Capital City: Port-au-Prince
Haiti (Haitian Creole: Ayiti, French: Haïti) is a Caribbean country that occupies the western one-third of the island of Hispaniola. The eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola is occupied by the Dominican Republic. The North Atlantic Ocean lies to the north, while the Caribbean Sea lies to the south. Haiti is a country with a troubled past, and its future still remains uncertain. Decades of poverty, environmental degradation, violence, instability, dictatorship and coups have left it the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

» Climate

Tropical; semiarid where mountains in the east cut off trade winds. Haiti lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and is subject to severe storms from June to November. Experiences occasional flooding, earthquakes and droughts.

» Terrain

Mostly mountainous, with a wide, flat central plain to the north. The highest point is Chaine de la Selle at 2,777m.