebooters to turn into a sedentary population. It was a population that did not submit to Spanish royal authority until the year 1660 and caused a number of conflicts. [edit] 17th c. settlement
Bertrand d'Orgeron attracted many colonists from Martinique and Guadeloupe, such as the Roy family (Jean Roy, 1625-1707), Hebert (Jean Hebert, 1624, with his family) and the Barre (Guillaume Barre, 1642, with his family), driven out by pressure on lands generated by extension of sugar plantations. From 1670 to 1690, a drop in the tobacco markets affected the island, significantly reducing the number of settlers. Freebooters grew stronger, plundering settlements, such as those of Vera Cruz in 1683 and Campêche in 1686. Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay, elder son of Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Minister of the Navy, brought back some order. He ordered the establishment of indigo and sugar cane plantations. The first windmill for processing sugar was created in 1685.
France and Spain settled hostilities on the island by the Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, which divided Hispaniola between them. France received the western third and named it Saint-Domingue. Many French colonists came and worked in plantations. From 1713 to 1787, 30,000 colonists, among them Pierre Nezat, immigrated from Bordeaux, France to the western part of the island. By about 1790, Saint-Domingue had greatly overshadowed its eastern counterpart in terms of wealth and population. It quickly became the richest French colony in the New World due to the immense profits of the sugar and indigo industries. The labor of thousands of enslaved Africans made it possible. Their lives were ruled by the Code Noire (Black Code), prepared by Colbert and enacted by Louis XIV.

Haiti at a glance

Second largest Caribbean Island, Haiti is situated 77 km southeast of Cuba. Haiti occupies the western third of the island it shares with the Dominican Republic and has 1530 km of coast line. Mountainous land between the Atlantic Ocean in the North and the Caribbean Sea in the South, Haiti also comprises several islands surrounding the main territory: La Gonâve, la Tortue, l'Ile-à-Vache, la Navase, etc.

Capital city: Port-au-Prince
Superficies: 27,750 km2
Location: between 71°20' and 74°30' West longitude and 18°0' and 20°6' North latitude.
Climate: average temperature between 25° C and 30° C at sea level and 15° C and 20° C in the mountains.
Average rainfall: 1,400 mm
Rainy season: between November and March (North), and between May and October (South)
Dry season: between December and March-July
Population: 10,804,812 (2015 estimate*)
Official languages: French, Creole
Main religions: Catholicism, Protestantism, Voodoo
Currency: Gourde (many businesses accept US dollars)
Time zone: GMT -5
Electricity: 110 volts (American power outlets)

Key Development Indicators (2005)

Population, mid-year (millions) 8.5
Surface area (thousand sq.km) 27.750
Population growth(%) 1.4
GDP (US$ millions) 4,300
GDP growth(%) 1.8
GDP per capita growth%) 0.2

Most recent estimates: (2000-2005)

Poverty headcount ratio at $1 a day (PPP, %) 54
Poverty headcount ratio at 2$ a day (PPP, %) 78
Life expectancy at birth (years) 52
Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births) 76
Child malnutrition (%of children under 5) 17
Access to an improved water source (% of population) 54
Access to improved sanitation facilities (% of population) 30
Agriculture (% of GDP) 25.6
Industry 16.0
Manufacturing 8.3
Services 51.1
Exports of goods and services 14.0
Imports of goods and services 41.0

Balance of payments and trade (2005)

Total merchandise exports (f.o.b) 458.9
Total merchandise imports (f.o.b) 1,308.5
Net trade in goods and services -1,162.7
Workers' remittances and compensation of employees (net) 925
Current account balance as a % of GDP -6.3

Environment (2004)

Agricultural land %of land area) 58
Forest area (% of land area, 2002 and 2005) 3.8
Nationally protected areas (% of land area) 0.4
Freshwater resources per capita (cu. meters) 1,548
Freshwater water withdrawal (% of internal resources) 7.6
CO2 emissions per capita (mt) 0.22
Energy use per capita (kg of oil equivalent)