Haiti << HAY tee >> is a country in the Caribbean region. It covers the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which lies between Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. The Dominican Republic covers eastern Hispaniola. Most of Haiti is mountainous, and the country’s name comes from an Indigenous (native) Taíno word that means high ground.
Haiti has two official languages—Creole and French. Haiti’s official name in Creole, the language spoken by most Haitians, is Repiblik d Ayiti. Its official name in French is République d’Haïti. Both names mean Republic of Haiti. Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s capital and largest city.
Haiti is the oldest Black republic in the world. It is also the second oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere. Only the United States is older. Haiti has been independent since 1804. For most of its history, it has been ruled by dictators.
Haiti is one of the most densely populated and least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere. Many Haitians are peasant farmers who raise food mainly for their families. The country has a shortage of hospitals and doctors. Because of poor diet and medical care, especially in rural areas, the average life expectancy in Haiti is only about 50 years.
Christopher Columbus, an Italian navigator in the service of Spain, arrived at Hispaniola in 1492. His crew established a Spanish base in what is now Haiti. Later, French settlers developed western Hispaniola into what was then the richest colony in the Caribbean.
Government.
According to Haiti’s Constitution, a president serves as Haiti’s head of state. The people elect the president to a five-year term. The president chooses a prime minister to serve as head of the government. Haiti’s legislature, also called the parliament, consists of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate, both elected by the people. Deputies serve four-year terms, and senators serve six-year terms.
People.
Most of Haiti’s people are descendants of Africans brought there and enslaved. A majority of Haitians live in the country’s overcrowded coastal plains and mountain valleys, where the soil is most productive. A typical Haitian family grows beans, corn, rice, yams, and other necessities on a tiny plot of land. They may also raise chickens, pigs, or goats. The family usually lives in a one-room dwelling built with a thatched roof and walls made of sticks covered with dried mud.
Most Haitian farmers use a hoe to till their land. Sometimes, a farmer will request help from other farmers for major jobs such as clearing the land, planting, or harvesting crops. This type of cooperative effort is called a combite (also spelled coumbite), a Creole word. During a combite, the farmers encourage one another with music and singing.
Most Haitians belong to the Roman Catholic Church. However, African customs also have a strong influence on religion in Haiti. Many people practice Vodou, a combination of traditional African religions and Roman Catholicism. Followers of Vodou believe in a creator being and many spirits. They also believe that by performing certain ceremonies they can be monte (taken over) by spirits. Since the mid-1900’s, a growing number of Haitians have become Protestants.
About 5 percent of Haiti’s people have mixed African and European ancestry. Most of these mixed-race people belong to the middle or upper class, and many have been educated overseas. Most live comfortably in modern houses and are merchants and such professionals as doctors and lawyers. A few Americans, Europeans, and people of Syrian ancestry also live in Haiti. Most Haitians speak Creole, a language partly based on French. The middle and upper classes also speak French.
Land.
Mountains cover about 80 percent of Haiti. Two chains of rugged mountains run across the northern and southern parts of Haiti and form two peninsulas at the west end of the island. The northern peninsula juts about 100 miles (160 kilometers) into the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern peninsula extends about 200 miles (320 kilometers) into the Caribbean Sea. A gulf, Golfe de la Gonave, and an island, Île de la Gonave, lie between the two peninsulas. The wide Artibonite Valley of the Artibonite River lies between the mountains in eastern Haiti. Tortue Island (also called Tortuga Island) lies off the northern coast. Tropical pines and mahogany forests cover some mountains, and tropical fruit trees grow on others.
The people grow coffee and cacao (seeds used to make cocoa and chocolate) in the mountains. Rice and sugar cane are the main crops in the black, fertile soil of the Artibonite Valley. Because of a shortage of suitable land, farmers raise crops wherever they can, even on steep mountain slopes. In some mountain areas, overcultivation has resulted in serious soil erosion.
Haiti has a tropical climate with mild temperatures. Temperatures range from 70 to 95 °F (21 to 35 °C) along the coasts and from 50 to 75 °F (10 to 24 °C) in the mountains. The tropical forests in the northern mountains receive about 80 inches (200 centimeters) of rain a year. The southern coast receives less than 40 inches (100 centimeters). Destructive storms sometimes strike the country between June and October.
