Republic of Haiti | |
---|---|
Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" (French)[2] Motto on traditional coat of arms:"Libète, Egalite, Fratènite" (Haitian Creole) "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" "L'union fait la force" (French) "Inite se fòs" (Haitian Creole)[3] "Union makes strength" | |
Anthem: La Dessalinienne (French) Desalinyèn (Haitian Creole) "The Dessalines Song" | |
Capital and largest city | Port-au-Prince 18°35′39″N 72°18′26″W / 18.59417°N 72.30722°W |
Official languages | |
Ethnic groups | 95% Black 5% Mixed or White[4] |
Religion (2020)[5] |
|
Demonym(s) | Haitian |
Government | Unitary semi-presidential republic under an interim government |
| |
Alix Didier Fils-Aimé (acting)[6] | |
Legislature | National Assembly[a] |
Senate[a] | |
Chamber of Deputies[a] | |
Independence from France | |
• Independence declared | 1 January 1804 |
• Independence recognized | 17 April 1825 |
22 September 1804 | |
9 March 1806 | |
17 October 1806 | |
• Kingdom | 28 March 1811 |
9 February 1822 | |
• Dissolution | 27 February 1844 |
26 August 1849 | |
• Republic | 15 January 1859 |
28 July 1915 – 1 August 1934 | |
• Independence from the United States | 15 August 1934 |
29 March 1987 | |
Area | |
• Total | 27,750[7] km2 (10,710 sq mi) (143rd) |
• Water (%) | 0.7 |
Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 11,470,261[8] (83rd) |
• Density | 382/km2 (989.4/sq mi) (32nd) |
GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $38.952 billion[9] (144th) |
• Per capita | $3,185[9] (174th) |
GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $25.986 billion[9] (139th) |
• Per capita | $2,125[9] (172nd) |
Gini (2023) | 41[10] medium inequality |
HDI (2022) | 0.552[11] medium (158th) |
Currency | Gourde (G) (HTG) |
Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern Daylight Time) |
Drives on | Right |
Calling code | +509 |
ISO 3166 code | HT |
Internet TLD | .ht |
Haiti,[b] officially the Republic of Haiti,[c][d] is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of The Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.[18][19] Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean, and with an estimated population of 11.4 million, is the most populous Caribbean country.[20][21][22] The capital and largest city is Port-au-Prince.
Haiti was originally inhabited by the Taíno people.[23] In 1492, Christopher Columbus established the first European settlement in the Americas, La Navidad, on its northeastern coast.[24][25] The island was part of the Spanish Empire until 1697, when the western portion was ceded to France and became Saint-Domingue, dominated by sugarcane plantations worked by enslaved Africans. The 1791-1804 Haitian Revolution made Haiti the first sovereign state in the Caribbean, the second republic in the Americas, the first country in the Americas to officially abolish slavery, and the only country in history established by a slave revolt.[26][27][28] The 19th century saw political instability, international isolation, debt to France, and failed invasions of the Dominican Republic, including a costly war. U.S. forces occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934,[29] followed by dictatorial rule of the Duvalier family (1957–1986). After a coup d'état in 2004, the United Nations intervened. In 2010, a catastrophic earthquake and a deadly cholera outbreak devastated the country.[30]
Haiti is a founding member of the United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS),[31] Association of Caribbean States,[32] and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. In addition to CARICOM, it is a member of the International Monetary Fund,[33] World Trade Organization,[34] and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. Historically poor and politically unstable, Haiti has faced severe economic and political crises, gang activity,[35] and the collapse of its government. With no elected officials remaining, Haiti has been described as a failed state.[36][37]
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