The Republic of Haiti

The Republic of Haiti (Ayiti), a nation with a rich and complex history, shares the western third (roughly the size of Maryland) of the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Part of the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola is the second-largest island (after Cuba) in the Caribbean Sea. After a long and arduous struggle, Haiti gained independence from French colonial rule in 1804. The leaders marked this significant historical event by changing the name of the land from Saint-Domingue (its colonial name) back to the Indigenous placename Ayiti, meaning “mountainous populated land.”

Ninety-five percent of Haiti’s 11.5 million people are of African descent, emphasizing Haiti’s strong African heritage. The rest are of mixed European and African ancestry.  As with many other Caribbean and Latin American countries, the composition of Haiti’s population represents a long history of African slavery, colonialism, and migration.

Haiti recognizes two official languages: French and Haitian Creole, known as Kreyòl Ayisyen. Haitian Creole emerged between the 17th and 18th centuries through contact among different varieties of French and various Niger-Congo languages. In Haiti, while French tends to be the language of law and government, Haitian Creole is the language of everyday communication, literature, and music. It is the sole language of 90-95% of the Haitian people.