Haiti: Home

The Republic of Haiti is a small country located in the Caribbean Sea on the Island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.  It has an estimated population of 11.5 million people; about 2.6 million of those residents live in or around the capital city, Port-au-Prince.  Both French and Haitian Creole are official languages of Haiti.  Ninety-five percent of Haitians identify as Black, and 87% identify as Christians.  Haiti gained its freedom from the French in 1804 and became the first independent predominantly Black nation in the world.   Despite its rich history, it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

In this Subject Guide, you will find links to information on Haiti, its people, and its culture. This is not meant to be exhaustive, but is here to give you an idea of the history and current conditions of the country.