Haiti

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République d'Haïti
Repiblik d Ayiti
Republic of Haiti
Flag of Haiti Coat of arms of Haiti
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "L'Union Fait La Force"  (French)
"Unity makes Strength"
Anthem: La Dessalinienne
Location of Haiti
Capital
(and largest city)		 Port-au-Prince
18°32′N, 72°20′W
Official languages French, Haitian Creole
Demonym Haitian
Government Presidential republic
 -  President René Préval
 -  Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis
Formation
 -  as Saint-Domingue 1697 
 -  Independence from France
January 1, 1804 
Area
 -  Total 27,750 km² (146th)
10,714 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 0.7
Population
 -  2005 estimate 8,827,000[citation needed] (85th)
 -  2003 census 8,527,817 
 -  Density 335/km² (38th)
758.1/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
 -  Total $16.51 (124th)
 -  Per capita $1913 (153rd)
Gini (2001) 59.2 (high) 
HDI (2007) ▲ 0.529 (medium) (146th)
Currency Gourde (HTG)
Time zone (UTC-5)
 -  Summer (DST)  (UTC-4)
Internet TLD .ht
Calling code +509

Haiti (English pronounced /ˈheɪtiː/; French Haïti pronounced [aiti]; Haitian Creole: Ayiti), officially the Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti ; Repiblik d Ayiti), is a French 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. Ayiti (Land of Mountains) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island. The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

Contents

[edit] Evolution of the name of the country

By the Taïnos, Ayiti meant Earth of high mountains or the Mountain in the sea. When the French, coming from the Island of the Tortoise towards Grande Terre, occupied the Western part of the island of Hispaniola, they gallicized the name used among Spaniards "Santo Domingo" in Saint Domingue. From 1630 to 1664, this name remained abstract until Colbert incorporated the colony of Saint Domingue in the Company of the West Indies. The name of Saint Domingue will be confirmed by the treaties of Ryswick (1697) and Basle (1795), to indicate the Western part of Hispaniola which, during this French colonial period, was also called “La Perle des Antilles”. January 1, 1804, by declaring the independence of the country, Dessalines gave again to Saint Domingue the Amerindian name of Haïti, eager to break with French and Spanish names. Haïti is the name given, in French, to the whole of Hispaniola. In Creole, the country is called Ayiti.

[edit] History

This island of the Greater Antilles was discovered by Christopher Columbus on December 5, 1492. He named it Hispaniola. A branch of the Arawaks, the Tainos occupied the island before the arrival of the Spaniards. Their number to the end of 15th century was estimated to be lower than 100,000. The Spaniards exploited the island for its gold. The Amerindians refusing to work in the mines were massacred and forced into slavery; those that evaded capture found refuge in the mountains, where they formed their own settlements. The infectious diseases which arrived with the Europeans devastated the local population; that, along with ill treatment, malnutrition and a drastic drop of the birthrate completed the debacle: the indigenous population was decimated in a few decades. This led the Spaniards to start importing black slaves from Africa. In 1517, Charles Quint authorized the draft of the slaves. African slaves that managed to escape the European reign of terror also fled to the mountains where some encountered, befriended and intermarried with fugitive Amerindians, consequently forming a line of zambos.

The western part of Hispaniola being neglected by the Spanish colonists, French buccaneers settled there. Among them, Bertrand d'Ogeron succeeded in growing tobacco, thus allowing a large number of buccaneers and freebooters to turn into a sedentary population, who didn’t submit to royal authority until the year 1660. Bertrand d'Orgeron also attracted many colonists of Martinique and Guadeloupe, like 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 the land pressure which was generated by the extension of the sugar dwellings. But in 1670-1690 the tobacco crisis intervened and a large number of places were abandoned. The rows of the freebooting grew bigger, plundering, like those of Vera Cruz in 1683 or of Campêche in 1686, became increasingly commonplace and Jean-Baptist Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay, elder son of Jean Baptist Colbert and at the time Minister of the Navy, brought back some order by taking a great number of measures. Among those appeared the creation of plantations of indigo and of cane sugar. The first sugar windmill was created in 1685.

