Haiti

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{{Infobox_Country|native_name =
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Haiti|common_name = Haiti|image_flag = Flag_of_Haiti.svg|image_coat = Haiti COA.svg|image_map = LocationHaiti.svg|national_motto = "L'Union Fait La Force"(French language)
"Unity makes Strength"|national_anthem = La Dessalinienne], Haitian Creole language|demonym = Haitian|capital = Port-au-Prince|leader_title1 = [List of Presidents of Haiti|leader_name1 = René Préval|leader_name2 = [Jacques-Edouard Alexis-->|percent_water = 0.7|population_estimate = 8,528,0001|population_estimate_rank = 88th|population_estimate_year = July 2005|population_census = 5,053,792|population_census_year = 1982|population_density_km2 = 292.7|population_density_sq_mi = 758.1 |GDP_PPP_rank = 124th|GDP_PPP_year = 2006|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1800 ((2006 est.)purchasing power parity):GDP (official exchange rate):$5.953 billion (2006 est.)GDP - real growth rate:2.3% (2006 est.)|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 153th|sovereignty_type = History of Haiti|established_event1 = as Saint-Domingue|established_event2 = Independence from [France, [1804|currency_code = HTG|country_code =|time_zone =|utc_offset = -5|time_zone_DST =|utc_offset_DST = -4|cctld = [.ht: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (, ), is a [French language and Creole speaking Latin American country located in the Greater Antilles archipelago on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti includes many smaller islands such as Gonâve Island, La Tortue (Tortuga), Cayemites, Île de Anacaona, and La Grande Caye. The uninhabited island of Navassa Island is claimed by both Haiti and the United States. 'Ayiti' (Haiti) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island. Its highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 meters. The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometre (10,714 square miles) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

A former French colonization of the Americas, Haiti bears several historical feats: Haiti became the first independent black republic and the only nation ever to form from a successful slave rebellion. Haiti is also the second non-native country in the Americas (after the United States) as well as the first (and therefore the oldest) nation in Latin America to declare its independence, on January 1, 1804.

Haiti has recently undergone a state of transition following the forced ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004. The circumstances surrounding his departure from office are disputed. René Préval was elected president in his place on February 7, 2006, and took office in May of that year.

History The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, was originally inhabited by the Taíno Arawak people. Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa María (ship) ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad . Ayiti, which means "mountainous land", is a name that was used by its early inhabitants, the Taíno-Arawak people, who also called some sections of it Bohio, meaning "rich villages". Quisqueya is yet a third term that has been attributed to the Taínos for the island.

The Taínos were a seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks. Taíno means "the good" or "noble" in their language. A system of Cacique (chiefdoms) existed, called Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua, which could be subdivided. The cacicazgos were based on a system of tribute, consisting of the food grown by the Taíno. Among the cultural signs that they left were cave paintings around the country, which have become touristic and nationalistic symbols of Haiti. Xaragua is modern day Leogane, a city in the southwest.

One of the earliest leaders to fight off Spanish conquest was Queen Anacaona, a Taíno princess from Xaragua who married Chief Caonabo, a Taíno king (cacique) from Maguana. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other noted Taíno leaders from Haiti are Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guama and Chief Hatuey (who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there). Cacique Henri, another Taíno chief, fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Bahoruco to gain freedom for himself and his people. The town associated with this history is Anse a Pitres, near the south-eastern town of Jacmel. The Taínos as the Europeans saw them on the island of Hispaniola are virtually extinct. The survivors that escaped death mixed with African slaves (runaways called maroons), producing a small generation of zambos. The mestizo increased in number as native women conceived to European men. The Taíno bloodline in Hispaniola diluted more and more as the decades went by primarily due to the establishment of Africans and mulattos on the island; however, it is believed that a small number of Haitians and Dominican Republics retain some native ancestry.

Colonial rule Enslavement, harsh treatment of the natives, and especially epidemic diseases such as smallpox caused the Taíno population to plummet over the next quarter-century. In response, the Spanish began to import African slaves to search for gold on the island. Spanish interest in Hispaniola waned after the 1520s, when vast reserves of gold and silver were discovered in Mexico and South America.

Fearful of pirate attacks, the king of Spain in 1609 ordered all colonists on Hispaniola to move closer to the capital city, Santo Domingo. However, this resulted in British, Dutch and French pirates establishing bases on the island's abandoned northern and western coasts. French settlement of the island began in 1625, and in 1664 France formally claimed control of the western portion of the island. By the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick (Haiti), Spain ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France. France named its new colony Saint-Domingue.

While the Spanish side of the island was largely neglected, the French side prospered and became the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere, exporting large amounts of sugar and coffee. French colonial society contained three population groups: Europeans (about 32,000 in 1790) who held political and economic control; the gens de couleur, some 28,000 free blacks (about half of which had mulatto background) who faced second-class status; and the slaves, who numbered about 500,000. (Living outside French society were the maroons (escaped ex-slaves who formed their own settlements in the highlands.) At all times, a majority of slaves in the colony were African-born, as the very brutal conditions of slavery prevented the population from experiencing growth through natural increase. According to a study, 49.2 % of the slave population of Haiti was originally from the Congos during this period.Historia Thématique, no. 80, Novembre-Decembre 2002, p.41. African cultures thus remained strong among slaves until the end of French rule.

Revolution became Haiti's first emperor in 1804. is considered the father of Haiti.Inspired by the French Revolution, the gens de couleur pressed the colonial government for expanded rights. In October 1790, 350 revolted against the government. On May 15, 1791, the French National Assembly granted political rights to all blacks and mulattoes who had been born free - but did not change the status quo regarding slavery. On August 22, 1791, slaves in the north rose against their masters near Cap-Français (now Cap-Haïtien). This revolution spread rapidly and came under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture. He is commonly referred to as the "Black Napoleon." He soon formed alliances with the gens de couleur and the maroons, whose rights had been revoked by the French government in retaliation for the uprising.

