I.

Country’s Geographical Location:

Absolute: Haiti is located at latitude 18.971187 and longitude -72.285215. It is part of
America and the northern hemisphere.
Relative: Haiti lies to the east of Cuba and Jamaica and to the south of The Bahamas
and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The country is bordered to the east by the
Dominican Republic; to the west and south by the Caribbean Sea; and to the north by
the Atlantic Ocean.

FLAG: Haiti’s current flag is a bicolor, horizontal flag of blue and red, with a white
rectangle in the center featuring a coat of arms. The coat of arms includes a hilltop,
weaponry, and a palm tree. A white ribbon on the hillside states, “Unity is Strength”.

LOGO:

Brief Historical Background:

Haiti has a uniquely tragic history. Natural disasters, poverty, racial discord, and
political instability have plagued the small country throughout its history. Before the
arrival of Europeans, Arawak (also known as Taino) and Carib Indians inhabited the
island of Hispaniola. Although researchers debate the total pre-Columbian population
(estimates range from 60,000 to 600,000), the detrimental impact of colonization is
well documented. Disease and brutal labor practices nearly annihilated the Indian
population within 50 years of Columbus’s arrival. Spain ceded the western third of the
island of Hispaniola to France in 1697. French authorities quelled the island’s
buccaneer activity and focused on agricultural growth. Soon, French adventurers
began to settle the colony, turning the French portion of the island, renamed Saint-
Domingue, into a coffee- and sugar-producing juggernaut. By the 1780s, nearly 40
percent of all the sugar imported by Britain and France and 60 percent of the world’s
coffee came from the small colony. For a brief time, Saint-Domingue annually
produced more exportable wealth than all of continental North America.

As the indigenous population dwindled, African slave labor became vital to Saint-
Domingue’s economic development. Slaves arrived by the tens of thousands as coffee
and sugar production boomed. Under French colonial rule, nearly 800,000 slaves
arrived from Africa, accounting for a third of the entire Atlantic slave trade. Many
died from disease and the harsh conditions of the sugar and coffee plantations.
Statistics show that there was a complete turnover in the slave population every 20
years. Despite these losses, by 1789 slaves outnumbered the free population four-to-
one⎯452,000 slaves in a population of 520,000.

By the mid-eighteenth century, Saint Domingue’s society had settled into a rigid
hierarchical structure based on skin color, class, and wealth. At the bottom of the
social ladder were the African-born plantation slaves; slightly above them were the
Creole slaves, who were born in the New World and spoke the French Creole dialect;
the two next highest rungs were made up of the mixed-race mulatto slaves and the
affranchis, or mulatto freedmen, respectively. Whites constituted the top of the
social structure but were broadly divided between the lower-ranking shopkeeper and
smallholder class (petits blancs) and the high-ranking plantation owners, wealthy
merchants, and high officials (grands blancs).

During the latter eighteenth century, the fabric of Saint-Domingue’s hierarchical

society began to unravel. Slaves abandoned the plantations in increasing numbers,
establishing runaway slave (maroon) communities in remote areas of the colony. The
more militant maroon communities posed a threat to the plantations, subjecting them
to constant harassment and facilitating slave revolts and mass escapes. Meanwhile,
free blacks and mulattoes sought full citizenship and property rights— including the
right to own slaves—and arable land for farming. During the 1790s, the dissolution of
the Bourbon dynasty by the French Revolution and France’s embrace of an egalitarian
ethos emboldened Saint-Domingue’s free people of color to press for their rights. In
1790 the National Assembly in Paris granted suffrage to landed and tax-paying free
blacks. When the white planter-dominated colonial assembly refused to comply,
Saint-Domingue became engulfed in violence. The breakdown in civil order prompted
numerous slave revolts as well as Spanish and British military intervention. The
conflict revolved around a struggle for control of the colony between French
republican forces and Creole royalists backed by Spain and Britain. Both sides
recruited indigenous armies of black slaves, free blacks, and mulattoes.
- https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Haiti-history.htm
II. Present President: Jovenel Moïse was born on June 26, 1968, in Trou du Nord,
Nord-Est, Haiti. His family moved to Port-au-Prince in July 1974, where he continued
his primary education at Écol Nationale Don Durélin.

