The Republic of Haiti is a country that occupies one third of the island of Hispaniola, the other 2/3rds being Dominican republic. the capital city is Port au Prince. The island was inhabited by the
Taino Amerindians when Columbus first landed in 1492 and we all but exterminated within 25 years.Spain ceded the western third of the island to the french in 1697. the country became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean primarily on the back of slavery.In the late 18th century the country's half a million slaves revolted under
Toussaint L'Ouverture. After a long struggle, in 1804, Haiti was the first Black republic to become independent. The US occupied Haiti from 1915 - 34 followed in 1957 by the start of the Duvallier dictatorship starting with "
Papa Doc" and then his son "
Bebe Doc". In December 1990, the former priest
Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected President in the Haitian general election, winning more than two thirds of the vote. In 2004 a revolt began in northern Haiti. The rebellion eventually reached the capital; and Aristide was forced into exile, whereupon the United Nations stationed peacekeepers in Haiti. The
2010 Haiti earthquake left up to 316,000 people dead and 1.6 people homeless which continues to this day.
Monetary unit: 5 Gourdes = 1 US Dollar
The note above is the 1 Gourde from 1992 with Toussaint L'Ouverture on the front and the coat of arms on the reverse.
