Haiti History Facts: The Land Where Christopher Columbus Landed

Haiti is a small country located in the Caribbean Sea, which includes the western third of Hispaniola island and a host of smaller islands such as Grande Caye, Gonâve, Vache, and Tortue (Tortuga).

Being the most mountainous country in the entire Caribbean, the name 'Haiti' comes from 'Ayiti,' a word in the indigenous Taíno language that roughly translates to 'the Land of Mountains' in English. The capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince.

Haiti has an approximate area of 10,641 square miles, of which 73 square miles is water. This means the country of Haiti is slightly smaller than the Mid-Atlantic American state of Maryland. A 2021 population estimate states that the current population of Haiti is nearly 11,198,000.

Even though Haiti is now considered one of the poorest countries in the world, the history of Haiti states a whole new tale.

Saint Domingue, which constitutes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, acted as a French colony from 1659 to 1804.

It served as the most prosperous colony of the 18th century French empire and was known as 'La Perle des Antilles,' which translates to 'the pearl of the Antilles' in English.

However, centuries of French and Spanish colonization combined with a long history of political turmoil, social difficulties, and natural calamities have completely broken its financial stability and reduced it to the poorest country of the Caribbean and South America.

With chronic poverty, undeveloped infrastructure, and a broken healthcare system, Haiti still has a long way to go before it can find financial stability as well as peace.

But it remains one of the most beautiful countries of the Western Hemisphere and the world and warrants a must-visit for your next vacation.

If you liked this article on Haiti facts, be sure to check out our articles on Honduras facts and Guinea facts too!

Fun Facts About Haiti's History

The recorded history of Haiti began with the arrival of Christopher Columbus, an Italian navigator and explorer who sailed under the Spanish flag, in 1492. Even though many native tribes inhabited the island before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, Columbus declared a new name for it, 'La Isla Espanola,' which translates to 'The Spanish Isle.'

The first sight of the Caribbean island of Haiti gave Columbus the false impression that he had found India or Asia.

Haiti abolished slavery 65 years before the United States of America and was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to do so. Haiti observed the first successful slave uprising, and the Haitian Revolution is considered the only successful slave revolt in human history.

Haiti introduced the first African-led nation in the new world, which profoundly influenced America, France, and the other neighboring countries and erstwhile colonies of the Western Hemisphere.

On May 18, 1803, Haiti adopted its first purely national flag on the final day of the Arcahaie Congress. In Haiti, there is folklore that the rebellious leader Jean Jacques Dessalines designed the Haitian flag by procuring a French flag and tearing off the white center.

However, this flag was there for two years only before Dessalines decided to substitute the blue and red hues with black after becoming the emperor of Haiti.

Haitian President Alexandre Petion introduced the Haiti flag that we see today in 1806.

Several leaders of Haiti made their own changes to the national flag throughout Haitian history. During the 1960s and up until the 1980s, the Haitian flag re-adopted its original black and red hues.

All over Haiti, one can come across numerous surviving cave paintings made by the indigenous Taíno people of Haiti. These historical artworks have now been adopted as national symbols and serve as one of Haiti's most unique and leading tourist attractions.

The National Palace of Haiti acted as the official residence of the head of the state, the President of the Republic of Haiti. It is located in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.

Historical Facts: Haiti's Rulers

Haiti was populated by the Arawakan and Taíno groups of indigenous people before the French and Spanish settlers colonized this island in South America. These native people called their island by various names such as Kiskeya or Quisqueya, Bohio, and Ayiti.

The Italian navigator Christopher Columbus arrived in Haiti while sailing under the Spanish flag and renamed the island Hispaniola. Even though the Spanish colonizer was buried in the cathedral of Santa Maria in Haiti and had a memorial statue of him in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, his arrival is now deemed a negative event.

The history of Haiti narrates how he took advantage and treated the indigenous people of Haiti and the horrifying acts of the French and Spanish colonizers that followed.

The Spanish rule acknowledged the claim of France over Haiti and conceded the western third of the island to the French colonizers in 1697.

The enslaved people of Haiti rebelled against the plantation owners, and their leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, who was a former slave himself, took control of Haiti and drafted a constitution in 1791.

Haiti gained independence from France on January 1, 1804, thus becoming the second oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere after America.

Between 1804-1915, more than 70 dictators ruled Haiti as the island became engulfed in a prolonged period of political turbulence. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson decided to send Marines to Haiti to restore law and order on the island. In the process, America occupied the island for nearly two decades, up until 1934.

In 1946, Haitian army officers took control of Haiti's government, and Paul Magloire was elected as the President in 1950. After six years, he was forced to resign when riots broke out in Haiti.

In 1957, a doctor named Francois Duvalier was elected the President, who quickly turned into a dictator and declared himself to be a President for life. However, Haiti amended the constitution in 1971, which allowed the President to choose his successor. Francois Duvalier chose his 19 year old son Jean Claude Duvalier as his successor.

