Background: The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint Louverture.

After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804.

Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Geographic Coordinates: 19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map References: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 27,750 sq km

land: 27,560 sq km

water: 190 sq km

Land Boundaries: total: 360 km

Border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Coastline: 1,771 km

Climate: tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain: mostly rough and mountaineous

Elevation lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Extremes: highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Population: 8,308.504 (July 2006 est.)

Languages: French (official), Creole (official)

Government elected government

Capital: Port-au-Prince

Currency gourde (HTG). However U.S. dollars are widely accepted as legal tender.

Exchange: gourdes per US dollar - 45.189 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004),

Rate: 42.367 (2003), 29.251 (2002)