You may be wondering why we used the phrase facts on Haiti instead of facts about Haiti. It turns out that more people search for the former, and we aim to please. As such, here are 10 facts on Haiti, the impoverished Caribbean nation that only makes the news when there are earthquakes and assassinations. (As a reminder, Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.)
1
Being in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti had been inhabited by indigenous peoples since perhaps 5000 BCE. The native group present just before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 was called the Taíno. Although their presence would be eradicated, elements of their otherwise extinct language are still found in Haitian Creole (see below).
2
The European presence on Hispaniola ended up being split between the French and Spanish, with the French ending up on the western part of the island which they named Saint-Domingue. The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) saw a successful uprising of slaves against their French rulers, ultimately leading to independence (and a name change) in 1804.
This history made Haiti the second entity in the Western Hemisphere to obtain independence from European rule (after the U.S.) and the first to abolish slavery, an occurrence that took until 1865 in the U.S.
The French didn’t officially recognize Haitian independence until 1825 when Haiti agreed to pay 150 million francs to France, ensuring staggering debt for the new country for well over a century.
3
Since the time of independence, Haiti’s course has been…rocky. In addition to crushing debt, the 19th century saw the country experience a failed union with the Dominicans and a vast array of overthrown dictators. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen U.S. military intervention in the name of maintaining stability, the 30-year authoritarian rule of the Duvalier family (contributing to a worldwide Haitian diaspora that is over 2 million strong), and the 2021 assassination of a president. And we haven’t even gotten to the natural disasters yet—that comes later.
4
To be precise, Haiti actually consists of the western part of Hispaniola along with six other islands. Depending on whom you ask, that could be seven, as the uninhabited Navassa Island is disputed between Haiti and the U.S. Haiti is considered one of the most mountainous countries in the Caribbean. Here’s a map.
5
The population of Haiti is around 11.5 million, making it one of the most populated countries in the Caribbean (neck and neck with Cuba and the Dominican Republic). Its capital and most populous city is Port-au-Prince, whose metropolitan area population is about 2.8 million. The vast majority of the country’s population is comprised of descendants of African slaves.
6
Haiti has two official languages, namely French and Haitian Creole, with the latter being a French-based creole. The name Haiti is derived from a word in the indigenous Taíno language that means land of high mountains, referring to the entire island of Hispaniola.
7
No matter how you break down Haiti’s GDP, it’s low. By nominal GDP, it’s 131st in the world. When adjusted for purchasing power parity, it’s 137th. When the latter number is expressed per capita, the country lands at number 195. Estimates suggest that about 23 percent of Haiti’s GDP is actually from personal remittances sent by family, etc. living abroad.
8
Haiti unfortunately serves as a magnet for natural disasters, lying in the middle of the so-called hurricane belt. To make matters worse, Haiti also sits on a fault line between two large tectonic plates, the North American plate and the Caribbean plate, thus being susceptible to earthquakes. A magnitude 7.0 earthquake in 2010 resulted in approximately 200,000 deaths as the epicenter was just west of Port-au-Prince. A more recent magnitude 7.2 event on August 14, 2021 also resulted in thousands of fatalities. Of course, suboptimal infrastructure, planning, and sanitation amplify the devastation of these events.
9
Haiti has won a total of two Olympic medals, namely a bronze in the 1924 men’s team free rifle competition and a silver in the 1928 men’s long jump. Haiti has yet to participate in the Winter Olympics, though that could change in 2022 via alpine skiing. The national sport of Haiti is football (soccer), and the country qualified for the FIFA World Cup once (1974).
10
As alluded to above, Haiti has exported quite a bit of talent over the years. In modern times, one of the best known is Wyclef Jean, former member of the Fugees who is a far better musician than head of a charitable organization. Here he is singing a French classic, originally written by the Belgian Jacques Brel.
So yes, as these facts on Haiti show, the country cannot be described as a land of opportunity. Nor can it be denied the fact that it provided opportunity to many perhaps before the rest of the world was ready.
6 Responses
as depressing as the news, but look at the survival instinct of humans! I wonder what is the Happiness index!
Yes, in current times, it’s hard to paint a rosy picture of Haiti. That reality translates into a suboptimal Happiness Index. But as you point out, there’s inspiration to be found in all the tragedy.
A tale of two countries – Haiti and Dominican Republic are two countries on the same island. The per capita GDP is very different between the two countries, the one of Dominican Republic being atleast 5 times higher. Maybe the mountainous terrain could make development a challenge.
Yes, the Dominican Republic has fared better, explaining why part of the Haitian diaspora finds itself in that country. One potential reason (among many) is that Haiti generally misses out on a key part of the Caribbean economy, namely tourism.
Yes tourism would be a big boon for Haiti. Perhaps all the political instability makes tourism unviable for now. It seems like it could have a turn around with the right leadership.
No doubt that the right leadership could work wonders—unfortunately, such leadership has been lacking for a long time.