Haiti is part of the Greater Antilles and shares the island of
Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. It is bordered by the Atlantic
Ocean to the north, while the Caribbean is to the south. The territory
of Haiti also includes the Île de la Gonâve in the gulf of the same name
and the island of La Tortue north of the main island. If you
really want to visit there, the best way to do so is by taking an
organized trip from the north coast of the Dominican Republic: in Puerto
Plata, Sosúa or Cabarete, short introductory tours to Fort Liberté (just
behind the Dajabón border crossing) - including a visit to a market
place - are offered. For a relatively high price, you see relatively
little of Haiti.
There is currently no German tour operator that
organizes trips to Haiti from Germany. The only option is to take part
in a "round trip" from the Dominican Republic, which you can book in
Germany. These trips, which lasted up to six days, most recently went
from Punta Cana or Puerto Plata to Haiti. Depending on the tour
operator, the Haiti part consists of a trip to Port-au-Prince with a
city tour and overnight stay in Pétionville or Port-au-Prince, a trip
from Port-au-Prince to the Côte des Arcadins, an overnight stay there
and then a trip to Cap-Haitien, where a third overnight stay takes
place. From there, the Citadelle La Ferriere and the Sans-Souci Palace
are visited. By 1994, room capacity in the country had fallen by 50%, a
trend that will continue, as some hotels reported an occupancy rate of
less than 5%. The tourist offices in Miami, New York, Montreal and Paris
have been closed.
The country covers the western half of the island of Hispaniola and has
a coastline of around 1,500km. In the border area with the Dominican
Republic, the country is around 190km wide. The Gulf of Gonâve divides
the country to the west into a northern and a southern peninsula. The
southern Tiburon peninsula, which is more than twice as long, is around
235km long to Port-au-Prince. In many places it is only around 35km
wide, but also widens to 60km. The Massif de la Hotte reaches a height
of 2,680m in the western part at Pic la Selle, which is also the highest
elevation in the country. The northern peninsula is only around 115km to
the main road between Cap-Haitien and Gonaives. It is just under 50km
wide there. Here, one mountain cone of up to 1,200m follows the other.
This low mountain range continues in the Dominican Republic as the
Cordillera Central, where heights of over 3,000 meters are reached.
Larger agriculturally usable plains are located on the north coast
between Cap-Haitien and Fort Liberte, the Plateau Central in the middle
of the country, the Artibonite Valley north of Port-au-Prince and the
Cul-de-Sac plain in the south. The saline Etang Saumâtre is the largest
inland lake in the country, where alligators up to four meters long are
said to be found.
Around 80% of the population live in widely
scattered settlements in the countryside. Transport connections are
extremely poor, and large parts of the country are hardly economically
developed. Almost all cities date back to the foundations of the French
in the 17th and 18th centuries and are laid out in the regularity of a
chessboard.
Haiti is still one of the poorest countries in the
world today. Because the government lacks the financial means to buy
enough fertilizer, slash-and-burn practices are repeated. The entire
rainforest was cleared. A small portion of the wood was exported, and
most of the rest was processed into charcoal. The subsequent soil
erosion has resulted in large areas of land consisting only of bare
rock. The island of La Gonave, for example, has been completely
deforested. The population that lives from fishing moves to the mainland
during the dry season. 80% of the population works in agriculture.
Tourism is mainly found on the coastal strip of Les Arcadins, about 80
km north of Pointe-au-Prince, in Cap-Haitien and in Pétionville. There
is only some industry in the area around Port-au-Prince. Here the power
supply is fairly secure and there is a container port. The factories are
mostly American companies that have imported raw materials processed by
low-wage workers. The minimum wage is about 4 US dollars a day. The
country is the world's largest producer of baseballs. Industry and
commerce are controlled throughout the country by about 3,000 families
who earn an average annual income of about 100,000 US dollars.
Up
to 50,000 people left the rural districts every year to move to
Port-au-Prince. The earthquake reversed this situation. About 2 million
Haitians have emigrated abroad. In the last ten years, many islanders
have left the country as "boat people", many of whom have lost their
lives in the process. Over 300,000 Haitians live in New York alone, and
the number of illegal immigrants in Florida is estimated at
30,000-50,000. Around 50,000 live legally or illegally in the Bahamas,
there have been camps for Haitian boat refugees on the island of Jamaica
for years, and half a million are said to live in the Dominican
Republic. Every year at least 10,000 cross the border illegally, and
around 90% of the sugar cane cutters in the Dominican Republic are
Haitians. These Haitians living abroad are of great economic importance
to their homeland. In 1992, for example, Haitians transferred 146
million US dollars from the USA to their families in their homeland.
