The Republic of Haiti: interesting facts and geographical location

The countries of the Caribbean region beckon with a stunning climate and a successful location with access to both the sea and the ocean. But this is not all that distinguishes the local state. For example, the Republic of Haiti is an original country, about which you can tell a lot of interesting things. Where is it located and what is worth knowing about it?

Geographical position

To find Haiti on the world map, it is enough to discover the Caribbean Sea. It is located between the continents of North and South America. There you will find a large point - the island of Haiti. The Dominican Republic occupies its eastern part. The whole west belongs to the state of Haiti. The northern part of the island of the same name is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern part by the Caribbean Sea. On the territory of the state from east to west there are mountain ranges with an average height of one thousand meters. The largest peak is the peak of La Sel. It rises to two thousand six hundred and eighty meters above sea level. The country's water basin is represented mainly by mountain rivers, which do not differ in impressive extent. The largest lakes of the state are Pligra, it is freshwater, and Somatr, filled with salt water.

History of Haiti

The island was discovered by the Spaniards in 1492, Columbus and his navigators founded a settlement here. Then this piece of land was called Navidad. A year later, the travelers returned, but all the settlers were dead. Who killed them, and remained a mystery. Since the seventeenth century the country became a French colony, but in 1804 it gained independence. Denote Haiti on the map of the world people helped the democratic sentiments that emerged after the revolution in Paris. The attainment of independence took place right after the United States. As a result, the country became the first in the world to rule the blacks. However, the situation now and then turns out to be unstable - because of the low standard of living , rebellions and strikes are not uncommon here.

Climatic conditions

What interests the traveler first? Of course, the weather that distinguishes the island of Haiti, where the same state is located! This territory is characterized by a tropical climate, subject to the influence of the trade winds. This is an ideal place for those who like warm and humid weather. And it remains unchanged for all three hundred and sixty-five days in a row. On average, the temperature for the year is equal to twenty-five degrees of heat, fluctuations during the month are insignificant. In the capital, called Port-au-Prince, the annual minimum is plus fifteen degrees Celsius, and the maximum reaches almost forty. The Republic of Haiti can not boast of the length of the territories, but within its limits there are different climate options. The main difference - in the amount of precipitation due to the terrain - the mountain and coastal areas can not coincide in this respect. In the valleys for the year falls about five hundred millimeters, and in the highlands can happen and five times more - up to two and a half thousand. The main precipitation occurs during the rainy seasons, which fall on the periods from April to June and from September to November. The rest of the year is characterized by dry and warm weather. There can be powerful tropical hurricanes, as a rule, they are between June and September. Arriving in Haiti is recommended only in periods when the wind is much weaker.

Haitian money

An interesting fact is that there are several currency options in the country. The official name is gourde and is one hundred centimes. In the course of the banknotes with a par value of one thousand, five hundred, two hundred and fifty, one hundred, fifty, twenty-five and ten. There are coins in five and one gourde, as well as in fifty, twenty, ten and five centimes. The official international designation is HTG. Unofficially, the so-called "Haitian dollars" are used in the country. In addition, the money of the United States is also widely used. They can be used in the market or in private institutions. The official currency of Haiti can be obtained at numerous exchange offices in the capital, but the terms of the transaction and the amount of commissions can be very different. There is also a black market. The course of informal money changers can be very beneficial, but it can all end in robbery, so foreigners are not advised to apply to them. You can pay with a credit card almost everywhere, but it's easy to get cash only in the capital - it's often not easy to find an ATM in the province. In conditions of poverty and unemployment, local residents simply do not need them.

Culture and beliefs of the population

The state of Haiti used to be a French colony, which is still noticeable in many areas of local life. So, many here communicate on Creole. Distributed not only in Haiti, the language of Creoles is French with interspersed Spanish and English. Most people use this dialect. In classical French, about fifteen percent of the population speaks. The Republic of Haiti is a Christian country. Most consider themselves Catholics, much less on the island of Protestants. Local residents manage to combine traditional religion with pagan beliefs voodoo - in these practices every second citizen of the country believes.