After his father's death in April 1971, Jean Claude Duvalier formed the new government and resorted to totalitarianism by employing a secret police force called Tontons Macoutes to implement his policies on Haitians. But he was forced to flee the country in 1986 when a revolt broke out demanding his resignation.

Haiti adopted a new constitution in March 1987 that advocated for national assembly and presidential elections by the citizens of Haiti.

Facts About Haiti's Economy

Haiti recognizes cockfighting as one of its official sports. Though the American animal rights activists condemn the sport as inhumane and barbaric towards the birds, the sport's popularity is sky-high in Haiti.

The cocks are made tough and aggressive, with the owners feeding them rum-soaked hot pepper and raw meat.

The owner of the winning cock in the fight earns around $70, which is more than nearly 80 percent of what Haitians earn in a month. With Haiti being one of the poorest countries in the world, this sport is a lucrative earning opportunity for many Haitians.

Haiti's currency is Gourde, which comes from a plant known as a gourd. Being a common and prevailing food source for many Haitians, the gourd is essential in Haiti's culture.

Even the husk of the gourd is dried and dehydrated to form a vessel to contain water. The plant also acted as a currency in Haiti before its official currency was introduced in 1807. The gourd is so important to the Haitians that their official currency was named after it even then.

Tourism makes for one of the largest industries in Haiti, with $200 million of revenue being collected every year. Its rich cultural heritage makes it a popular choice among tourists for vacation and holiday purposes.

Labadee, a private port on the northern coast of Haiti, is one of the most popular tourist destinations that witnesses nearly a million footfalls from tourists every year.

It also acts as a private resort where tourists can visit by cruise ship and stay. It gets its name from the French man Marquis de La Badie, who was the first to settle there in the 17th century.

Haiti suffered from a catastrophic earthquake in 2010, with official sources reporting a quarter-million casualties. Though there has been a dispute over the death toll, the rampant destruction throughout Haiti was undeniable. 1.5 million people were left homeless due to the natural calamity, which also caused a great deal of political and economic turmoil.

Facts About Haitian People

The national sport of Haiti is football. The only time Haiti qualified to play in the final phase of the Cup was in the 1974 Fifa World Cup, hosted by Germany. However, they lost all three games and were out of the competition at the end of the group stage.

Even before the national football team of Haiti qualified for the World Cup, one Haiti national earned some distinguished World Cup honor. Joseph Edouard Gaetjens was born in Haiti and even played one match for his national team in a World Cup qualifier before opting to represent the national football team of the U.S.A instead.

He is famous for scoring the winning goal for America against England and causing a major upset in the 1950 World Cup in Brasil.

One of the favorite vices of the people of Haiti is their love for gambling, and they are even known to perform voodoo rituals and ceremonies where they beg their gods to reveal the winning ticket numbers.

The Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais (University Hospital) in Haiti is the largest solar-powered hospital in the world. Situated approximately 60 km northeast of the country's capital Port-au-Prince, Mirebalais is a commune established in 1702.

The University Hospital is situated in Mirebalais, where frequent power cuts are a huge problem. Set up in 2013 after the devastating earthquake of 2010, the hospital has a sprawling 200,000 square foot hospital where an array of 1,800 solar panels are meticulously arranged to tackle the problem of power cuts.

One striking feature of Haiti is that the Haitian government officially recognizes voodoo as a religion and is the only country in the world to do so. It is a dominant religion in Haiti, and a famous Haitian saying is that the people of Haiti are 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant, but 100 percent believers of voodoo.

It forms a very important part of Haitian culture, with Francis Duvalier, one of the Haitian presidents, even acknowledging himself as a Voodoo priest.

The official languages in Haiti are Haitian Creole and French. Though about 90 percent of the Haitian people speak Haitian Creole and consider it their first language, it only became an official language as late as 1987. Interestingly, Haiti and Canada are the only two North and South American countries recognizing French as an official language.

Haitian Creole has an interesting past. The language is made up of a blend of African languages and French dialects and has its roots in French. Haitian Creole evolved in the sugar plantations of Haiti, during the French rule, as a product of the interaction between the French colonizers and the enslaved Africans.

Inarguably one of the most famous artists to ever come out of Haiti, Haitian rapper, actor, and songwriter Wyclef Jean has won three Grammy Awards and one Golden Globe nomination. While he immigrated to the United States with his family at the tender age of nine, Jean's love for his motherland never faded.

He routed a lot of effort through his charity foundation during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti to help the distressed people and distribute relief material.

He also filed for candidacy to contest the Haitian presidential elections. However, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council ruled Jean's candidature to be ineligible for not meeting specific constitutional requirements.

In the 1970s, a new law was introduced in Haiti to make divorces easier. The new divorce law mandated that only one married partner be present in the procedural hearings to get the divorce.

One can also get a divorce in Haiti by mail order and does not require residency requirements. This move was made to boost tourism in Haiti.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Haiti History Facts: The Land Where Christopher Columbus Landed, then why not take a look at Belize facts or Jamaica facts?