The treaty of Ryswick of 1697 divided Hispaniola between France and Spain. 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, left Bordeaux, France, came to enlarge the number of the colonists present in the western part of the island. The wars burst in Europe and were prolonged on the seas to the Antilles and the Caribbean. In 1756, trade was paralysed. A great number of colonists and their families left Saint Domingue for Louisiana, where they settled in Post established by France and managed by soldiers. Thus the families Barre, Roy, Hebert and Nezat met again in the territories of Attakapas and Opelousas (Indian tribes), where they also met other French colonists from Paris or from Nova Scotia (Alex Charles Barre, descendant of Guillaume Barre, founded in 1820 Port Barre). About 1790, Santo Domingo, had become the French richest colony of all America thanks to the immense profits of the sugar industry and of that of the indigo and thousands of Africans had been brought like slaves to make these industries function. Their fate was under the jurisdiction framed by the black code, prepared by Colbert and enacted by Louis XIV. But the French revolution involved serious social upheavals in the French West Indies and in Saint Domingue too. Most important was the revolt of the slaves which lead in 1793 to the abolition of slavery by the commissioners Sonthonax and Polverel, (decision endorsed and generalized to the whole of the French colonies by the Convention six months later). The Black Toussaint Louverture, appointed Governor by France, after having restored peace, having driven out the Spaniards and the English who threatened the colony, restored prosperity by daring measures. He went however too far promulgating a separatist constitution and Napoleon Bonaparte, under the influence of the Creoles (French - and Spaniards born on one of the islands of the Antilles, later also in Louisiana) and of the traders, sent an expedition of 30,000 men under the orders of his brother-in-law the General Charles Leclerc. He had the mission of ousting Louverture and of restoring slavery. But, after some victories, the arrest and the deportation of Toussaint Louverture, the French troops ordered by Donatien Marie Joseph de Rochambeau finished by being beaten at the battle of Vertières per Jean-Jacques Dessalines. At the end of a double battle for freedom and for independence won by former slaves over the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte, the independence of the country was proclaimed on January 1, 1804, under the name of Haiti. Haiti had become the first country in the world to make effective the abolition of slavery.

Dessalines was proclaimed governor for life by his troops. He exiled the remaining whites and ruled as a despot. He was assassinated on October 17, 1806. The country was divided then between a kingdom in the north, directed by Henri Christophe and a republic in the south, directed by Alexandre Pétion. Then president Jean Pierre Boyer reunified these two parts and conquered the east part of the island. July 11, 1825, the king of France Charles X threatened to reconquer the island and sent a fleet of 14 vessels. Boyer had to sign a treaty in which France recognized the independence of the country in exchange for an allowance of 150 million franks-or (the sum would be reduced in 1838 to 90 million franks).

A long succession of coups followed the departure of Jean Pierre Boyer. His authority did not cease being disputed by factions of the army, the mulatto and black elites, and the commercial class, now made up of great number from abroad – Germans, Americans, French and English). The country was impoverished, with few State Heads taking care of its development. As his authority weakened, armed revolts started, maintained by candidates to the succession. At the beginning of the XXth century, the country was in a state of quasi-permanent insurrection.

The United States occupied the island from 1915 to 1934. Thereafter, from 1957 to 1986, the Duvaliers reigned as dictators. They created the system of denouncement and death squads known as Tonton Macoute. Many Haitians exiled themselves, in particular to the United States and Quebec. The former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide won the elections of December 1990. His mandate began on February 7, 1991, but a coup d'etat carried out by Raoul Cédras supported by the middle-class of businesses deposed him in September. In 1994, he was restored to authority under the pressure of the Clinton administration (which threatened with military intervention) on the condition that he gave up recovering the years lost at the time of the military interlude. He left the presidency in 1995 then and was re-elected in 2000. After several months of popular demonstrations and pressures exerted by the international community, especially by France, the USA and Canada, Aristide went into exile, being taken out of the country by US soldiers on February 29, 2004, when armed forces consisting of opponents and former soldiers who controlled the North of the country threatened to go on the capital Port-au-Prince.

Boniface Alexandre, president of the Supreme Court of appeal, assumed interim authority. In February 2006, following elections marked by uncertainties on the calculation of the ballot papers, and thanks to the support of popular demonstrations, Rene Préval, near to Aristide and former president of the Republic of Haiti between 1995 and 2000, was elected.

