Difference between revisions of "Haiti"
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[[Category:Caribbean Countries]] | [[Category:Caribbean Countries]] | ||
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Revision as of 15:33, April 16, 2008
| République d'Haïti Repiblik d Ayiti | |
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| Flag | Coat of Arms |
| Capital | Port-au-Prince |
| Government | Republic |
| Language | French, Haitian Creole (official) |
| President | René Préval |
| Prime minister | Jacques-Edouard Alexis |
| Area | 10,714 sq mi |
| Population | 8,528,000 (2005) |
| GDP per capita | $1,800 (2006) |
| Currency | Gourde |
One third of the Caribbean island Hispaniola is known as the Republic of Haiti.
Columbus' ship the Santa Maria reached Haiti on Christmas Eve 1492. The settlement there was named "La Navidad". Haiti was given to Spain in the Line of Demarcation set up by the Pope in 1515.
Haiti formed the first successful slave revolt under the leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture and was the first independent black republic. Haiti claimed its independence from France on January 1, 1804, making it the second country in the Americas to gain its independence.
About 80% of the population lives in wretched poverty, and Haiti is known as one of the poorest countries in the world.[Citation Needed]