III. Country’s Population:

Population
The current population
of Haiti is 11,784,430 as of Tuesday,
April 4, 2023, based on Worldometer
elaboration of the latest United Nations
data.
Annual Income
Annual Income: GDP per capita (PPP
based) is gross domestic product
converted to international dollars using
purchasing power parity rates and
divided by total population.
World Economics has reassessed Haiti's
GDP by adjusting for any base year age
and size of the informal economy to
estimate GDP PPP at $53 billion - 63%
larger than offical estimates. The
population of Haiti is estimated to be
11.7 million which gives a GDP per
 capita PPP of $4,524. This places Haiti in
134th place in the World Economics
Global Wealth rankings and 22nd for
Americas.

IV. Religion
Roman Catholicism The official religion of Haiti is Roman
Catholicism. Most Haitians are Catholic,
and many of these also believe to at
least some extent in Voodoo

V. Flora & Fauna

Tropical and semitropical plants and animals are characterized more by their variety
than by their abundance. In the rain forest of the upper mountain ranges, pine and
ferns as well as mahogany, cedar, rosewood, and sapin are found. Coffee, cacao, and
coconut trees and native tropical fruits such as avocado, orange, lime, and mango
grow wild. Many species of insects abound, but there are no large mammals or
poisonous snakes. Ducks, guinea hens, and four varieties of wild pigeons are plentiful.
Egrets and flamingos live on the inland lakes. Reptile life includes three varieties of
crocodile, numerous small lizards, and the rose boa. Tarpon, barracuda, kingfish,
jack, and red snapper abound in the coastal waters.
https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Haiti-FLORA-AND-
FAUNA.html#:~:text=Haiti%20%2D%20Flora%20and%20fauna&text=Coffee%2C%20cacao
%2C%20and%20coconut%20trees,of%20wild%20pigeons%20are%20plentiful.
VI. Natural Wonders
SAUT D'EAU (VILLE BONHEUR, OUTSIDE MIREBALAIS, CENTRAL)
Saut d’eau in Ville Bonheur is near Mirebalais up in the hills off the road between
Mirebalais and Pont Sondé/St. Marc. The big fête is held every year on July 16th and
is a multi-day, much-photographed event. This is a relatively well-protected site, with
a gate and cement sidewalk and steps down to the waterfall. There is a small fee at
the entrance. In one photo, a man sits among the cast-off clothes of serviteurs.
There were people on pilgrimage to the falls, but it seemed blasphemous to take a
picture of something so sacred and intimate and personal.
FORT CULBUTÉ/SOURCE CULBUTÉ
The ruins of the fort center around Source Culbuté, a spring used both for drinking
and a site of religious pilgrimage. The photos in this gallery were generously shared
by Barry Proctor. This site is the most accessible one in town and is at the western
edge.
VI. a. Natural Disasters
Haiti Earthquake
 A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Haiti on August 14, 2021, stronger than the
magnitude 7.0 quake that devastated the country in 2010.
 At least 2,200 people have died, more than 12,200 were injured, and hundreds
remain missing.
 The earthquake severely damaged two cities, Le Cayes and Jeremic.
  More than 50,000 homes were destroyed and another 77,000 damaged. Sixty
places of worship, 20 schools, and 25 health centers were among the buildings
destroyed or damaged. In addition, 48 foster homes, which care for 1,700
children, were damaged.
 The southern peninsula, where the earthquake hit, is still recovering
from Hurricane Matthew, which struck the country in 2016.
 Seismologists said the epicenter of the quake was 78 miles west of the capital
of Port-au-Prince. It was felt as far away as 200 miles in Jamaica.
Tropical Storm Grace
 Haiti also experienced a direct hit from Tropical Depression (TD) Grace
overnight on Aug. 16. International humanitarian and response teams had to
reduce many of their operations, especially the air-bridge used to distribute
supplies. Those who had lost homes or remained outside fearing an
aftershock huddled under tarps or tried to find shelter elsewhere.
 Hundreds of landslides occurred in the impacted area. The most significant
landslide blocked the major national highway between Jeremie and Les Cayes,
hampering travel for rescue and aid efforts. TD Grace triggered additional
landslides as destabilized soil got wet.
 According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (UN OCHA), “The back-to-back disasters are exacerbating preexisting
vulnerabilities. At the time of the disaster, Haiti is still reeling from the 7 July
assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and still facing an escalation in gang
