The Island of Hispaniola (which is the second largest island in the Caribbean) consists of two separate countries – Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Where Is Haiti?
The Island of Hispaniola (which is the second largest island in the Caribbean) consists of two separate countries – Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti’s neighbours include Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Jamaica.
General Information about Haiti
In 1492 Haiti was claimed by Columbus: it later became the major launching base for the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean. The Spanish conquistadors subsequently introduced slavery and disease, resulting in the indigenous Arawak people being destroyed. Then, in the 17th century, while the Spanish were in control, the French established a colony on the island. In 1697 at the end of the Haitian slave revolt, the Spanish ceded the western third of Hispaniola, which in 1804 ultimately became known as Haiti.
Since that time it seems that Haiti has been ruled by an endless line of dictators, all imposing absolute obedience to authority. Sadly, this political turmoil has divided Haiti into two groups – a small and wealthy elite group, and a large underclass of people with little or no political or economic power.
Haiti struggled in the 21st century to create a legitimate government and to improve the social and economic conditions of its people; however, in 2004 the people once again revolted as they struggled in their search for equality and freedom.
In 2010, on January 12th, a huge earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 hit Haiti; devastating many areas of the country. It’s estimated that more than three million people were affected by the earthquake, with the government reporting that roughly 316,000 people had perished, 300,000 people were injured, and a staggering one million people became homeless. It was also estimated that more than 250,000 homes and 30,000 commercial buildings had either collapsed or were severely damaged.
To this day, Haiti struggles to recover from both its history and the shocking earthquake that affected so many people.
The Languages of Haiti
The true national language of the Republic of Haiti is Haitian Creole. Besides being spoken by 8.5 million people in Haiti, Haitian Creole is also spoken by approximately a million Haitians who live abroad. All Haitians speak Haitian Creole and, in addition, roughly 10% of the population also speak French, which has been learned either at school or in the home. However, even those Haitians who have mastered the French language still consider Haitian Creole the symbol of their national identity.
Haitian Creole Translation
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About Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen)
You may not be aware that the word Creole is derived from a Portuguese word which means ‘raised in the home’. Initially, it referred to Europeans who were born and raised in overseas colonies, and it was later used for languages that developed on plantations established by the Europeans. These plantations produced cash crops such as sugar, cotton, coffee and indigo, which were produced using slaves brought over from Africa.
Today, Creole is the most developed and commonly spoken language out of a wide variety of Creole languages that can be found today in previous French plantation colonies, including French Guyana, Martinique, Louisiana, Guadeloupe, and on the islands in the Indian Ocean. It’s also spoken in Canada, the United States of America, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. The structure and grammar of the Creole language are just as simple or complex as that of (say) the French and English languages: it’s a complete language, with the vocabulary meeting all the requirements of its speakers.
