Haiti Coat of Arms Mouse Mat

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti; Repiblik Ayiti ), is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti ("land of high mountains") was the indigenous Taíno name for the island. In French, the country is called "La Perle des Antilles" (The Pearl of the Antilles), because of its natural beauty. The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). Both by area and population, Haiti is the third largest Caribbean nation (afterCuba and the Dominican Republic), with 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and an estimated 9 million people, with just under a million of which live in the capital city, Port-au-Prince. French and Haitian Creole are the official languages. Haiti's regional, historical, and ethno-linguistic position is unique for several reasons. When it gained independence in 1804, it was the first independant nation ofLatin America and the Caribbean, the only nation in the world established as a result of a successful slave revolt, and the second republic in the Americas. Itssuccessful revolution by slaves and free people of colour lasted nearly a decade; all the first leaders of government were former slaves. Haiti is the only predominantly Francophone independant nation in the Americas. It is one of only two independant nations in the Americas (along with Canada) to designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France.