Toussaint' armies defeated the French colonial army, but then joined forces with it in 1794, following a decree by the revolutionary French government that abolished slavery. Under Toussaint's command, the Saint-Domingue army then defeated invading Spanish and British forces. This cooperation between Toussaint and French forces ended in 1802, however, when Napoleon I of France sent a new invasion force designed to subdue the colony; many islanders suspected the army would also reimpose slavery. Napoleon's forces initially were successful at fighting their way onto the island, and persuaded Toussaint to a truce. He was then betrayed, captured and died in a French prison. Toussaint's arrest and the news that the French had reestablished slavery in Guadeloupe, led to the resumption of the rebellion, under the leadership of Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry I of Haiti, two of Toussaint's generals. Napoleon's forces were outsmarted by the combination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe, and Alexandre Petion, the "Generals of the Revolution."

Independence Dessalines's armies won their final and decisive victory over the French forces at the Battle of Vertières on November 18, 1803, near Cap-Haitien. On January 1, 1804 the nation declared its independence, securing its position as the second independent country in the Americas, and the only successful slave rebellion in world history. Jean-Jacques Dessalines was its first ruler. The name Haiti was chosen in recognition of the old Arawak name for the island, Ayiti.

The new State of Haiti supported the abolitionist cause wherever possible. Haiti aided Francisco de Miranda and Simón Bolívar, giving them refuge and supporting their revolutionary efforts under the condition he free Latin America's slaves. The slaveholding powers surrounding Haiti isolated the new nation under a cordon sanitaire, fearing slave revolutions of their own. The Haitian Revolution is thought to have inspired numerous slave revolts in the Caribbean, Brazil and United States. The blockade was virtually total. The Roman Curia withdrew its priests from Haiti, and did not return them until 1860. France refused to recognize Haiti's independence until it agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million francs, to compensate for the losses of French planters in the revolutions, in 1833. Payment of this indemnity brought the government deeply in debt and crippled the country's economy.

In 1806, Dessalines, by now Emperor, was murdered in a power struggle with political rivals who thought him a tyrant. The nation divided into two parts, a southern republic founded by Alexandre Pétion (mulatto), becoming the first black-led republic in the world, and a Kingdom of Haiti under Henry I of Haiti. The idea of liberty in the southern republic was as license, a fondness for idleness shared by elite and peasant. Christophe believed that liberty was the opportunity to show the world that a black nation might be equal, if not better than the white nations. Consequently, he worked the field hands under the same unrelenting military system that Toussaint had developed and that Dessalines tried to continue. He also built more than 100 schools, eight palaces, including his capital Sans-Souci Palace and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress in the Western hemisphere.

In August 1820, King Henri I (Henri Christophe) suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. When the news spread of his infirmities, the whispers of rebellion, deceit and treachery began. On October 2, 1820, the military garrison at St. Marc led a mutiny that sparked a revolt. The mutiny preempted a conspiracy of some of Christophe's most loyal generals. Some of his trusted aides took him from the palace of Sans-Souci up to his Citadel, to await the inevitable confrontation with the rebels. Christophe ordered his attendants to dress him in his formal military uniform and for two days desperately tried to raise the strength to lead out his troops. Finally, he ordered his doctor to leave the room. Shortly after he left, Christophe raised his pistol and shot himself dead through the heart.

Following Christophe's death, the nation was reunited as the Republic of Haiti under Jean-Pierre Boyer, Petion's successor. Boyer invaded the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo and proclaimed the entire island under Haitian rule, until 1844 when the Dominican Republic that was formed as white-Catholic nation separate from Haiti for reasons of differences in culture, language, religion, and discontent of the population after abuses of the Haitian army against the population. This constitutes the only independence from one American country from another American country with a war.

American occupation Throughout the nineteenth century, Haiti was ruled by a series of presidents, most of whom remained in office only briefly. Meanwhile, the country's economy was gradually dominated by foreigners, particularly from Germany. Concerned about German influence and growing military presence, and disturbed by the savage public dismembering of President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam by an enraged crowd, the United States invaded and occupied Haiti in 1915. The United States imposed a constitution written by future president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and applied an old system of compulsory corvée to everyone. Previously this system had been applied only to members of the poor, black majority. The occupation had many long-lasting effects on the country. United States forces built schools, roads and hospitals, and launched health campaigns that eradicated yellow fever, malaria, and yaws from the island. The vast network of roads, bridges, and clean water systems drastically reshaped Haiti's infrastructure. Unfortunately, the sum of the structural changes to Haiti's systems was not enough to enable any degree of indigenous progress. The U.S. established the William Cameron Forbes Commission to investigate the lack of progress, and the Commission concluded, amongst other things, that "the social forces that created (the social instability) still remain - poverty, ignorance, and the lack of a tradition or desire for orderly free government." Order and freedom could not be imposed by force of will.

As the U.S. occupation resulted in a degree of central organization of government, finance, and industry, the focus of the country shifted from the provinces to the capital, disadvantaging the loose rural socio-economic fabric of the country in favor of the major urban centers. Inevitably this created an exodus of the rural poor from the countryside. Nationalist rebels, called Cacos, were simultaneously waging a persistent guerilla warfare, headed by Charlemagne Péralte (until 1919) and Dominique Batraville (until 1920). As a consequence, the U.S.-controlled government created a National Guard which in future decades would become the Armée d'Haiti, and be said to commit many atrocities against its own people. Roosevelt was disenchanted with the burden and negative social aspects of trying to organize Haiti, and proceeded to implement an earlier disengagement agreement, thereby ending the U.S. occupation in 1934.