violence since June that has affected 1.5 million people, with at least 19,000
displaced in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince. The compounded effects
of an ongoing political crisis, socio-economic challenges, food insecurity and
gang violence continue to greatly worsen an already precarious humanitarian
situation. Some 4.4 million people, or nearly 46 per cent of the population,
face acute food insecurity, including 1.2 million who are in emergency levels
(IPC 4) and 3.2 million people at crisis levels (IPC Phase 3). An estimated
217,000 children suffer from moderate-to-severe acute malnutrition.”
VII. A. Human Imprints
The Citadelle
Citadelle Laferrière, known to locals simply as La Citadelle, is the largest fortress in
the Americas. Haitians call it the eighth wonder of the world and, if you make it up
the summit of Pic Laferrière, you’ll see why.
The mountaintop fortress is massive, rising a vertiginous hundred and thirty feet from
the mountaintop of Bonnet a L’Eveque, around 3000 feet above sea level. The
Citadelle commands unparalleled views in every direction over the surrounding
landscape of jungle-clad mountains, rivers and ocean.
Cathedral Notre Dame
Although not as famous as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Port-au-
Prince (a site that is now in ruins and impossible to visit), the Cathedral Notre-Dame
in Cap-Haitien is an underrated jewel in Haiti’s crown.
The first building on this site was built in 1670 by the French colonists but it has
undergone multiple reconstructions since then. It was the site of several important
events in Haiti’s history, including the official proclamation liberating enslaved
people in Haiti on August 29, 1793.
Visitors today can enjoy the gorgeous colonial facade and sizable nave. The square in
front of the cathedral also offers excellent views of the sea and Cap-Haitien.
B. Cultural Festivities
Carnival
Haitian carnival is a celebration held over the several weeks leading up to Mardi Gras,
or Shrove Tuesday. It’s an electrifying expression of color and community which sees
locals adorned in kaleidoscopic costumes and parading the streets. A show of
extravagance and indulgence before the Lenten fasting period begins, the largest
Carnival in Haiti is celebrated in Port-au-Prince, with many more smaller scale
festivities occurring in all parts of the island. Port-au-Prince’s annual carnival is one
of the largest Mardi Gras carnivals in the Caribbean and North America. All exuberent
celebrations are funded by the government, businesses and wealthy Haitian families.
Krik? Krak! Festival
The interesting name of this festival can leave many confused, just what exactly does
Krik? Krak! mean? The words are a traditional Haitian response to storytelling; when
someone is ready to recite a part of their folklore, they will declare “krik?”, and the
listeners will respond with “krak!” The festival is geared toward familial celebration
and folkloric storytelling, and is full of evenings of music and stories.
C. Manmade Disaster
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - At least 16 people were killed early Tuesday in the Haitian
capital after a man on top of a musical group's Carnival float was shocked by high-
voltage wires above the street, setting off a panic in which dozens of people were
trampled, officials said.
The accident occurred as thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Port-au-
Prince for the raucous annual celebration. Video from the scene showed sparks
coursing from the wire after a singer from the Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew was
jolted by the overhead power line as the float passed beneath it. The cable app
eared to have shocked several others as well.
Prime Minister Evans Paul said 16 people were confirmed dead and 78 were injured.
His statement conflicted with earlier reports on the number of casualties. Nadia
Lochard, a coordinator for the Department of Civil Protection, had said at least 20
people were killed.
Paul declared three official days of mourning for the impoverished Caribbean country.
Haitian officials canceled Tuesday's third and final day of Carnival events and
announced a state funeral and vigil on Saturday for the victims.
The singer who was hit by the power cable, a man known by the stage name Fantom,
was expected to survive, according to a doctor who spoke to radio station Zenith-FM.
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/nation_world/
20150218_Carnival_stampede_kills_16_in_Haiti.html
D. Assigned Global Disaster & Control
VIII. Recommendation
IX. CONCLUSION

X. References