Facts about Haiti
Ninety-five percent of Haitians are of predominantly African descent.
A significant number of Haitians is believed to possess African and Taino/Arawak heritage due to the history of the island, however the number of native-descended Haitians is not known.
The Haitian Revolution is thought to have inspired numerous slave revolts in the Caribbean and United States.
Many successful Haitians move east to Long Island, where Elmont and other towns have seen many new residents.
Haiti has 1,771 km of coastline and a 360 km-border with the Dominican Republic.
The famous island of Tortuga (Оle de la Tortue) is located off the coast of northern Haiti.
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.
Unfortunately, the establishment of these institutions and policies had long-lasting negative effects on Haiti's economy.
Haiti comprises the western third of the island of Hispaniola, west of the Dominican Republic and between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Йlie Lescot was elected president by the Haitian legislature in 1941, but was subsequently overthrown in 1946, by the military.
Many of Haiti's native animals were hunted to extinction and the only common remaining wildlife is the Caiman and flamingo.
The name Haiti was chosen in recognition of the old Arawak name for the island, Ayiti.
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 Vatican withdrew its priests from Haiti, and did not return them until 1860.
Boyer invaded the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo and united the entire island of Hispaniola under Haitian rule, until 1844 when the Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti.
Following Christophe's death, the nation was reunited as the Republic of Haiti under Jean-Pierre Boyer, Petion's successor.
Pictures from space show the glaringly stark difference in forestation between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic.
An oil refinery will also be constructed in Haiti, with a production capacity of 10,000 barrels of oil per day.
Upon Duvalier's death in 1971, he was succeeded by his 19 year-old son Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed "Baby Doc") as Haiti's new president for life.
Haiti is vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms during the Atlantic Hurricane season.
Haiti's official languages are French and Haitian Creole (Kreyтl Ayisyen).
A former French colony, Haiti became the first independent black republic and the only nation ever to form from a successful slave rebellion.
Haiti's Latin American alliances provide the country with much of its needed aid.
Haiti also includes many smaller islands such as La Gonвve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Les Cayemites, Оle de Anacaona, and La Grande Caye.
Nearly all Haitians speak the latter, a creole based primarily on French and African languages, with some English, Taнno, Portuguese, and Spanish influences.
Haitian food, though unique in its own right, shares much in common with that of the rest of Latin America.
Haiti has recently undergone a state of transition following the forced ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004.
Along with two other private institutions, the University of Haiti is the only public institution of higher education.
Haitian Cuisine is influenced in large part by the methods and foods involved in French cuisine as well as by some native staples originating from African and Taнno cuisine, such as cassava, yam, and maize.
Over 10,000 workers in Haitian civil enterprises lost their jobs following the coup.
Dessalines's armies won their final and decisive victory over the French forces at the Battle of Vertiиres on November 18, 1803, near Cap-Haitien.
Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s.
In 2006, Haiti was ranked as the most corrupt nation out of the 163 that were surveyed.
The plight of Haiti's forests has attracted international attention, and has led to numerous reforestation efforts, but these have met with little success.
Concerned about German influence, and disturbed by the lynching of President Guillaume Sam by an enraged crowd, the United States invaded and occupied Haiti in 1915.
The cruise ships anchor offshore, and passengers are tendered to the resort, often without being told they are in Haiti.
Cuba has thanked Haiti for consistently voting in the United Nations General Assembly against the embargo put upon Cuba by the United States.
Haiti became the second non-native country in the Americas (after the United States) to declare its independence, in 1804.
Politics of Haiti takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, pluriform multiparty system whereby the President of Haiti is head of state directly elected by popular vote.
Haiti remains one of the least-developed countries in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world.
After a visit by Chavez in March 2007, Venezuela and Cuba announced the creation of a $1 billion fund to develop energy, health, and infrastructure in Haiti.
Haiti's geographic coordinates are at a longitude of 72° 25? west and a latitude of 19° 00? north.
Under the second Aristide administration and the Alexandre-Latortue administration, difficulty in reaching agreements with international sponsors denied Haiti badly needed budget and developmental assistance.
Haiti now ranks 154th of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index (2006).
The most successful and well known Haitian musical artist of today is Wyclef Jean, who is internationally recognized for being one of the first Haitian artists to find commercial success.
There has been a dispute between the United States and Haiti regarding Navassa Island (Navasse), which both countries claim.
The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, was originally inhabited by the Taнno Arawak people.
Legislative power is vested in the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, led by a president.
Millions of Haitians live abroad, chiefly in the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Canada, France, and the United States.
A large percentage of the population in Haiti also practices the religion of voodoo, almost always alongside Roman Catholic observances (in most sects, it is required to become Roman Catholic first).
Tropical reefs that surround Haiti are threatened by silt carried out to the ocean due to deforestation.
Most Haitian logging is done to produce charcoal, the country's chief source of fuel.
Haiti consistently ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world on the Corruption Perceptions Index.
Many of Haiti's university level students leave Haiti and to foreign universities.
The total area of Haiti is 10,714 square miles (27,750 kmІ) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.
Education in Haiti is free and compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 11.
Attractions include a Haitian Flea Market, traditional Haitian dance performances, numerous beaches, water sports, and a water park.
The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of March 29, 1987.
Other musical genres popular in Haiti include Trinidadian Soca, merengue (originating in the Dominican Republic), and zouk (a combination of kompa and music from the French Antilles).
Nineteen days later, the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad.
Many Haitians deny the recognition of voodoo as a stand-alone religion and some claim it is a false religion.
Among the cultural signs that they left were cave paintings around the country, which have become touristic and nationalistic symbols of Haiti.
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.
Other enclaves that contain Haitians include Cambridge, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, and Newark, New Jersey, and its surrounding towns.
Saint-Domingue finally belonged to the black majority after 15 years of devastation. On January 1, 1804, Dessalines and his generals proclaimed Haiti's independence, choosing an aboriginal word (meaning "the land of the mountains") to replace the French name Saint-Domingue. For further reading: Haiti.May 14, 2012
The nation is multi-ethnic, home to peoples of different races and ethnic groups. 95% of Haitians are of predominantly African descent. The remaining 5% of the population is primarily mulattoes, Europeans, Asians and Arabs. Hispanic residents in Haiti are mostly Cuban and Dominican.
Dieuson Octave was born on June 11, 1997 in Pompano Beach, Florida, where he was also raised. His mother, Marcelene Octave and his father were emigrants from Haiti. Octave was raised by his mother in Golden Acres, a public housing project in Pompano Beach. From the age of six, Octave used the nickname "Black".