Economy.
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Frequent natural disasters and political unrest have weakened the country’s economy. Haiti has a high unemployment rate. Many Haitians live in poverty. Remittances (money sent home) from Haitians living abroad and foreign aid are important to the economy.
Haiti’s economy relies largely on agriculture. Many of Haiti’s workers are farmers. But most farmers own barely enough land to grow food for their families. The country grows bananas, beans, coffee, corn, mangoes, rice, sugar cane, and yams. Haitian farmers raise beef and dairy cattle, chickens, goats, and hogs.
Haiti has few industries. The country’s factories produce cement, clothing and textiles, and food and beverage products. Craftworkers in the cities sell handicrafts to tourists. Mining plays a small role in Haiti’s economy.
Haiti imports much more than it exports. The United States is the country’s leading trade partner. Haiti imports machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum products, rice, and sugar. It exports clothing, cocoa, fruits, and oils.
Haiti has a poor transportation system. The country has no railroads and most roads are unpaved. Port-au-Prince has an international airport. Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince have important seaports. Some cruise ships stop at Labadie, a small resort on Haiti’s northern coast.
History.
Haiti has had a turbulent history. The Spanish, then the French, controlled what is now Haiti from the 1500’s until 1804. Military leaders and dictators ruled Haiti during much of the 1900’s. Peacekeeping forces from various countries occupied Haiti on and off during the late 1900’s and early 2000’s. In addition, natural disasters have caused serious problems for the nation.
Colonial days.
Christopher Columbus arrived at an island he named La Isla Española, or Hispaniola, in 1492 and claimed it for Spain. One of his ships, the Santa Maria, ran aground on Christmas Day on reefs near the present-day city of Cap-Haïtien. Columbus’s crew used the ship’s timber to build a fort, which Columbus named Fort Navidad. Some of the crew stayed to hold the fort when Columbus sailed on. But the Taíno people who lived on the island destroyed the fort and killed the men.
Columbus discovered gold in eastern Hispaniola. Spanish settlers then rushed to the island. They forced the Taíno to mine gold and raise food. They treated them so harshly that by 1530 only a few hundred Taíno were alive. The Spaniards then brought Africans to Hispaniola and enslaved them.
Spanish settlers began leaving Hispaniola for more prosperous Spanish settlements in Peru and Mexico. By 1606, there were so few Spaniards left on Hispaniola that the king of Spain ordered them to move closer to the city of Santo Domingo, in what is now the Dominican Republic. French, English, and Dutch settlers then took over the abandoned northern and western coasts of Hispaniola. Many settlers became pirates called buccaneers. The buccaneers used the small island of Tortue (also called Tortuga) as a base and attacked ships carrying gold and silver to Spain. The Spanish tried to drive out the buccaneers but failed. In 1697, Spain recognized French control of the western third of the island.
France named its new colony Saint-Domingue. French colonists developed large plantations that depended on enslaved African workers. They grew coffee, spices, and sugar cane. By 1788, there were nearly 500,000 enslaved people, about eight times the number of colonists.
Independence.
In 1791, during the French Revolution, enslaved people revolted in Saint-Domingue. Toussaint Louverture, formerly enslaved, led a Black army against the French, helping to force France to abolish slavery in the colony in 1793. He then helped France by defeating British and Spanish troops that had invaded Saint-Domingue. By early 1796, he ruled the colony with the consent of its French governor. Saint-Domingue prospered under Toussaint. But France’s ruler, Napoleon I, wanted to regain full control of the colony. In 1802, Napoleon sent an army to reestablish slavery in Saint-Domingue. Toussaint and others resisted and began a revolution to free the colony from French control. Toussaint was captured and imprisoned in France, where he died in 1803. Jean-Jacques Dessalines, also formerly enslaved, then became the leader of the revolution. He declared Saint-Domingue the independent country of Haiti in 1804.