[edit] Politics

Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince
Presidential Palace in Port-au-Prince
Main article: Politics of Haiti

The 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. The Prime Minister acts as head of government, and is appointed by the President from the majority party in the National Assembly. Executive power is exercised by the President and Prime Minister who together constitute the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti. The government is organized unitarily, thus the central government delegates powers to the departments without a constitutional need for consent. The current structure of Haiti's political system was set forth in the Constitution of March 29, 1987.

[edit] Departments, arrondissements, and communes

Main article: Departments of Haiti
Further information: Arrondissements and communes of Haiti

Haiti is divided into 10 departments. The departments are listed below, with the departmental capital cities in parentheses.

Departments of Haiti
Departments of Haiti
  1. Artibonite (Gonaïves)
  2. Centre (Hinche)
  3. Grand'Anse (Jérémie)
  4. Nippes (Miragoâne)
  5. Nord (Cap-Haïtien)
  6. Nord-Est (Fort-Liberté)
  7. Nord-Ouest (Port-de-Paix)
  8. Ouest (Port-au-Prince) *national capital*
  9. Sud-Est (Jacmel)
  10. Sud (Les Cayes)

The departments are further divided into 41 arrondissements, and 133 communes which serve as second and third level administrative divisions.

[edit] Geography

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

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 80 kilometres (43 nmi) 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 metres (8,793 feet). The 360 kilometre (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.

[edit] Ecology

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.[1] Erosion has been severe in the mountainous areas. 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 palm tree-lined beaches.[2]

2004 Haiti flood
2004 Haiti flood

[edit] Environmental issues

In addition to soil erosion, the deforestation has also caused periodic flooding, as seen on 17 September, 2004. Tropical storm Jeanne skimmed the north coast of Haiti, leaving 3,006 people dead in flooding and mudslides, mostly in the city of Gonaïves.[3] Earlier that year in May, floods killed over 3,000 people on Haiti's southern border with the Dominican Republic. [4]

Currently the country is seeking to implement a biofuel solution to its energy problems.[5]

[edit] Economy

Bas-Ravine, in the northern part of Cap-Haitien.
Bas-Ravine, in the northern part of Cap-Haitien.
Main article: Economy of Haiti

Haiti has remained the least-developed country in the Americas, 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 146th of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index (2006). About 80% of the population were estimated to be living in poverty in 2003.[6] Haiti is the only country in the Americas on the United Nations list of Least Developed Countries. Economic growth was negative in 2001 and 2002, and flat in 2003.

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.Mangoes and coffee are one of Haiti's most important exports.[7] 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 followed by Canada, and European nations also contribute. 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.

[edit] Education

Of Haiti's 8.8 million inhabitants, just below half are illiterate. The literacy rate is the lowest in the region with 52.9%. Haiti counts with 15,200 primary schools, of which 90% are non-public and managed by the communities, religious organizations or NGOs.[8] The enrollment rate for primary school is 67%, of which less than 30% reach 6th grade, and for secondary school is 20%.

The educational system of Haiti is based of the French system. Higher education is provided by universities and other public and private institutions and is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.[9]

A list of universities in Haiti includes:

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Haiti
 This section does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007)
Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Although Haiti averages approximately 250 people per square kilometer (650 per sq. mi.), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of predominantly African descent. The influential remainder of the population vary in ethnic groups from mulattoes, mestizoes, to Arabs (primarily Lebanese) and Europeans. White-descended Haitians are mainly of French, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and German heritage. There is also a small Asian (mostly Chinese) presence within the minority.

[edit] Haitian diaspora

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

[edit] In the United States

There is a sizable community of Haitian émigrés residing in Miami's "Little Haiti" section. In New York City, the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Canarsie is also home to a thriving émigré community. In the neighboring Queens, communities can be found in Long Island as well as Jamaica, Queens Village, Hollis, Rosedale and Cambria Heights sections of that borough. Other cities where notable communities have formed include Boston, Cambridge, Malden and Brockton (all in Massachusetts), Providence, Rhode Island, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Bridgeport, Connecticut, Chicago, Illinois, Tampa and Orlando (both Florida), East Orange , Irvington and Newark (all three in New Jersey), and New Rochelle and Spring Valley (both New York State).[citation needed]

[edit] Languages

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (November 2007)

Haiti's official languages are French and Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen). Nearly all Haitians speak the latter natively, a creole based primarily on French (90 percent of Haitian Creole vocabulary is French in origin), with significant African influence along with that of Spanish, Portuguese, and Taíno to a lesser extent.[citation needed] French is however the principal written and administrative language, used by many educated Haitians.