Haiti is divided into ten administrative districts (departments): Artibonite, Centre, Grand’ Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest with the capital Port-au-Prince, Sud-Est and Sud.
1 Port-au-Prince – capital
2 Cap-Haïtien – second
largest city
3 Anse-d’Hainault – This is a fishing and agricultural
town in the extreme southwest of Haiti on the Tiburon peninsula, 65 km
from the provincial capital Jérémie. The journey takes about 3 hours.
Founded in 1798, the town was granted municipal rights in 1817. In the
1940s, it experienced a boom due to the direct export of bananas by the
Standard Fruit Company. The Hopital Saint Jean Baptiste hospital has 25
beds. According to the last census in 1982, 22,275 people live in the
metropolitan area, mostly from agriculture. Figs, bananas, coffee,
cocoa, malanga, fruit and yams are grown. There is also some fishing and
boat building. The tourist attractions of Anse-d’Hainault are three
white sand beaches, just three kilometers from the city center.
4
Dame-Marie – This fishing village with around 6,050 inhabitants in the
extreme southwest of Haiti on the Tiburon peninsula is one of the
departure points for boat refugees to Jamaica. Unlike other places,
however, almost all of the roads here are paved. The town is well
developed.
5 Fort Liberté – Fort Liberté with around 15,600
inhabitants is the administrative centre for the North-East Department.
This is one of the oldest towns founded, dating back to 1578. The
Indians and Spaniards called it Bayaha, and the French gave it the name
Fort-Dauphin until they were expelled in 1804. Today the town is also
known as Fort St. Joseph. It lies on a deep, expansive bay. Three
fortifications protected the town: in addition to Fort Dauphin from
1732, there are still remains of Fort Lachatre and Fort Labouc, which
was also called Fort Labourque. After Henri Christophe declared himself
king in 1811, he named the place Fort-Royal. The old name was only
reverted after his death in 1820.
6 Gonaives – The city has between
85,000 and 105,000 inhabitants, is 171 km from Port-au-Prince and is the
administrative seat of the l’Artibonite department. The streets are laid
out in the typical colonial checkerboard pattern. In the past, the town
was an important export port for cotton and coffee. On January 1, 1804,
Jean-Jaques Dessalines proclaimed the Republic of Haiti on the market
square. On the 150th anniversary of this day, the Cathédrale à Mémoire
and several monuments were inaugurated in 1954. There is a market in the
city center. A state-owned cotton mill is located on the outskirts of
the city. In 2004, hurricane Jeanne caused major flooding, with around
2,200 deaths in the area.
7 Hinche – This town with around 20,000
inhabitants is located in the central highlands, around 130 km from the
capital. County roads 300, 306 and 308 intersect near the Guayamo River.
8 Jacmel – The Spanish recognized the excellent location of this place
on the Bay of Jacmel early on. The town on the Caribbean south coast,
105 km from Port-au-Prince, is situated like an amphitheater on a hill.
In 1698 they founded a town that soon became rich through coffee exports
and became the administrative center of the Départment du Sud-Est. The
houses of the former coffee barons can still be admired today. After the
Spanish, the town became a pirate base. Simón Bolívar gathered his
troops here for the journey to the South American mainland. In 1806, the
Venezuelan freedom fighter Francisco de Miranda found refuge and support
here. In 1893, part of the city burned down. The port has since silted
up and lost its importance for the export of coffee, cotton and sugar.
There is a hospital in Jacmel, the Saint-Michele Hospital, and a Marché
de Fer. The cathedral with its two towers was partially destroyed. The
population figures fluctuate between 26,000 and 33,000. 90% of the
houses are said to have been damaged in the earthquake in January 2010.
Canadian military have taken control of the airport as an alternative
route for relief supplies.
9 Jérémie - This town with a population of
around 30,000 is 295 km from Port-au-Prince, at the mouth of the Grande
Anse river, and has a regular rectangular layout due to its colonial
foundation. It is the administrative seat of the Départment de la Grand´
Anse. To the south of the town, the ruins of Fort Télémaque bear witness
to the colonial past. The town boasts two important citizens. One is the
country's most important writer, Etzer Vilaire. The name Alexandre Dumas
became famous worldwide. He was born Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie in
1762. He later dropped his father's name and named himself after his
mother. As a general under Napoleon, he received great honours in Italy
and Austria. He was even knighted. His son achieved worldwide
recognition with his novels "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three
Musketeers", his grandson wrote "The Lady of the Camellias".