Dessalines soon proclaimed himself emperor of Haiti. He was murdered by rivals in 1806. Two other generals, Alexandre Pétion and Henry Christophe, then struggled for power. Pétion took control of southern Haiti, and Christophe took control of the north. Jean-Pierre Boyer replaced Pétion in 1818. He reunited the country after Christophe took his own life in 1820. In 1822, Boyer also took control of eastern Hispaniola, which recently had become independent from Spain. The island was unified under Haitian control until 1844, when people in the east revolted. During the next 70 years, 32 different men ruled Haiti. Unrest spread throughout the country.
U.S. occupation.
United States marines landed in Haiti in July 1915, after the assassination of the last in a series of short-term presidents. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had sent the marines to Haiti because he feared other nations might try to take over the country if the unrest there continued. Haitians resented this interference. The U.S. occupation force insisted that Haiti make payments on its large debts to other countries. The marines reorganized the government; built highways, schools, and hospitals; and set up a sanitation program that eliminated yellow fever in Haiti. However, abuse of power by the occupiers led to resistance from Haitians and international disapproval. The U.S. force withdrew in 1934. The next two Haitian presidents encouraged foreign companies to invest money in Haiti. But the upper-class mixed-race Haitians benefited most from these investments.
Military rulers and dictators.
Military juntas (groups that ruled by decree) took over Haiti for several months in 1946, and again in 1950. In each case, public discontent and protests had led to the ousting of the country’s president. In January 1946, a popular revolutionary movement overthrew President Élie Lescot, a member of Haiti’s lighter-skinned upper class. The movement was sparked by discontent with elite rule, economic hardship, and the spread of radical ideas in the Caribbean region following World War I (1914-1918). After the end of Lescot’s repressive rule, many political organizations took shape for the first time in Haiti. The election of President Dumarsais Estimé in August 1946 began a long period of government by darker-skinned, middle-class leaders. Estimé introduced progressive reforms, but he governed in an authoritarian manner.
The Haitian army overthrew Estimé in May 1950. Paul Magloire, an army general who helped oust Estimé, became president in December. Under Magloire, Haiti experienced relative calm. Magloire also led a successful effort to increase tourism in Haiti. But corruption, political repression, and economic hardship brought on by a hurricane eventually diminished Magloire’s popularity. He resigned in 1956 after rioting broke out. In 1957, following several brief interim governments, the army took over the government.
François Duvalier, a country doctor, was elected president of Haiti in 1957. In 1964, he declared himself president for life. Duvalier ruled as a dictator. In 1971, Haiti’s Constitution was amended to allow the president to choose his successor. Duvalier chose his son, Jean-Claude. François Duvalier died in April 1971. Jean-Claude, then only 19 years old, succeeded him. He also declared himself president for life and ruled as a dictator. Both the Duvaliers controlled Haiti’s armed forces and a secret police force. The secret police enforced the Duvaliers’ policies, often using violence. The people called the secret police Tontons Macoutes (bogeymen).
In the early 1970’s, many people left Haiti because of poor economic conditions and repression by the Duvalier government. Most of these people migrated to the Dominican Republic or the United States. In 1986, Haitians staged a revolt against Jean-Claude Duvalier, who fled the country. Lieutenant General Henri Namphy became head of the government. He tried to disband the Tontons Macoutes but failed.
A new constitution adopted in March 1987 provided for presidential and parliamentary elections by the people. However, the government tried to shift control of the elections from a civilian electoral council to the army. The presidential election was scheduled for November. But as a result of government-backed terrorist attacks on polling places, the election was canceled. New elections were held in January 1988, and voters elected a parliament and a civilian president. In June, Namphy overthrew the government and declared himself president of a military regime. In September, officers of the Presidential Guard seized power from Namphy. Lieutenant General Prosper Avril declared himself president and began to rule as a dictator. But he resigned in 1990 following protests against his rule.
The Aristide years.