The Duvaliers The United States left Haiti in the hands of the mulatto minority, but in 1946 Dumarsais Estimé became the country's first black president since the US occupation began. His efforts at reform sparked disorder, and when he attempted to extend his term of office in 1950 (as most previous presidents had done) there was a coup, followed by the second formal Military Council of Government led by Paul Magloire.

François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was an ex-doctor who ruled as dictator of Haiti from 1964 to his death in 1971. In 1957, Dr. François Duvalier ("Papa Doc") came to power in the country's first universal suffrage election; many believed this outcome was manipulated by the army. In 1964, he declared himself president for life. Duvalier maintained control over the population through his secret police organization, the Volunteers for National Security - nicknamed the Tonton Macoutes ("boogeymen") after a folkloric villain. This organization drew international criticism for its harsh treatment of political adversaries, both real and suspected. Upon Duvalier's death in 1971, he was succeeded by his nineteen year-old son Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed "Baby Doc") as Haiti's new president for life. The younger Duvalier regime became notorious for corruption, and was deposed in 1986, ushering in a new period of upheaval.

Roman Catholic pro-democratic movement The unravelling of the Duvalier regime began with a popular movement supported by the local church and set in motion by the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1983, who before embarking his plane gave a rousing speech ending with an angry exclamation: "Things must change here!" In 1984, anti-government riots broke out throughout the nation and the Haitian Catholic Bishops' Conference initiated a literacy program designed to prepare the Haitian public for participation in the electoral process.

Aristide priest, first became President of Haiti in 1991. He would remain President for three terms until he was deposed in 2004 in a violent revolt.The priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president in 1990, but was deposed in a coup shortly after his inauguration in 1991. There followed three years of control by a military junta led by Raoul Cedras, before a second US invasion and occupation in 1994 returned Aristide to power. One of the first acts of the re-installed government of Aristide was to disband the army.

Aristide was succeeded by a one-time ally and former prime minister, René Préval, in 1996. Aristide was the first democratically elected president in Haitian history. Préval's administration is notable for the fact that he was the first president in Haiti's history to constitutionally succeed a former president, serve a complete term, and leave his office voluntarily at the prescribed time. Every previous president had either died in office, been assassinated, been deposed, overstayed his prescribed term, or been installed by a foreign power.

in 2006.
(photo by Patrick-André Perron)Aristide returned to office in 2001 after elections that were boycotted by many of his opponents, who accused his party, Fanmi Lavalas, of counting votes improperly in a previous senatorial election, as well as threatening critics. Aristide denied the charges and accused his opponents of accepting U.S. assistance, and plotting to overthrow his government. The opposition mostly denied this, but many of its members continually called for his early resignation.

In February 2004, following months of large-scale protests against what critics charged was an increasingly corrupt and violent rule, 2004 Haiti rebellion, involving conflicts between the government and various rebel groups. Under pressure from both foreign governments and internal sources, Aristide left the country for the Central African Republic on February 29. Aristide later alleged that he faced pressure from the US Armed Forces and American officials from the United States' embassy in Port-au-Prince, who he claimed threatened that he "and a lot of Haitians... would be killed" if he did not leave, and said he "has to go now." At the time, the United States and some of Aristide's own security agents claimed that Aristide had agreed to leave the country willingly and that it had escorted him to Africa for his own protection. As Aristide departed the country, many members of his government fled or went into hiding, and the United States again sent Marines into Port-au-Prince. After Aristide's departure, Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre succeeded to the presidency appointed by a council of elders and supported by the United States, Canada, and France.

In the months following the February Coup, the country was engulfed in violence between the interim government's forces and Lavalas supporters, and many members of the Lavalas party were sent to jail, exiled, or killed. Over 10,000 workers in Haitian civil enterprises lost their jobs following the coup.

Elections were held in February 2006, and René Préval was again elected president. Preval has promised to bring peace and stability to the country. (See Haitian elections, 2006.)

Politics The politics of Haiti takes place in the framework of a presidential system republic, and of a pluriform multi-party system, whereby the President of Haiti is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haïti.

Departments, arrondissements, and communes Haiti is divided into 10 Departments of Haiti.Please note that the names of departmental capital cities are provided in parentheses.

The departments are further divided into 41 arrondissements, and 133 commune (country subdivision) which serve as second and third level administrative divisions.

.{||

Artibonite Department (Gonaïves)

Centre Department (Hinche)

Grand'Anse Department (Jérémie)

Nippes Department (Miragoâne)

Nord Department (Cap-Haïtien)

Nord-Est Department (Fort-Liberté)

Nord-Ouest Department (Port-de-Paix)

Ouest Department (Port-au-Prince) *national capital*

Sud-Est Department (Jacmel)

Sud Department (Les Cayes)

||}

Geography Haiti is situated on the western part of the second largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean only behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic respectively. Haiti at its closest point is only 80km away from Cuba. Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys. The country's largest crop-producing and one of Haiti's most fertile river valleys is the Plaine de l'Artibonite. The east and central part of the island is a large elevated plateau. The highest point in Haiti is Pic la Selle at 2,680 m (8,793 Foot (unit of length)). The 360-km (224-mile) border is shared with the Dominican Republic. Haiti also contains several islands. The famous island of Tortuga (Île de la Tortue) is located off the coast of northern Haiti. The arrondissement of La Gonâve is located on the island of the same name, in the Gulf of Gonave. Gonave Island is moderately populated by rural villagers. Île à Vache (Island of The Cow) is located off the tip of southwestern Haiti. It is a rather lush island with many beautiful sights. Also part of Haiti are the Cayemites and Ile de Anacaona.

