The countries of the Caribbean region beckon with a stunning climate and a good location with access to both the sea and the ocean. But this is not all that distinguishes local states. For example, the Republic of Haiti is an original country about which you can tell a lot of interesting things. Where is it located and what is worth knowing about it?
Geographic location
To find Haiti on the world map, it is enough to find the Caribbean Sea. It is located between the continents of North and South America. There you will find a large point - the island of Haiti. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern part of it. The entire west belongs to the state of Haiti. The northern part of the island of the same name is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern part by the Caribbean Sea. Mountain ranges with an average height of one thousand meters pass through the territory of the state from east to west. The largest peak is La Selle peak. It rises two thousand six hundred and eighty meters above sea level. The water basin of the country is represented mainly by mountain rivers, which do not differ in impressive length. The largest lakesthe states are Pligr, which is freshwater, and Somatr, which is filled with s alt water.
History of Haiti
The island was discovered by the Spaniards in 1492, Columbus and his navigators founded a settlement here. Then this piece of land was called Navidad. A year later, the travelers returned, but all the settlers were dead. Who killed them remains a mystery. From the seventeenth century the country became a French colony, but already in 1804 it gained independence. To designate Haiti on the map of the world helped people democratic sentiments that emerged after the revolution in Paris. Independence here occurred immediately after the United States. As a result, the country became the first in the world to be ruled by blacks. However, the situation now and then turns out to be unstable - due to the low standard of living, uprisings and strikes are not uncommon here.
Climatic conditions
What interests the traveler in the first place? Of course, the weather that distinguishes the island of Haiti, where the state of the same name is located! This area is characterized by a tropical climate influenced by the trade winds. This is the perfect place for those who enjoy warm and humid weather. Moreover, it remains unchanged for all three hundred and sixty-five days in a row. On average, the temperature for the year is twenty-five degrees Celsius, fluctuations during the month are insignificant. In the capital called Port-au-Prince, the annual minimum is plus fifteen degrees Celsius, and the maximum reaches almost forty. The Republic of Haiti cannot boast of the length of its territories, but even within it there aredifferent climate options. The main difference is in the amount of precipitation due to the terrain - mountainous and coastal regions cannot coincide in this regard. In the valleys, about 500 millimeters of rain fall annually, and in the highlands it can happen five times more - up to 2,500. The main rainfall occurs during the rainy seasons, which fall between April and June and September and November. The rest of the year is characterized by dry and warm weather. Powerful tropical hurricanes can occur, as a rule, they occur between June and September. It is recommended to come to Haiti only during periods when the wind is much weaker.
Haitian money
An interesting fact is that there are several currency options in the country. The official one is called gourde and is one hundred santims. Banknotes with denominations of one thousand, five hundred, two hundred and fifty, one hundred, fifty, twenty-five and ten are in circulation. There are also coins in five and one gourdes, as well as in fifty, twenty, ten and five centimes. The official international designation is HTG. Unofficially, the so-called "Haitian dollars" are used in the country. In addition, United States money is also widely used. They can be used in the market or in private establishments. The official currency of Haiti can be obtained at numerous exchange offices in the capital, but the terms of the transaction and the amount of commissions can be very different. There is also a black market. The course of unofficial money changers can be very profitable, but at the same time, everything can end in a robbery, so foreigners are highly discouraged from contacting them. You can pay with a credit card almost everywhere, but getting cash is easy only in the capital - finding an ATM in the provinces is often very difficult. In conditions of poverty and unemployment, local residents simply do not need them.
Culture and beliefs of the population
The state of Haiti used to be a French colony, which is still noticeable in many areas of local life. So, many here communicate in Creole. Widespread not only in Haiti, the Creole language is French interspersed with Spanish and English. This language is used by the majority of citizens. Classical French is spoken by about fifteen percent of the population. The Republic of Haiti is a Christian country. Most consider themselves Catholics, where there are fewer Protestants on the island. Local residents manage to combine traditional religion with pagan voodoo beliefs - every second citizen of the country believes in these practices.
