HAITI

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti is a French and Creole speaking Latin American country located in the Greater Antilles archipelago on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti (Land of Mountains) was the indigenous Taino or Amerindian name for the island. The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 meters (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometers (10,714 sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

A formerly prosperous French colony, the island nation bears several historical feats: Haiti became the first independent black-led republic and the only nation ever to form from a successful slave rebellion. Haiti is also the second oldest non-native country in the Americas, after the United States, as well as the first (and therefore the oldest) nation in Latin America to declare its independence, on January 1, 1804.

Haiti has recently undergone a state of transition following the forced ousting of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004. The circumstances surrounding his departure from office are disputed. Rene Preval was elected president in his place on February 7, 2006, and took office in May of that year. Haiti is home to roughly 9 million residents.

MISSIONARIES:

Fox, David & Wannicka

HISTORY:

Christopher Columbus landed at Mole Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad. Ayiti, which means "mountainous land", is a name that was used by its early inhabitants, the Taino-Arawak people.

The king of Spain in 1609 ordered all colonists on Hispaniola to move closer to the capital city, Santo Domingo. However, this resulted in British, Dutch and French pirates establishing bases on the island's abandoned northern and western coasts. French settlement of the island began in 1625, and in 1664 France formally claimed control of the western portion of the island.

On 1 January 1804 the nation declared its independence, securing its position as the second independent country in the Americas, and the only successful slave rebellion in world history. Dessalines was its first ruler. The name Haiti was chosen in recognition of the old Arawak name for the island, Ayiti.

France refused to recognize Haiti's independence until it agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million francs, to compensate for the losses of French planters in the revolutions, in 1833. Payment of this indemnity brought the government deeply in debt and crippled the country's economy.
Throughout the nineteenth century, Haiti was ruled by a series of presidents, most of whom remained in office only briefly. Meanwhile, the country's economy was gradually dominated by foreigners, particularly from Germany. Concerned about German influence and growing military presence, and disturbed by the savage public dismembering of President Guillaume Sam by an enraged crowd, the United States invaded and occupied Haiti in 1915.

The occupation had many long-lasting positive effects on the country. The United States forces built schools, roads and hospitals, and launched health campaigns that eradicated yellow fever from the island. The vast network of roads, bridges, and clean water systems drastically reshaped Haiti's infrastructure. Unfortunately, the sum of the structural changes to Haiti's systems was not enough to enable any degree of indigenous progress. The U.S. established the Forbes Commission to investigate the lack of progress, and the Commission concluded, amongst other things, that "the social forces that created (the social instability) still remain - poverty, ignorance, and the lack of a tradition or desire for orderly free government." Order and freedom could not be imposed by force of will.

Roosevelt was disenchanted with the burden and negative social aspects of attempting to impose U.S. influence on the population and proceeded to implement an earlier disengagement agreement, thereby ending the U.S. occupation in 1934.

The priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president on December 16, 1990. He took office on February 7, 1991, becoming Haiti's first democratically elected leader, but was deposed in a coup on September 30, 1991, less than eight months after his inauguration. There followed three years of control by a military junta led by Raoul Cedras, before a second U.S. invasion and occupation in 1994 returned Aristide to power. One of the first acts of the re-installed government of Aristide was to disband the army.

Aristide was succeeded by a one-time ally and former prime minister, Rene Preval, in 1996. Preval's administration is notable for the fact that he was the first president in Haiti's history to constitutionally succeed a former president, serve a complete term, and leave his office voluntarily at the prescribed time. Every previous president had either died in office, been assassinated, been deposed, overstayed his prescribed term, or been installed by a foreign power.

Elections were held in February 2006, and Rene Preval was again elected president. Preval has promised to bring peace and stability to the country.

RELIGION:

Roman Catholicism is the official state religion in which the majority, approximately 80-85%, of the population professes. An estimated 15-20% of the population follows the teachings of various Protestant churches. Many Haitians, often Roman Catholics, also practice Vodou, almost always in addition to traditional Catholic observances.