In 1925, Haiti was a lush tropical paradise, with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Since then, the population has cut down all but 2% of its forest cover, and in the process has destroyed fertile farmland soils, while contributing to desertification. Erosion has been severe in the mountainous areas. Pictures from space glaringly show the stark difference in forestation between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic. Most Haitian logging is done to produce charcoal, the country's chief source of fuel. The plight of Haiti's forests has attracted international attention, and has led to numerous reforestation efforts, but these have met with little success to date. Despite the large environmental crises, Haiti retains a very high amount of biodiversity in proportion to its small size. The country is home to more than 6,000 plants in which 35% are endemic and 220 species of birds in which 21 species are endemic. The country's high biodiversity is due to its mountainous topography and fluctuating elevations in which each elevation harbors different microclimates and its own endemic fauna and flora. The country's varied scenery include lush green cloud forests (in some of the mountain ranges and the protected areas), high mountain peaks, cactus-strewn desert landscapes (due to the deforestation), and Arecaceae-lined beaches.http://kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/diversos/haiti-dream-ecotourism.html Environmental issues In addition to soil erosion, the deforestation has also caused periodic flooding, as seen on September 17, 2004. Hurricane Jeanne#Haiti skimmed the north coast of Haiti, leaving 3,006 people dead in flooding and mudslides, mostly in the city of Gonaïves. Earlier that year in May, floods killed over 3,000 people on Haiti's southern border with the Dominican Republic. http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/haiti/2497.html

Currently the country is seeking to implement a biofuel solution to its energy problems.{{cite web], which both countries claim. The Haitian claim relies on documentation that Navassa became part of Haiti after a 1697 agreement between France and Spain that gave France the western third of Hispaniola plus nearby islands, including Navassa Island. The United States claims the island pursuant to its own Guano Islands Act of 1856.

Economy

Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere, largely due to political instability and repeated episodes of violence. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 154th of 177 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index (2006). About 80% of the population were estimated to be living in poverty in 2003.CIA World Factbook Haiti is the only country in the Americas on the UN list of Least Developed Countries. German Wikipedia Economic growth was negative in 2001 and 2002, and flat in 2003. Since the seating of President Preval in 2006, Haiti's economy has been growing.

About 66% of all Haitians work in the agricultural sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming, but this activity makes up only 30% of the GDP. The country has experienced little formal job creation over the past decade, although the informal economy is growing. It has consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world on the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Foreign aid makes up approximately 30%-40% of the national government's budget. The largest donor is the United States, and European nations also contibute. Venezuela and Cuba also make various contributions to Haiti's economy, especially after alliances were renewed in 2006-7.

U.S. aid to the Haitian government was completely cut off in 2001-2004 after the 2000 election was disputed and President Aristide was accused of various misdeeds. After Aristide's departure in 2004, aid was restored, and the Brazilian army led the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti peacekeeping operation.

Education A list of universities in Haiti includes:

University of Caraibe
Université Chrétienne du Nord d'Haiti
University of Haiti
Université Lumière / MEBSH
University Notre Dame of Haiti
Université Quisqueya
Université Roi Henri Christophe

Demographics About 95% of Haitians are of predominantly West African black descent. The rest are white or of Mulatto descent, with a moderate number of Arab diaspora heritage (primarily Syrian and Lebanese). A small number of Haitians are believed to possess both African and Taino/Arawak heritage (called marabou) due to the history of the island; however, the number of native-descended Haitians is not known. There is a very small percentage within the minority who are of Asian people descent; nearly all are immigrant residents. The very small number of Asians in Haiti are virtually all concentrated in the country's largest urban areas (primarily Port-au-Prince).

Haitian diaspora As with many other poor Caribbean nations, there is a large diaspora, which includes many illegal immigration to nearby countries. Millions of Haitians live abroad, chiefly in the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Lesser Antilles, Canada, France, and the United States.

In the United States There is a sizeable community of Haitian emigres residing in Miami's "Little Haiti" section. In New York City, the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Canarsie, Brooklyn is also home to a thriving emigre community. In In the neighboring Queens, communities can be found in the Jamaica, Queens, Queens Village, Rosedale, Queens, New York City and Cambria Heights, Queens sections of that borough. Other cities where notable communities have formed include Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Malden, Massachusetts and Brockton, Massachusetts (all found in Massachusetts) Chicago, Illinois, Orlando, Florida and Newark, New Jersey.

Culture Haitian culture is a mix of primarily African and French elements with minor influences from Spanish and Taíno culture. The African and European influence is greatest however in nearly all aspects of society. Haiti's official languages are French language and Haitian Creole language (Kreyòl Ayisyen). Nearly all Haitians speak the latter, a creole based primarily on French and African languages, with some Spanish language, Portuguese language, and Taíno influences. Spanish is spoken near the border with the Dominican Republic, and is increasingly being spoken in more westward areas, as Venezuelan, Cuban, and Dominican Republic trade influence Haitian affairs, and Haiti becomes increasingly involved in Latin American transactions.

Religion Roman Catholicism is the official state religion in which the majority, approximately 80%, of the population professes. An estimated 20 percent of the population follows the teachings of various Protestant churches. Many Haitians, especially Roman Catholics, also practice Vodou (Voodoo), almost always in addition to traditional Catholic observances. Vodou followers believe that spirits called "Lwa," quite similar to the saints of Catholicism, have great power in dictating the course of their lives, though the religion is monotheistic, as Bon Dye (literally translated from French, Good God) is respected as the supreme divinity. Some Haitians, (mainly Protestants), have trouble acknowledging the role Vodou has played in Haiti's history because of the West's misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the religion as related to sorcery and witchcraft. . Haitian Vodou is very similar to the Santería practiced in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, Espiritismo in Puerto Rico, Obeah in Jamaica and the Candomblé in Brazil.