Spanish is spoken near the border with the Dominican Republic, and is increasingly being spoken in more westward areas[citation needed], as Venezuelan, Cuban, and Dominican trade influence Haitian affairs, and Haiti becomes increasingly involved in Latin American transactions. English is also a very popular language, due to its position as an international language and Haiti's close ties with the United States.

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Haiti
"Tap tap" bus in Port-Salut.
"Tap tap" bus in Port-Salut.

Haiti has a long and storied history and therefore retains a rich culture. Haitian culture is a mix of primarily French and African elements, with some lesser influence from the colonial Spanish as well as minor influences from the native Taíno. The country's customs essentially are a blend of cultural beliefs that derived from the many ethnic groups that inhabited the island of Hispaniola. In nearly all aspects of modern Haitian society however, the European and African element dominate.

Haiti is famous for its distinctive art, notably painting and sculpture.

[edit] Religion

Roman Catholicism is the official state religion in which the majority, approximately 80-85%, of the population professes. An estimated 15-20% of the population follows the teachings of various Protestant churches. Many Haitians, often Roman Catholics, also practice Vodou[10], almost always in addition to traditional Catholic observances. Haitian Vodou is very similar to other Afro-based faiths such as the Santería practiced in Cuba and Puerto Rico, Espiritismo in Dominican Republic, Obeah in Jamaica and Candomblé in Brazil.

[edit] Carnival

Haitian revelers atop a carnival float in Port-au-Prince. (2007)
Haitian revelers atop a carnival float in Port-au-Prince. (2007)

Haiti has a vibrant and large carnival season; referred to as Mardi Gras or Carnaval in French and Kanaval in Haitian Creole. It is held every year on the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The Jacmel Carnival is well known for its culturally appealing displays of costumes and masks. While it is a rather large carnival, it is dwarfed by the much larger Carnival of Port-au-Prince; the national parade which draws thousands of people annually. Vivid floats that are sponsored by the country's popular brand name products host some of the country's most well known musicians. Carnival season is a joyous event which is attended by both locals as well as those from abroad, which include the diaspora and foreigners. During this time, the country is engulfed by music and raucous celebration, a scene which is in dramatic contrast to the temporarily-forgotten troubles that plague the country.

[edit] Music

Main article: Music of Haiti
 This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008)
Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Haiti's most well known music style is kompa, a vibrant music and dance genre similar to that of their Cuban neighbors but with a reminiscence of jazz. Kompa often employs African drumming, modern guitars/synthesized sounds, saxophones, and lyrics sung in Haitian Creole. Merengue 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), and Rara. 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. On the synonomously named track by Canadian band Arcade Fire, co-vocalist Régine Chassagne sings about Haiti, the country of her ancestry.

[edit] Cuisine

Haitian cuisine.
Haitian 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 native 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. Haitian food tends to be very mildly spicy and the cuisine of the country encompasses several varieties of rice and beans, the de facto national dish.

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Forestry. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
  2. ^ Can Haiti dream of ecotourism ? - Paul Parisky, Kiskeya Alternativa's publications
  3. ^ Photo Gallery: Jeanne hits Haiti. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
  4. ^ Deforestation Exacerbates Haiti Floods
  5. ^ Analysis: Haiti seeks a biofuel solution. United Press Internation. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  6. ^ CIA World Factbook
  7. ^ Insert footnote text here
  8. ^ "Education: Overview", United States Agency for International Development. Retrieved on 2007-11-15. 
  9. ^ "Education in Haiti; Primary Education". Retrieved on 2007-11-15. 
  10. ^ Haiti: Religious Life: Voodoo. Retrieved on 2007-07-21.

[edit] Resources

[edit] See also

 Haiti Portal

[edit] External links

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