Haiti (officially the Republic of Haiti (Rpublique d'Hati ; Repiblik Ayiti) is a Haitian Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country.

Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago in the Caribbean. The other islands which are found in this archipelago are Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Ayiti (land of high mountains) was the indigenous Tano or Amerindian name for the mountainous western side of the island. The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince. The population of Haiti is just over 10 million people. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas (North America and South America) and is one of the world's poorest and least developed countries in the world. It has a GDP per capita of 790 USD which means that most Haitians live on $2 or less per day. Haiti has 50% illiteracy and over 80% of college graduates from Haiti have emigrated, mostly to the United States. Haiti has 15,200 primary schools, of which 90% are non-public and managed by the communities, religious organizations or NGOs. The enrolment rate for primary school is 67%, and fewer than 30% reach 6th grade. Secondary schools enrol 20% of eligible-age children. Cit Soleil in Port-au-Prince is considered one of the worst slums in the Americas, most of its 500,000 residents live in extreme poverty. Poverty has forced at least 225,000 children in Haiti's cities into slavery, working as unpaid household servants. About 66% of all Haitians work in the agricultural sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming, but this activity makes up only 30% of the GDP. The country has experienced little formal job-creation over the past decade, although the informal economy is growing. Mangoes and coffee are two of Haiti's most important exports. Haiti's regional, historical and ethnolinguistic position is unique for several reasons. It was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first postcolonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbours, Haiti is the only predominantly Francophone independent nation in the Americas. It is one of only two independent nations in the Western Hemisphere (along with Canada) that designate French as an official language; the other Frenchspeaking areas are all overseas dpartements, or collectivits, of France. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, with its epicentre 16 miles west of the capital and largest city, Port-au-Prince, which was devastated. At least tens of thousands of people were killed, although it will take time to determine the exact number of dead; the Presidential palace, Parliament and many other important structures were destroyed, along with countless homes, businesses, hospitals, schools and shantytowns.