Music Haiti's most well known music style is kompa, a very vibrant music and dance genre similar to the music of their Cuban neighbors, but often employing African drumming, modern guitars/synthesized sounds, saxophones, and lyrics sung in Haitian Creole. Merengue music of the Dominican Republic is also popular in Haiti. The origins of merengue are unclear and the origins vary depending on which country the story is from however many Haitians believe it is an offshoot variant of Haitian Méringue, a similar-sounding style. Nonetheless, Haitians enjoy both sounds. Rasin and kadans are two other popular genres in the country. Other popular genres in Haiti include Salsa music, Trinidadian Soca, and zouk (a combination of kompa and music from the French Antilles). Musicians such as T-Vice, Djakout Mizik, Bonga, Zenglen, NuLook, K-dans, and Carimi perform regularly in the United States and Québec. Sweet Micky is a praised legend of Kompa music. One of the most celebrated Haitian musical artists of today is Haitian-born rapper and musician Wyclef Jean.

Haiti is also famous for its distinctive art, notably painting and sculpture. See Haitian art, :Category:Haitian painters and :Category:Haitian artists

Cuisine Haitian Cuisine is influenced in large part by the methods and foods involved in French cuisine as well as by staples originating from African and Taíno cuisine, such as cassava (kasav), yam, and maize (mayi). Haitian food, though unique in its own right, shares much in common with that of the rest of Latin America.

References

Edwidge Danticat, The Royal Diaries of Anacoana: Golden Flower, Haiti 1490. Retrieved 2006-12-29.

See also

Freeport Tortuga
Hispaniola
Haiti national football team
Politics of Haiti
Haiti's external debt
List of Haitians

External links History

Kreyol - Haitian History
Information on Haiti's indigenous heritage and the descendants of the Haitian Arawaks
Key Dates in Haitian History - Embassy of Haiti
People in Haitian History - Founders and heroes of Haiti
Bob Corbett's Haitian History Page - in-depth information about Haitian history and literature
Napoleon's secret orders to General Leclerc
1937 massacre - information about the 1937 massacre of 18,000 Haitians by Dominican President Rafael Trujillo
Library of Congress - A Country Study: Haiti
The Louverture Project - Haitian History Wiki
Institut de la Maison Imperiale d'Haiti
The Imperial and Military Order of Saint Faustin (Ordre Imperial et Militaire de la Croix de Saint-Faustin)
1987 Constitution of Haiti - unofficial translation by Georgetown University
Embassy of Haiti in Washington D.C.
Haiti Paper Money

Culture

Haiti FM Videos
Music and Video of Rara Festivals in Haiti and New York
Video: Sculpture marks abolition of slave trade anniversary

The Flag of Haiti
The flag of Haiti was redesigned after the slave revolution over a colonial France. The flag was changed from black and yellow to blue and red.

Search

Premye.ht, .ht search engine (using French)

News

Yahoo! News Full Coverage
Encyclpaedia Britannica - Haiti's country page
Radio Metropole
Television Nationale d'Haiti
Agenge Haitienne de Press
Telehaiti-Television d'Haiti
Radio Kiskeya
VOA kreyol
Haiti Progre - Lavalas news in several languages
AlterPresse news briefs in several languages
IFEX independent news
Haiti News
Haiti-news list, Haitian news
Le Nouvelliste Online, political, social, economics, culture and entertainment, sports news
IPS Inter Press Service Independent news reports and features about Haiti

Travel

Haiti Vacation The Haiti Paradise, Cotes des Arcadins & Jacmel e Ile-a-Vache

Films

BelFim - Haiti's Internet Movie Database
Pote Mak Sonje (the Raboteau Trial) (2003)
Aristide and the Endless Revolution by Nicolas Rossier (2005)]

Books

Sleeping Rough in Port-au-Prince: An Ethnograohy of Street Children and Violence in Haiti (2006) by J. Christopher Kovats-Bernat
Let Haiti Live (2004)
Pathologies of Power (2003) by Paul Farmer

Haitian events

Why they had to Crush Aristide, The Guardian
Operation Zero in Haiti, New Left Review
Haitian Inspiration, Radical Philosophy
Haiti 1804 as an Event - Fidelity to Freedom, Why has it been so difficult to achieve?

Advocacy

Coalition of Organizations in US for Haiti justice
A 'Child Alert' issued by UNICEF for the country of Haiti
Articles and News Focusing in on Canada's Role in Haiti
Website of Haitian Populat Movement Fanmi Lavalas
Articles and News Focusing in on Canada's Role in Haiti
Invisible Violence: Ignoring Murder in Post-Coup Haiti
ZMag analysis on current situation in Haiti
Half-Hour for Haiti Action Alerts to promote justice in and for Haiti
Haiti Justiceblog

Health Care

Meds & Food for Kids - Stop malnutrition in Haiti before it takes another life.
International Child Care - Christian health development organization in Haiti & Grace Children's Hospital
Konbit Sante A New England based Health Partnership with the people of Cap-Haitien
Haiti Help Med Plus - Haitian medical aid organization
Zanmi Lasante - Public health NGO Partners in Health
Hopital Albert Schweitzer Haiti - Integrated Community Health System serving the Artibonite Valley

