Haiti:
Background |
| |
| Click
on the image for
larger version |
|
The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the departure of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. --
CIA World Factbook |
Don't
miss the GIS Maps of
Haiti |
 |
|
 |
We do not yet have any articles for Haiti.
We know there is someone in Haiti who will step up and
tell us about this great country. All you need is good photos and
a love of Haiti, its people, traditions, and natural
wonders. In return, WorldCountries.info will promote your web site
and give you free advertising. We will not rest until every country
and indigenous people of the world are represented here, so please
help us. We believe you will agree that this mission is an important
one. Meanwhile, you can use the links above or below to:
- Read the Haiti Profile
- View the Haiti Flag
- Use either the MS Virtual Earth GIS map of Haiti
or the Google GIS map of the country
- See the Haiti map used in the CIA
World Factbook
- Check out Haiti Web Resources
- Shop for Haiti Books or Music in
our Amazon Store
- Get the latest Haiti news
- Get the latest Haiti weather
|
