Haiti

Haiti includes the western part of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic, as well as several smaller islands. The Caribbean Sea lies to the south and west, while the Atlantic Ocean lies to the north. Haiti's long coastline supports fishing, ports, trade, and connections with other Caribbean places.

Haiti is one of the most mountainous countries in the Caribbean, with ranges cutting across much of the country. They divide Haiti into valleys and coastal plains and make travel between regions difficult. Pic la Selle, Haiti's highest point, rises to 2,680 meters (8,793 feet) in the southeast.

The Artibonite is the longest river in the Caribbean and flows through Haiti's most important rice-growing region before reaching the Gulf of Gonàve. Its broad, flat valley provides valuable farmland in a country where mountains cover much of the landscape, and river water is used to irrigate crops such as rice.

Haiti's steep mountains can make heavy tropical rains especially dangerous. Where forests have been cleared, rain can wash soil downhill more easily, increasing erosion, flooding, and landslide risk. Hurricanes and tropical storms can therefore cause severe damage in vulnerable communities.

Haitian Creole developed in Haiti during the 1600s and 1700s. It draws much of its vocabulary from French but has its own grammar and pronunciation. Today, Haitian Creole is the everyday language of nearly the entire population and is central to storytelling, music, education, and daily communication. French is also an official language.

Most Haitians are descendants of Africans who were enslaved and brought to Haiti when France controlled the colony in the 1600s and 1700s. They preserved and adapted languages, rhythms, religious traditions, foods, and storytelling practices brought from different parts of Africa. Over generations, these traditions combined and changed in Haiti, helping create distinctly Haitian forms of music, religion, food, and art.

Haiti's religious life includes both Christianity and Vodou, a religion that developed in Haiti from West and Central African spiritual traditions. Catholicism and Protestantism are widely practiced, and some Haitians practice Vodou alongside Christianity. Vodou ceremonies can include prayer, singing, drumming, dancing, and offerings as people honor spirits and ancestors and seek their guidance or help.

Haitian communities stretch far beyond Haiti, especially to the United States, the Dominican Republic, Canada, France, and other Caribbean countries. People have left Haiti for many reasons, including jobs, family, political violence and upheaval, natural disasters, and safety. These communities remain closely connected to relatives in Haiti through visits, language, traditions, and family ties.

Many Haitians earn a living through small farms, street markets, family businesses, transportation, and other self-employed work rather than jobs with large companies. Farmers grow crops such as rice, maize, beans, plantains, mangoes, coffee, and cacao, while markets connect rural producers with towns and cities.

Factories in Haiti make clothing for sale in the United States and other countries. Haiti's location close to the U.S. helps reduce the time and cost of shipping those goods.

Money sent home by Haitians living abroad is one of Haiti's biggest sources of household income. These payments, called remittances, help families pay for food, housing, education, health care, and small businesses.

Twenty-one years after Haiti defeated France and won its independence, France sent warships and demanded 150 million gold francs before it would formally recognize Haiti as an independent country. France said the payment would compensate former French colonists for property they had lost during the Haitian Revolution, including enslaved people who had won their freedom. Haiti had to borrow heavily to begin making the payments, creating debts that drained money from the country for generations.