The word Haiti means mountainous, and Haiti lives up to her name

Size 27,750 sq. Km or 10,700 sq. MI. Slightly smaller than Canada’s Vancouver Island  Is situated in the Caribbean Ocean south of Florida on the Western third of the Island of Hispaniola.  The Dominican Republic occupies the Eastern 2/3 of the Island

Capital is Port au Prince

Climate is tropical with 60's-80's F in the wintertime, 80's-90's F in summer, cooler temperatures in the mountainous areas year round.  Sunshine most of the time except during the rainy season which is Sept. To Nov.  Haiti is a mysterious, beautiful, colorful island filled with works of great art and music.  Haiti is a French-speaking nation that occupies one-third of the main island called Hispaniola the rest of the island is shared by the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic. The people of Haiti are world famous for their artwork, music and cuisine. Before the recent tumultuous events that have engulfed the nation, Haiti was rebuilding itself as a premier Caribbean vacation destination. With cruise ships calling on the scenic rock cliff lined beaches

Haiti’s Official Language is French although it is mostly spoken by the upper class and well educated whereas Haitian Creole is more widely used.  Creole is the true language of Haiti, spoken 100% by all Haitians.  "Creole is a language whose body is French but whose soul is African." (Aimé Césaire)

Political situation – Haiti is a Sovereign nation and is the second oldest Republic in the Americas, the US is the oldest.  Haiti formally renounced its colonial bond with France in January 1804, as the result of the only successful slave rebellion in world history.  Haiti, the first black republic in modern times, sprang directly to self-governance from French colonialism.  Over Haiti’s 200+ years of sovereignty it has always had tyranny, repression, political conflict, racial animosity, and economic hardship. 

Haiti’s currency, the Gourde (pronounced - good) There are 5 gourdes in one Haitian dollar and the exchange rate is usually between $7-$8 US, in other words it takes $7- $8 Haitian to make $1 US.

Average family income is $250 Haitian dollars/month. Most people live on less than $1 US per day.

Population is estimated 8.5 to 11 million, no real census done since the 1980’s   The estimated population of Haiti in 1989 was 6.1 million, with an average population density of 182 people per square kilometer.  As of July 2005 Haiti's estimated population was about 8,121,622 people. That an increase of more than 2 million people in less then 20 years.  About 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas, while only 25 percent live in urban areas.

There are approximately 4 million school age children in Haiti, with a very small portion actually attending school.

Haiti has a low birth rate of about 36% and a high mortality rate of 16.5%.  The rate of mortality among children under 5 years is about 50% and to be over 65 years old in Haiti is a rarity as only 3.4% of the population is over 65, compared with Canada which is approx. 13% over 65.

Haiti Age Structure 0-14 years: 42.6%  15-64 years: 53.9%  65 years and over: 3.4%

Haiti Religions There are many religions in Haiti. 80% of the population are Roman Catholic, 16% are Protestants, of which are Baptist - 10%, Pentecostal - 4%, 7th Day Adventist 1%,Other 1%.  3% of the Haitian population practices other religions.  About 1% of the Haitian people have no religion.  While Voodoo is not classified as a religion, about 50% of Haitians practice it.