10 Les
Arcadins - This coastal strip northwest of Port-au-Prince between the
towns of Arcahaie and Montrouis is the country's tourist center. Off the
coast there is a bank up to five kilometers wide with a water depth of
just 13 to 19 meters. There are the three islands of Les Arcadins, after
which the coastal section is named. They are only 70 to 250 meters wide
and the longest is 425 meters long. They are the islands of Ile de Sud,
Ligthouse Island and Ti Teal. Divers will find the most beautiful coral
reefs in Haiti around this group of islands.
The coastline rises
inland to the deforested Chaine de Matheux. The land of this flat
coastal mountain range is divided into small plots that are cultivated
by the inhabitants of the coastal zone in addition to their work as
fishermen. A small amount of crops are grown on the small fields, but
most of it is pasture for goats.
Of the approximately 800 hotel rooms
still in existence near the beach, 80% are located on this stretch of
coast. Around 2,200 people work there in the tourism industry.
11 Les
Cayes - This town with a population of almost 60,000 is 196 km from
Port-au-Prince. It was founded by the French in 1719 and is the largest
city in the Départment du Sud. Simon Bolivar found refuge there in 1815.
The port has always been a coffee loading port. Since it is now heavily
silted up, the coffee sacks have to be transported in flat barges to the
cargo ships anchored off the coast. The town's landmark is the 19th
century cathedral with its two square towers. Due to its unfavorable
location, parts of the town are often flooded after rainfall.
A good
10km off the coast lies the small island of Ile-à-Vache. It was a pirate
base for a long time. Henry Morgan assembled his fleet there for the
attack on Panama.
12 Limbé – Le Limbe with around 30,000 inhabitants
is located near the north coast. There, the municipal road 117 branches
off from the county road 100 in the direction of Port-de-Paix; Musée du
Guahaba, Route Nationale 1, this is a small history museum in a round
building, founded by Dr. William H. Hodges. It shows finds from the
Indian era and from modern times.
13 Léogâne – Léogane is located 30
kilometers west of Port-au-Prince. The city had 130,000 inhabitants
before the earthquake. Now it is a single field of rubble. More than 80
percent of the buildings have collapsed. As in Port-au-Prince, emergency
camps were set up - like here in the city's stadium, the hygienic
conditions are catastrophic. None of the hospitals have remained open.
Long queues are forming in front of the city's gas stations, as
everywhere in Haiti. Gasoline is scarce, prices have exploded. A liter
now costs almost 2 euros.
14 Petit-Goâve] - This small fishing
village with around 15,000 inhabitants, better known as "Ti Goave", is
located around 60 km west of Port-au-Prince. In the earthquake in
January 2010, 80 - 90% of all buildings, including the hospital, are
said to have been destroyed. The epicenter of an aftershock with a
magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale was close to the town.
15
Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite – This town on the Artibonite River has
around 16,000 inhabitants. It is 127 km from the capital Port-au-Prince.
On the south-eastern outskirts of the city stands the Fort de la Crête à
Pierrot, built by Henri I and renovated during the British occupation,
on a plateau above the river. In March 1802, Haitian troops defended
themselves heroically against General Leclerc’s troops. Near Petite
Rivière de l’Artibonite is another castle built by Henri I, the Palais
des 365 Portes. It was built in 1816. For a time, the building housed
the city administration’s offices. Since 2002, it has been empty and
falling into disrepair. Doors have been stolen, the corrugated iron roof
is full of holes, and the walls are covered in scribbles. The Albert
Schweitzer Hospital was founded in the early 1950s by the American
doctor W. C. Mellon. This is one of the few functioning hospitals for
the rural population.
16 Port-de-Paix – Columbus anchored at this
place, which he named "Valparaiso", the valley of paradise. However, the
now remote port city was not founded by pirates until 1664. During the
French colonial period it was one of the richest places in the colony,
and today it is the administrative seat of the Départment du Nord-Ouest.
The ruins of a French fort from the founding period have been preserved.
In 1902 almost the entire town was destroyed by a major fire. The
population today is around 32,000. Illegal goods are imported and
exported via the port. The coastal road towards Cap-Haitien is
impassable. Almost all bridges over several rivers have been destroyed
by flooding, which has significantly affected traffic. From Gonaives,
you should allow three to five hours for the journey across the
mountains. Off the coast lies the island of Ile de la Tortuge, which was
a notorious pirate base. Today, boat refugees try to find passage to the
Bahamas or Florida from there because of its convenient location.
