Introduction | Geography | History | Economy | People

Although Haiti averages about 760 people per square mile, its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys.

Ancestry: About 95% of Haitians are of predominant African descent. The rest of the population is mostly mulatto, or mixed Caucasian-African, ancestry. A few are of European heritage.

Language: Nearly all Haitians speak Creole. French is the other official language, spoken by educated people. Many also speak English and Spanish, due to the proximity of the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic and Cuba as well as the high amount of trade.

Religion: Roman Catholicism is the state religion, which the majority of the population professes. About 20 percent of the population are Protestant. Many also practice Voodoo.

Food: Haiti is influenced by French cuisine as well as some native staples such as cassava, yam, and maize. Haitian food, though unique in its own right, shares much in common with the rest of Latin America. Some popular dishes are: rice and beans, fried pork, goat, chicken in sauce, cornmeal, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, fish, fried plantains, and a dessert composed of sweetened milk and rice.

Poverty: 80% of the people live below the poverty level set by the World Bank. More than half the population is unemployed; most scratch out a subsistence living in agriculture. One percent of the population controls 40% of the country’s wealth.

Disease: One of five children die before their 5th birthday of malnutrition, dehydration and diarrhea. Disease runs rampant. Every day children die for the lack of a $2 prescription for a simple infection, or because poor sanitation allows bacteria to leech into the water supply.

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For this section about Haitian Life, facts and maps are from:
National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers, 1998 National Geographic Society
National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our World, 1993 National Geographic Society
Kingfisher Circling the Globe,
A Young People's Guide to Countries & Cultures of the World