Main Entry:
Hai⋅ti
[hey-tee]
–noun
A country of the West Indies comprising western Hispaniola and two offshore islands. Originally
inhabited by Arawak Indians, the region became a French colony in 1697. Following a slave
revolt led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, an independent republic was established in 1804 comprising
the entire island of Hispaniola. The eastern part of the island revolted in 1843, forming the
Dominican Republic. In the 20th century Haiti was ruled by a series of dictatorships, including
the repressive regimes of François Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude, who was ousted in 1986.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide became Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991. Port-au-
Prince is the capital and largest city. Population: 8,710,000. The American Heritage® Dictionary
|
|
|
