61 Facts About Haiti

1. Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's poorest country and thousands who cannot get visas to go elsewhere try to get to other Caribbean islands or North America.

2. Haiti is among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

3. Haiti is known globally for its rum Barbancourt which is internationally renowned, and the most popular alcoholic beverage in Haiti.

4. Government of Haiti is a semi-presidential republic, a multiparty system wherein the President of Haiti is head of state elected directly by popular elections.

5. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank.

6. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world.

7. Haiti has the second-longest coastline in the Caribbean after Cuba: 1,100 miles.

8. Haiti has the highest rates of AIDS, malnutrition, and infant mortality in the region.

9. Haiti is the second oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States.

10. Haiti is one of the least developed yet most densely populated countries in the Western Hemisphere.

11. Haiti is one of poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

12. Haiti has 1,771 kilometers of coastline, the second longest in the Caribbean, with Cuba having the longest.

13. Haiti is positioned between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean and shares maritime borders with the Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba, and Jamaica.

14. Haiti is a sovereign state occupying the western three-eighths of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region.

15. In 2016 Haiti was struck by Hurricane Matthew which leveled entire communities and caused an upsurge in the ongoing cholera epidemic which was introduced to the island by United Nation aide workers.

16. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is ranked 149th of 182 countries on the Human Development Index.

17. Haiti is shaped like a backward C In the north, a peninsula extends westward into the Atlantic Ocean for about 100 miles.

18. Haiti has one of the highest human immunodeficiency virus infection rates in the Americas.

19. Haiti has a total land boundary length of 360 kilometers, all with the Dominican Republic, and a coastline (Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea) of 1, 771 kilometers (1, 098 miles).

20. Haiti has an area of 27, 750 square kilometers, including the islands of Tortuga, Gonave (Ile de la Gonave), Les Cayemites, and Vache (Ile A Vache).

21. Haiti is one of the least developed and least stable countries in the Western Hemisphere.

22. Haiti is n a major transshipment point for South American narcotics, primarily cocaine, being sent to the United States.

23. Haiti has consulates general in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York.

24. The US Embassy in Haiti maintains a list of attorneys willing to represent American clients.

25. Haiti is a major transshipment point for South American narcotics, primarily cocaine, being sent to the United States.

26. Haiti is one of the original members of the United Nations and several of its specialized and related agencies, as well as a member of the Organization of American States.

27. Haiti is the world's oldest black republic and the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States.

28. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world.

29. Haiti is located between the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the Caribbean Sea in the south; the Windward Passage and the Jamaica Channel connect the two bodies of water.

30. Haiti is located in the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the Dominican Republic to the east, and the Caribbean Sea to the south and west.

31. Haiti has a bicameral legislature, the National Assembly, with a 30-seat Senate, whose members are elected to six-year terms, and a 99-seat Chamber of Deputies, whose members are elected to four-year terms.

32. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with unemployment rates as high as 70 percent of the population.

33. In 1997, Haiti had 67 radio stations, 41 AM stations, and 26 FM stations, which reached an estimated 415,000 radios.

34. Haiti is part of an island located in the Caribbean; it occupies the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic.

35. Haiti has an area of 27,750 square kilometers, slightly smaller than Maryland.

36. Haiti has no concert or theater series, but the Philharmonic Orchestra of Saint Trinite Cathedral presents seasonal concerts of classical music, and the cathedral provides a locale for the all-too-rare performances by visiting soloists or chamber groups.

37. Haiti has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the Americas.

38. In 2003, Haiti remains one of the 23 countries on the US government's list of major drug-producing or drug-transit countries.

39. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti was established in 2004, at the resignation of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to support the efforts of the transitional government.

40. Haiti is bordered to the east by the Dominican Republic, which covers the rest of Hispaniola, to the south and west by the Caribbean, and to the north by the Atlantic Ocean.

41. Haiti is the only other nation in the Americas to have French as their official language.

42. Haiti is known for its illegal drug business with its clients spread all over Central and South America, Europe and the United States.

43. Haiti is the second oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere after The United States.

44. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and it is the third-largest country in the Caribbean.

45. Haiti is in the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean.

46. Haiti is a free market economy with low labor costs and tariff-free access to the US for many of its exports.

47. The Government of Haiti takes part in the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 17th to 29th of November 2018.

48. Haiti has participated in the Olympic Games since the year 1900 and won a number of medals.

49. Haiti has a rich and unique cultural identity, consisting of a large blend of traditional customs of French and African, mixed with sizeable contributions from the Spanish and indigenous Taino cultures.

50. Haiti is one of two independent nations in the Americas to designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas departements, or collectivites, of France.

51. In September 2009, Haiti met the conditions set out by the IMF and World Bank's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries program to qualify for cancellation of its external debt.

52. In February 2012, Haiti signaled it would seek to upgrade its observer status to full associate member status of the African Union.

53. Haiti is the only country in the Western Hemisphere to undergo a successful slave revolution, but a long history of oppression by dictators—including Francois Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier—has markedly affected the nation.

54. Haiti has rare elements such as gold, which can be found at The Mont Organise gold mine.

55. Haiti is on the western part of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles.

56. In 2013, Haiti called for European nations to pay reparations for slavery and establish an official commission for the settlement of past wrongdoings.

57. On 12 January 2010, at 4:53pm local time, Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake.

58. In 2008, Haiti was again struck by tropical storms; Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna and Hurricane Ike all produced heavy winds and rain.

59. In November 1994, Hurricane Gordon brushed Haiti, dumping heavy rain and creating flash flooding that triggered mudslides.

60. On 27 September 1945, Haiti became a founding member of the United Nations.

61. Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres in size and has an estimated 10.8 million people, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the second-most populous country in the Caribbean as a whole.