In December 1990, Haitians elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide as president. Aristide was a popular Catholic priest who led a left-wing political movement called Lavalas. Military leaders overthrew Aristide in September 1991, and he fled the country. The Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN) imposed trade boycotts against Haiti to force Aristide’s return to power. The OAS is an association of North and South American nations. After the coup (government takeover), many Haitians tried to flee to the United States in small boats. At first, the U.S. government forced most of the refugees to return to Haiti. Later, it sent refugees to the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
In 1993, the Haitian military agreed with the U.S. government and Aristide to allow Aristide to return to office and restore a democratic government. But military leaders failed to follow the agreement. In 1994, with UN authorization, the United States began sending troops to Haiti. Haiti’s military then agreed to give up control of the government. United States troops were stationed in Haiti to help keep order, and Aristide returned to office. The OAS and UN boycotts ended, the UN sent peacekeepers to Haiti, and the refugees at Guantánamo Bay returned home. The U.S. troops and UN peacekeepers withdrew by 1998. René Préval, a member of Aristide’s Lavalas coalition, was elected president in 1995, and Aristide was reelected in 2000.
Under Aristide, Haiti suffered from economic hardship and political instability. His opponents claimed that the presidential and legislative elections held in 2000 were fraudulent. As a result, foreign donors refused to release aid to Haiti. Coup attempts and demonstrations both for and against Aristide erupted in Haiti in the years following the election. Political opposition groups refused to take part in or deal with a government that included Aristide.
A violent rebellion spread across northern Haiti in 2004. Aristide resigned and fled to Africa. United Nations peacekeeping forces soon arrived in Haiti. The chief justice of Haiti’s Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, became president of a transitional government. In exile, Aristide claimed the United States had forced him to resign, but U.S. officials denied the claim. United Nations peacekeeping missions continued in Haiti through 2019.
The early 2000’s.
Haiti was hit hard by natural disasters in the early decades of the 2000’s. In 2004, flash floods from torrential rains caused widespread destruction on Hispaniola. More than 1,400 people were killed, and more than 1,800 went missing. The same year, Tropical Storm Jeanne killed over 3,000 people in Haiti.
Tropical storms and hurricanes killed hundreds of Haitians and left many thousands homeless in 2008. The city of Gonaïves was largely destroyed, and the country’s agriculture suffered huge losses.
A powerful earthquake struck southern Haiti in 2010. The government estimated that about 316,000 people were killed, and more than a million were left homeless. But many experts believe that the number of fatalities was much lower. See Haiti earthquake of 2010.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy killed more than 50 people in Haiti and displaced thousands from their homes. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti’s southwestern peninsula, leaving hundreds of people dead and displacing thousands.
In 2006, elections were held to replace the transitional government in place since 2004. René Préval, who had wide support among Haiti’s poor, was declared president amid claims of electoral fraud.
Michel Martelly, a popular Haitian singer, was elected president in 2011. A presidential election in 2015 stalled because of claims of fraud, antigovernment protests, and efforts to reform the electoral process. Martelly stepped down as president in 2016, and the parliament elected Jocelerme Privert as interim president. A verification commission later found evidence of fraud in the 2015 election.
Jovenel Moïse was elected president in 2016 and took office in 2017. His government was troubled by a number of problems, including corruption accusations, fuel shortages, rampant gang activity, high inflation, and widespread poverty. In 2021, Moïse faced pressure to step down as president. Different interpretations of the Constitution had led to a dispute about when his term was due to end. Moïse had been ruling by decree since 2020, after scheduled legislative elections were postponed. In July 2021, Moïse was killed in an attack at his home, leaving several political leaders vying for control of the government. Ariel Henry, whom Moïse had named as Haiti’s next prime minister, was sworn in to lead the country until elections could be held.
In August 2021, another powerful earthquake struck southwestern Haiti. It killed over 2,200 people, injured thousands more, and damaged or destroyed many homes, hospitals, and other buildings. Tropical Storm Grace, which hit Haiti two days later, hindered aid and rescue efforts. At the same time, Haiti faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gang-related violence intensified during several years of political uncertainty following President Moïse’s assassination. Criminal gangs gained control of most of Port-au-Prince. Their activities blocked supplies of food, water, and other essential goods. Many Haitians were killed, injured, kidnapped, or displaced amidst deteriorating conditions. In early 2023, the terms of the few elected legislators who remained in office expired. In 2024, Ariel Henry resigned as prime minister and a transitional council with presidential powers was installed. The council appointed former prime minister Garry Conille as Haiti’s new prime minister.