Art of the Republic of Haiti
The original religious preferences that distinguish the Republic of Haiti are interesting not only for their unusual combination with Christianity, but also for the manifestations of art they lead to. So, the special ritual music played on drums makes the country famous all over the world. Here you can also see amazing architecture - the remains of the Sanssouci Palace are the most famous in the Caribbean. The ruins of the mysterious structure are included in the list of cultural objectsUNESCO heritage. Black slaves worked at the construction site of the palace, and today this place attracts connoisseurs of architecture. Haitian painting deserves special mention. It is called naive or intuitive, but this does not mean at all that the drawings have a childish level of execution or a lack of skill. Filled with color and emotion, the work of renowned local artist Hector Hippolyte captivated art connoisseurs in the United States in the twentieth century. Other significant creators are Rigaud Benois, Jean-Baptiste Bottelet, Joseph Jean-Gilles and Castera Basile. The traditional sculptures of the country also deserve interest. The best sculptor in this country is Albert Mangoes.
Parsley War
The repression of Haitians that took place in the thirties during the Dominican dictatorship of Trujillo has an unusual name associated with harmless greenery. What is the reason for the name "parsley massacre"? The thing is that these repressions, the number of victims of which, according to various sources, range from five to twenty-five thousand people, were accompanied by a special way of identifying Haitians. It is rather difficult to distinguish them from the Dominicans, but the former have been speaking Creole French since childhood, while the latter prefer Spanish. This results in a noticeable difference in pronunciation. That is why the Dominicans showed the alleged victim a sprig of parsley and offered to name it. If the word was pronounced in the Spanish way, the person was released, and if in French, he gave himself away and the soldiers grabbed him for further punishment. And so it happened that the common parsley is connected in the history of Haitiwith such ominous events that still terrify the locals.
Interesting facts
The state of Haiti is located in an extremely warm climate, so in the hottest hour of the day everything is often closed. For example, banks are open from nine in the morning to five in the evening with a two-hour lunch break - from one to three. Some open on Saturdays, but by the middle of the day they already stop working. Shops also have lunch breaks. Such traditions are reminiscent of the Spanish siesta. Price tags deserve special interest - here they are written in three currencies at once, in Haitian gourdes and the dollar, as well as in the currency of the United States of America. Often foreigners get confused and cannot figure out exactly how much they need to pay.
Dangerous State
Haiti does not have a high standard of living, so it is not possible for a foreigner to study it in detail. Residents of other countries are prohibited from going to the slums located on the outskirts of the cities of Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien. The locals are quite friendly and welcoming, but more than eighty percent of the citizens live below the poverty line, so the crime rate here is still quite high and in some areas only Haitians can stay. In addition, exotic diseases persist in the country - malaria and typhoid. Only the region near the port of Labadi is safe. In Haiti, it is not even recommended to drink tap water - it is not purified enough, and even the locals prefer to boil it.
State flag
The main symbol of the country has a traditional rectangular shape. The cloth is divided into two horizontal strips of equal size. The flag of Haiti is dark blue above and deep red below. In the center is the image of the coat of arms. The parties are related to each other in a ratio of five to three. The red color of the cloth is intended to symbolize the local population - mulattoes. Blue is the sign of black residents. Both repeat the colors of the flag of France, which indicates the history of the country, which had the status of a colony for a long time. The combination of contrasting shades is an indication of the peaceful union of the inhabitants of the state, who come from different countries - just two opposite peoples coexist on the territory.
State Emblem
The image of the emblem is used on the flag. The symbol representing the coat of arms of Haiti appeared in 1807. In the center is an image of a palm tree. Above it is a symbol of freedom - a Phrygian cap made of two-color fabric. The palm is surrounded by a variety of military trophies - cannonballs, anchors, cannons, axes, guns. The background is a green field, on which golden fragments of chains are placed - a kind of reference to the colonial past. The palm is also surrounded by six battle banners in the national colors of the locals. At the foot of the tree is a white ribbon with the motto of the state, which sounds like “Union creates strength.”
