Haiti became the world’s first black-led republic and the first independent Caribbean state when it threw off French colonial control and slavery in the early 19th Century.
But independence came at a crippling cost. It had to pay reparations to France, which demanded compensation for former slave owners. The 19th Century “independence debt” was not paid off until 1947. There have been recent calls for France to repay the money.
Chronic instability, dictatorships and natural disasters in recent decades have left it as the poorest nation in the Americas. A 2010 earthquake killed some 300,000 people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and the economy.
A UN peacekeeping force was put in place in 2004 to help stabilize the country, and only withdrew in 2019.
In 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in Port-au-Prince. Since then the country has been wracked by economic chaos, little functioning political control, and increasing gang warfare.
REPUBLIC OF HAITI: FACTS
- Capital: Port-au-Prince
- Area: 27,800 sq km
- Population: 11.3 million
- Languages: French, Haitian Creole
- Life expectancy: 62 years (men) 66 years (women)
LEADER
Acting President and Prime Minister: Ariel Henry (resigned)
Image source, Getty Images
Ariel Henry took over as prime minister and president following the killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
He resigned in March 2024 after weeks of mounting pressure and increasing gang violence. He had been…