Art of the Republic of Haiti

The original religious preferences, which distinguish the Republic of Haiti, are interesting not only by an unusual combination with the prevalent here of Christianity, but also by the manifestations of art to which they lead. So, a special ritual music performed on drums makes the country famous throughout the world. Here you can also see the stunning architecture - the remains of the Sanssouci Palace are the most famous in the Caribbean region. The ruins of the mysterious structure are included in the list of UNESCO's cultural heritage sites. At the construction site of the palace worked black slaves, and today this place attracts connoisseurs of architecture. A separate mention deserves the Haitian painting. It is called naive or intuitive, but this does not mean that the drawings have a child's level of performance or lack of skill. Filled with the color and emotions of the work of the famous local artist Hector Hippolytus in the twentieth century conquered art connoisseurs in the United States. Other significant creators are Rigo Benois, Jean-Baptiste Bottle, Joseph Jean-Gilles and Custer Basile. Traditional sculptures of the country also deserve interest. The best sculptor of this country is Albert Mangoes.

Petrushevaya war

The repression of Haitians, which took place in the thirties during the Dominican dictatorship of Trujillo, has an unusual name associated with inoffensive greenery. What is the reason for the name "petrusher slaughter"? The thing is that these repressions, whose number of victims, according to various sources, from five to twenty-five thousand people, was accompanied by a special way of identifying Haitians. From the Dominicans, it is difficult to distinguish them, but the first from childhood they speak the Creole dialect of French, while the latter prefer Spanish. This leads to a noticeable difference in pronunciation. That is why the Dominicans showed the alleged victim a twig of parsley and offered to name it. If the word was pronounced in Spanish, the person was released, and if in French, he betrayed himself and the soldiers grabbed him for further punishment. So it happened that the common parsley is connected in the history of Haiti with such ominous events, still terrifying of the local inhabitants.

Interesting Facts

The state of Haiti is located in an extremely warm climate, so at the hottest hour of the day everything is often closed. For example, banks work from nine in the morning to five in the evening with a two-hour break for lunch - from one hour to three. Some open on Saturdays, but by the middle of the day they have already stopped working. Shops also have lunch breaks. Such traditions are reminiscent of the Spanish siesta. Separate interest deserve price tags - here they are written in three currencies, the Haitian gourd and the dollar, as well as in the currency of the United States of America. Often, foreigners are confused and can not figure out how much they need to pay.

Dangerous state

Haiti does not have a high standard of living, so it is not possible to study it in detail for a foreigner. Residents of other countries are forbidden to go to the slums, located on the outskirts of the cities of Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien. Local residents are friendly enough and friendly, but more than eighty percent of citizens live below the poverty line, so the crime rate here is still quite high, and in some areas, therefore, only Haitians can stay. In addition, the country retains exotic diseases - malaria and typhus. Only the region near the port of Labadi is safe. In Haiti, it is not recommended even to drink tap water - it is not sufficiently purified, and even local people prefer to boil it.

State flag

The main symbol of the country has a traditional rectangular shape. The panel is divided into two horizontal strips of equal sizes. Above, the flag of Haiti is dark blue, and from the bottom - saturated red. The center of the image of the coat of arms. The parties relate to each other in a ratio of five to three. The red color of the cloth is meant to symbolize the local population - mulattoes. Blue is a sign of black people. Both repeat the colors of the flag of France, which indicates the history of the country, which for a long time had the status of a colony. The combination of contrasting shades is an indication of the peaceful union of the inhabitants of the state who come from different countries - on the territory there are just two opposite people.

National emblem

The image of the emblem is used on the flag. The symbol, which is the coat of arms of Haiti, appeared in 1807. In the center there is an image of a palm tree. Above it is a symbol of freedom - a Phrygian cap of two-colored fabric. The palm is surrounded by a variety of military trophies - cannonballs, anchors, cannons, axes, rifles. The background is a green field on which are placed the gold scraps of chains - a kind of reference to the colonial past. There are also six military banners in the national colors of the local inhabitants surrounding Palm. At the foot of the tree is a white ribbon, on which is depicted the motto of the state, which sounds like "The Union creates strength."