Haiti

A vibrant country of colourful art, vibrant music, and deeply spiritual people whose humour and passion is legendary. Haiti's location, history and culture once made it a potential tourist hot spot. Instead, decades of poverty, instability and violence, since the 1980s, have all but killed off this prospect and left it as the poorest nation in the Americas. Haiti is a fascinating country to visit for those with a feel for history, although preservation has not been a priority for the Haitian governments. Most of the countryside is covered with remnants of the wars for freedom. Haiti also achieved notoriety during the brutal dictatorships of the voodoo physician, Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, and his son, Jean-Claude, known as 'Baby Doc'.

Understanding The Geography

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, occupies one-third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, and also includes many smaller islands such as La Gonave, La Tortue, Les Cayemites, Ile de Anacaona, and La Grande Caye. The uninhabited island of Navasse is claimed both by Haiti and the United States. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.

Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys. The east and central part is a large elevated plateau. The highest point in Haiti is Chaine de la Selle at 2,680 m (8,793 feet). The 360-km (224-mile) border is shared with the Dominican Republic.

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.

Understanding The Culture

Nearly all Haitians speak Haitian Creole, one of the country's official languages. Haitian Creole is a language based on French, Spanish, and also some African and Taino dialects. French is the other official language. Many also speak English and Spanish.

The music of Haiti is easily distinguished from other styles. It includes kompa and kadans, and Haitians have also imported zouk from the Lesser Antilles and meringue from the Dominican Republic.