Haiti
occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola,
between the Atlantic
Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Haiti shares Hispaniola
with the Dominican
Republic.
Haiti is the Western Hemisphere's second-oldest independent country (after the United States) and the world's oldest black republic. Haiti has an area of 10,714 square miles (27,750 square kilometers), slightly smaller than Maryland. Its capital and largest city, Port-au-Prince, is in a bay on the country's southwestern coast.
Haiti's population was estimated as 8,308,504 in 2006—one of the highest population densities in the world.
The people are of African descent, except for small minorities of mulattoes and Europeans.
The official languages are French and Creole.
Roman Catholicism is nominally predominant, but most of the inhabitants practice a religion known as voodoo, which combines Christian and African elements.
Haiti's type of government is republic with the president as the head of state.
Its monetary unit is gourde (1 gourde = 100 centimes).
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