[hey-tee] 
| 1. | Formerly, Hayti. a republic in the West Indies occupying the W part of the island of Hispaniola. 6,611,407; 10,714 sq. mi. (27,750 sq. km). Capital: Port-au-Prince. |
| 2. | Also, Hayti. a former name of Hispaniola. |
[hey-tee] [his-puh
n-yoh-luh; Sp. ees-pahn-yaw-lah] | an island in the West Indies, comprising the republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 29,843 sq. mi. (77,293 sq. km). |
Hai·ti (hā'tē)  (click for larger image in new window) A country of the West Indies comprising western Hispaniola and two offshore islands. Originally inhabited by Arawak Indians, the region became a French colony in 1697. Following a slave revolt led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, an independent republic was established in 1804 comprising the entire island of Hispaniola. The eastern part of the island revolted in 1843, forming the Dominican Republic. In the 20th century Haiti was ruled by a series of dictatorships, including the repressive regimes of François Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude, who was ousted in 1986. Jean-Bertrand Aristide became Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991. Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city. Population: 8,710,000. |
Republic in the West Indies, on the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Its capital and largest city is Port-au-Prince.
Note: With its extremely low average income and literacy rate, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Note: In 1957, François (“Papa Doc”) Duvalier established a dictatorship; at his death in 1971, he was succeeded by his son, Jean Claude (“Baby Doc”), who was finally overthrown in 1986. Since then the government has changed several times through military coups. In 1994, U.S. troops arrived in Haiti in an effort to restore democratic government, however, the political and economic future of Haiti remains uncertain.