NGOs

SOL - Haiti National Organization for Community Development
SOIL - International Organization for Community Development
AIDG - Integrating Eco-Friendly Businesses in Developing Countries
Hope for Haiti - Educational and grassroots development in rural Haiti.
Autorite Aeroportuaire Nationale d'Haiti (AAN)
Fondation Sequin- Advocay for the Ecology of Seguin
Haiti Innovation - Markets sustainable, development projects in Haiti to an active community of Haiti enthusiasts and aid donors
Pwof Ansanm - educational initiative in Haiti
Lambi Fund of Haiti - sustainable grassroots development and reforestation for economic justice
Akolad.com - home of Haitian community online
HaitiXchange.com - Haitian people, news, and culture
Haiti Action
Haiti Democracy Project
Haiti Support Group
Hastings Human Rights Project for Haiti - A student led project which lodged a complaint on behalf of former PM Yvon Neptune
Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti - News and human rights activism for Haiti with weekly newsletter
National Coalition for Haitian Rights
National Palace
Sakapfet Online
Second Generation Haitian-American (Interview)
UNIF USA - The UNIF USA Foundation

Community

Pouchons.com Haitian Website Community
EchodHaiti.com Haitian Cultural Community
HaitianDiaspora.com Haitian-American Diaspora Community
www.pepayisyen.com, PEUPLE HAITIEN Haitian Culture

{{Template group|title = Geographic locale|list =-->{{Template group|title = International membership|list =-->

{{Infobox_Country|native_name =
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Haiti|common_name = Haiti|image_flag = Flag_of_Haiti.svg|image_coat = Haiti COA.svg|image_map = LocationHaiti.svg|national_motto = "L'Union Fait La Force"(French language)
"Unity makes Strength"|national_anthem = La Dessalinienne], Haitian Creole language|demonym = Haitian|capital = Port-au-Prince|leader_title1 = [List of Presidents of Haiti|leader_name1 = René Préval|leader_name2 = [Jacques-Edouard Alexis-->|percent_water = 0.7|population_estimate = 8,528,0001|population_estimate_rank = 88th|population_estimate_year = July 2005|population_census = 5,053,792|population_census_year = 1982|population_density_km2 = 292.7|population_density_sq_mi = 758.1 |GDP_PPP_rank = 124th|GDP_PPP_year = 2006|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $1800 ((2006 est.)purchasing power parity):GDP (official exchange rate):$5.953 billion (2006 est.)GDP - real growth rate:2.3% (2006 est.)|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 153th|sovereignty_type = History of Haiti|established_event1 = as Saint-Domingue|established_event2 = Independence from [France, [1804|currency_code = HTG|country_code =|time_zone =|utc_offset = -5|time_zone_DST =|utc_offset_DST = -4|cctld = [.ht: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (, ), is a [French language and Creole speaking Latin American country located in the Greater Antilles archipelago on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti includes many smaller islands such as Gonâve Island, La Tortue (Tortuga), Cayemites, Île de Anacaona, and La Grande Caye. The uninhabited island of Navassa Island is claimed by both Haiti and the United States. 'Ayiti' (Haiti) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island. Its highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 meters. The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometre (10,714 square miles) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

A former French colonization of the Americas, Haiti bears several historical feats: Haiti became the first independent black republic and the only nation ever to form from a successful slave rebellion. Haiti is also the second non-native country in the Americas (after the United States) as well as the first (and therefore the oldest) nation in Latin America to declare its independence, on January 1, 1804.

Haiti has recently undergone a state of transition following the forced ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004. The circumstances surrounding his departure from office are disputed. René Préval was elected president in his place on February 7, 2006, and took office in May of that year.

History The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, was originally inhabited by the Taíno Arawak people. Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa María (ship) ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad . Ayiti, which means "mountainous land", is a name that was used by its early inhabitants, the Taíno-Arawak people, who also called some sections of it Bohio, meaning "rich villages". Quisqueya is yet a third term that has been attributed to the Taínos for the island.

The Taínos were a seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks. Taíno means "the good" or "noble" in their language. A system of Cacique (chiefdoms) existed, called Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua, which could be subdivided. The cacicazgos were based on a system of tribute, consisting of the food grown by the Taíno. Among the cultural signs that they left were cave paintings around the country, which have become touristic and nationalistic symbols of Haiti. Xaragua is modern day Leogane, a city in the southwest.

One of the earliest leaders to fight off Spanish conquest was Queen Anacaona, a Taíno princess from Xaragua who married Chief Caonabo, a Taíno king (cacique) from Maguana. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other noted Taíno leaders from Haiti are Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guama and Chief Hatuey (who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there). Cacique Henri, another Taíno chief, fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Bahoruco to gain freedom for himself and his people. The town associated with this history is Anse a Pitres, near the south-eastern town of Jacmel. The Taínos as the Europeans saw them on the island of Hispaniola are virtually extinct. The survivors that escaped death mixed with African slaves (runaways called maroons), producing a small generation of zambos. The mestizo increased in number as native women conceived to European men. The Taíno bloodline in Hispaniola diluted more and more as the decades went by primarily due to the establishment of Africans and mulattos on the island; however, it is believed that a small number of Haitians and Dominican Republics retain some native ancestry.

Colonial rule Enslavement, harsh treatment of the natives, and especially epidemic diseases such as smallpox caused the Taíno population to plummet over the next quarter-century. In response, the Spanish began to import African slaves to search for gold on the island. Spanish interest in Hispaniola waned after the 1520s, when vast reserves of gold and silver were discovered in Mexico and South America.

Fearful of pirate attacks, the king of Spain in 1609 ordered all colonists on Hispaniola to move closer to the capital city, Santo Domingo. However, this resulted in British, Dutch and French pirates establishing bases on the island's abandoned northern and western coasts. French settlement of the island began in 1625, and in 1664 France formally claimed control of the western portion of the island. By the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick (Haiti), Spain ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France. France named its new colony Saint-Domingue.

While the Spanish side of the island was largely neglected, the French side prospered and became the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere, exporting large amounts of sugar and coffee. French colonial society contained three population groups: Europeans (about 32,000 in 1790) who held political and economic control; the gens de couleur, some 28,000 free blacks (about half of which had mulatto background) who faced second-class status; and the slaves, who numbered about 500,000. (Living outside French society were the maroons (escaped ex-slaves who formed their own settlements in the highlands.) At all times, a majority of slaves in the colony were African-born, as the very brutal conditions of slavery prevented the population from experiencing growth through natural increase. According to a study, 49.2 % of the slave population of Haiti was originally from the Congos during this period.Historia Thématique, no. 80, Novembre-Decembre 2002, p.41. African cultures thus remained strong among slaves until the end of French rule.

Revolution became Haiti's first emperor in 1804. is considered the father of Haiti.Inspired by the French Revolution, the gens de couleur pressed the colonial government for expanded rights. In October 1790, 350 revolted against the government. On May 15, 1791, the French National Assembly granted political rights to all blacks and mulattoes who had been born free - but did not change the status quo regarding slavery. On August 22, 1791, slaves in the north rose against their masters near Cap-Français (now Cap-Haïtien). This revolution spread rapidly and came under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture. He is commonly referred to as the "Black Napoleon." He soon formed alliances with the gens de couleur and the maroons, whose rights had been revoked by the French government in retaliation for the uprising.

Toussaint' armies defeated the French colonial army, but then joined forces with it in 1794, following a decree by the revolutionary French government that abolished slavery. Under Toussaint's command, the Saint-Domingue army then defeated invading Spanish and British forces. This cooperation between Toussaint and French forces ended in 1802, however, when Napoleon I of France sent a new invasion force designed to subdue the colony; many islanders suspected the army would also reimpose slavery. Napoleon's forces initially were successful at fighting their way onto the island, and persuaded Toussaint to a truce. He was then betrayed, captured and died in a French prison. Toussaint's arrest and the news that the French had reestablished slavery in Guadeloupe, led to the resumption of the rebellion, under the leadership of Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry I of Haiti, two of Toussaint's generals. Napoleon's forces were outsmarted by the combination of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Henri Christophe, and Alexandre Petion, the "Generals of the Revolution."

Independence Dessalines's armies won their final and decisive victory over the French forces at the Battle of Vertières on November 18, 1803, near Cap-Haitien. On January 1, 1804 the nation declared its independence, securing its position as the second independent country in the Americas, and the only successful slave rebellion in world history. Jean-Jacques Dessalines was its first ruler. The name Haiti was chosen in recognition of the old Arawak name for the island, Ayiti.

The new State of Haiti supported the abolitionist cause wherever possible. Haiti aided Francisco de Miranda and Simón Bolívar, giving them refuge and supporting their revolutionary efforts under the condition he free Latin America's slaves. The slaveholding powers surrounding Haiti isolated the new nation under a cordon sanitaire, fearing slave revolutions of their own. The Haitian Revolution is thought to have inspired numerous slave revolts in the Caribbean, Brazil and United States. The blockade was virtually total. The Roman Curia withdrew its priests from Haiti, and did not return them until 1860. France refused to recognize Haiti's independence until it agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million francs, to compensate for the losses of French planters in the revolutions, in 1833. Payment of this indemnity brought the government deeply in debt and crippled the country's economy.

In 1806, Dessalines, by now Emperor, was murdered in a power struggle with political rivals who thought him a tyrant. The nation divided into two parts, a southern republic founded by Alexandre Pétion (mulatto), becoming the first black-led republic in the world, and a Kingdom of Haiti under Henry I of Haiti. The idea of liberty in the southern republic was as license, a fondness for idleness shared by elite and peasant. Christophe believed that liberty was the opportunity to show the world that a black nation might be equal, if not better than the white nations. Consequently, he worked the field hands under the same unrelenting military system that Toussaint had developed and that Dessalines tried to continue. He also built more than 100 schools, eight palaces, including his capital Sans-Souci Palace and the massive Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress in the Western hemisphere.

In August 1820, King Henri I (Henri Christophe) suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. When the news spread of his infirmities, the whispers of rebellion, deceit and treachery began. On October 2, 1820, the military garrison at St. Marc led a mutiny that sparked a revolt. The mutiny preempted a conspiracy of some of Christophe's most loyal generals. Some of his trusted aides took him from the palace of Sans-Souci up to his Citadel, to await the inevitable confrontation with the rebels. Christophe ordered his attendants to dress him in his formal military uniform and for two days desperately tried to raise the strength to lead out his troops. Finally, he ordered his doctor to leave the room. Shortly after he left, Christophe raised his pistol and shot himself dead through the heart.

Following Christophe's death, the nation was reunited as the Republic of Haiti under Jean-Pierre Boyer, Petion's successor. Boyer invaded the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo and proclaimed the entire island under Haitian rule, until 1844 when the Dominican Republic that was formed as white-Catholic nation separate from Haiti for reasons of differences in culture, language, religion, and discontent of the population after abuses of the Haitian army against the population. This constitutes the only independence from one American country from another American country with a war.

American occupation Throughout the nineteenth century, Haiti was ruled by a series of presidents, most of whom remained in office only briefly. Meanwhile, the country's economy was gradually dominated by foreigners, particularly from Germany. Concerned about German influence and growing military presence, and disturbed by the savage public dismembering of President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam by an enraged crowd, the United States invaded and occupied Haiti in 1915. The United States imposed a constitution written by future president Franklin D. Roosevelt, and applied an old system of compulsory corvée to everyone. Previously this system had been applied only to members of the poor, black majority. The occupation had many long-lasting effects on the country. United States forces built schools, roads and hospitals, and launched health campaigns that eradicated yellow fever, malaria, and yaws from the island. The vast network of roads, bridges, and clean water systems drastically reshaped Haiti's infrastructure. Unfortunately, the sum of the structural changes to Haiti's systems was not enough to enable any degree of indigenous progress. The U.S. established the William Cameron Forbes Commission to investigate the lack of progress, and the Commission concluded, amongst other things, that "the social forces that created (the social instability) still remain - poverty, ignorance, and the lack of a tradition or desire for orderly free government." Order and freedom could not be imposed by force of will.

As the U.S. occupation resulted in a degree of central organization of government, finance, and industry, the focus of the country shifted from the provinces to the capital, disadvantaging the loose rural socio-economic fabric of the country in favor of the major urban centers. Inevitably this created an exodus of the rural poor from the countryside. Nationalist rebels, called Cacos, were simultaneously waging a persistent guerilla warfare, headed by Charlemagne Péralte (until 1919) and Dominique Batraville (until 1920). As a consequence, the U.S.-controlled government created a National Guard which in future decades would become the Armée d'Haiti, and be said to commit many atrocities against its own people. Roosevelt was disenchanted with the burden and negative social aspects of trying to organize Haiti, and proceeded to implement an earlier disengagement agreement, thereby ending the U.S. occupation in 1934.

The Duvaliers The United States left Haiti in the hands of the mulatto minority, but in 1946 Dumarsais Estimé became the country's first black president since the US occupation began. His efforts at reform sparked disorder, and when he attempted to extend his term of office in 1950 (as most previous presidents had done) there was a coup, followed by the second formal Military Council of Government led by Paul Magloire.

François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, was an ex-doctor who ruled as dictator of Haiti from 1964 to his death in 1971. In 1957, Dr. François Duvalier ("Papa Doc") came to power in the country's first universal suffrage election; many believed this outcome was manipulated by the army. In 1964, he declared himself president for life. Duvalier maintained control over the population through his secret police organization, the Volunteers for National Security - nicknamed the Tonton Macoutes ("boogeymen") after a folkloric villain. This organization drew international criticism for its harsh treatment of political adversaries, both real and suspected. Upon Duvalier's death in 1971, he was succeeded by his nineteen year-old son Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed "Baby Doc") as Haiti's new president for life. The younger Duvalier regime became notorious for corruption, and was deposed in 1986, ushering in a new period of upheaval.

Roman Catholic pro-democratic movement The unravelling of the Duvalier regime began with a popular movement supported by the local church and set in motion by the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1983, who before embarking his plane gave a rousing speech ending with an angry exclamation: "Things must change here!" In 1984, anti-government riots broke out throughout the nation and the Haitian Catholic Bishops' Conference initiated a literacy program designed to prepare the Haitian public for participation in the electoral process.

Aristide priest, first became President of Haiti in 1991. He would remain President for three terms until he was deposed in 2004 in a violent revolt.The priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president in 1990, but was deposed in a coup shortly after his inauguration in 1991. There followed three years of control by a military junta led by Raoul Cedras, before a second US invasion and occupation in 1994 returned Aristide to power. One of the first acts of the re-installed government of Aristide was to disband the army.

Aristide was succeeded by a one-time ally and former prime minister, René Préval, in 1996. Aristide was the first democratically elected president in Haitian history. Préval's administration is notable for the fact that he was the first president in Haiti's history to constitutionally succeed a former president, serve a complete term, and leave his office voluntarily at the prescribed time. Every previous president had either died in office, been assassinated, been deposed, overstayed his prescribed term, or been installed by a foreign power.

in 2006.
(photo by Patrick-André Perron)Aristide returned to office in 2001 after elections that were boycotted by many of his opponents, who accused his party, Fanmi Lavalas, of counting votes improperly in a previous senatorial election, as well as threatening critics. Aristide denied the charges and accused his opponents of accepting U.S. assistance, and plotting to overthrow his government. The opposition mostly denied this, but many of its members continually called for his early resignation.

In February 2004, following months of large-scale protests against what critics charged was an increasingly corrupt and violent rule, 2004 Haiti rebellion, involving conflicts between the government and various rebel groups. Under pressure from both foreign governments and internal sources, Aristide left the country for the Central African Republic on February 29. Aristide later alleged that he faced pressure from the US Armed Forces and American officials from the United States' embassy in Port-au-Prince, who he claimed threatened that he "and a lot of Haitians... would be killed" if he did not leave, and said he "has to go now." At the time, the United States and some of Aristide's own security agents claimed that Aristide had agreed to leave the country willingly and that it had escorted him to Africa for his own protection. As Aristide departed the country, many members of his government fled or went into hiding, and the United States again sent Marines into Port-au-Prince. After Aristide's departure, Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre succeeded to the presidency appointed by a council of elders and supported by the United States, Canada, and France.

In the months following the February Coup, the country was engulfed in violence between the interim government's forces and Lavalas supporters, and many members of the Lavalas party were sent to jail, exiled, or killed. Over 10,000 workers in Haitian civil enterprises lost their jobs following the coup.

Elections were held in February 2006, and René Préval was again elected president. Preval has promised to bring peace and stability to the country. (See Haitian elections, 2006.)

Politics The politics of Haiti takes place in the framework of a presidential system republic, and of a pluriform multi-party system, whereby the President of Haiti is the head of state, while the Prime Minister is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haïti.

Departments, arrondissements, and communes Haiti is divided into 10 Departments of Haiti.Please note that the names of departmental capital cities are provided in parentheses.

The departments are further divided into 41 arrondissements, and 133 commune (country subdivision) which serve as second and third level administrative divisions.

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