17
Port Salut – This place is 26km southwest of Les Cayes on the southwest
coast. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was born there in 1954. The beautiful
Macaya Beach is nearby. A holiday resort was planned to be built there.
Due to the poor road connections, the journey there is now very
time-consuming.
18 Saint-Marc – This port city, with an estimated
population of 65,000 and 96km from Port-au-Prince, was founded in 1677
at the end of a deep bay. You can still see ramparts that are part of
the old city fortifications. It is said that 800 Haitians voluntarily
embarked for North America from here to fight alongside the Americans in
the War of Independence. Today, coffee is mainly grown around the city.
If you really want to visit there, the best way to do so is by taking
an organized trip from the north coast of the Dominican Republic: in
Puerto Plata, Sosúa or Cabarete, short introductory tours to Fort
Liberté (just behind the Dajabón border crossing) - including a visit to
a market place - are offered. For a relatively high price, you see
relatively little of Haiti.
There is currently no German tour
operator that organizes trips to Haiti from Germany. The only option is
to take part in a "round trip" from the Dominican Republic, which you
can book in Germany. These trips, which lasted up to six days, most
recently went from Punta Cana or Puerto Plata to Haiti. Depending on the
tour operator, the Haiti part consists of a trip to Port-au-Prince with
a city tour and overnight stay in Pétionville or Port-au-Prince, a trip
from Port-au-Prince to the Côte des Arcadins, an overnight stay there
and then a trip to Cap-Haitien, where a third overnight stay takes
place. From there, the Citadelle La Ferriere and the Sans-Souci Palace
are visited. By 1994, room capacity in the country had fallen by 50%, a
trend that will continue, as some hotels reported an occupancy rate of
less than 5%. The tourist offices in Miami, New York, Montreal and Paris
have been closed.
Grande Cayemite in the west off the north coast of the Tiburon
Peninsula. The oval island is 10.5km long, 6.5km wide, 45 square meters
in size and 2km from the Tiburon Peninsula. There is a single, small
town on the south coast. There is only a path a few hundred meters long
into the interior of the island, where the residents farm, otherwise
they live from fishing.
Ile Cacique in the Gulf of Gonâve. This round
island is 600m long and 300 to 500m wide. It is located just 600m off
Haiti. There used to be a popular tourist center there, Ibo Beach.
Ile de la Gonâve in the Gulf of Gonâve, 80,000 inhabitants. This island
is 57km long, about 13km wide and 743 square meters in size. In the west
it rises up to 365m high, in the southeast it is 775m. Anse-â-Galets is
the largest town. The small port town is located on the northeast coast
of the island and has around 7,200 inhabitants. From there it is around
50km to the capital Port-au-Prince.
Ile de la Tortue. The island off
the north coast is 37km long, almost 7km wide, 180 square meters in
size, in 1982 the population was given as 22,000. There are no asphalt
roads there, only unpaved roads and sometimes just footpaths.
Ile
Grosse
Ile-à-Vache in the Baye des Cayes off the southwest coast. It
is 15km long, 2.6 to 5km wide and around 52 square meters in size.
The small island of La Navase is located around 40 km off the western
tip of Haiti. It is only about 5 square meters in size, 160 km from
Guantanamo - Cuba - and is of strategic importance, and is also claimed
by Cuba. Phosphate was mined there until 1898. The USA has a naval base
there.
Les Arcadins in the Gulf of Gonâve. These are three small
islands, they lie five to eight kilometers off the coast between the
town of Arcahaie and the island of Ile de lâ Gonâve. Ile de Sud or South
Island is 250m long and 200m wide. Lighthouse Island is the largest of
the three islands at 425m long and 125m wide. Ti Teal, also known as
North Island, is 110m long and 70m wide.
Petite Cayemite in the west
off the north coast of the Tiburon Peninsula. This island, 6.5 km east
of Grande Cayemite, is 11 km long and 3.7 km wide. It is 5.5 km from the
Tiburon Peninsula. There is a small fishing village on the south coast.
Long before Columbus discovered it, the island of Hispaniola was
already home to Taino Indians from the Arawak tribe, who made their
living from fishing and farming. It is estimated today that there must
have been between half a million and a million Indians. They called the
island Aiti - the mountainous land.
Columbus, in search of India,
had already discovered what is now the Bahamas and was sailing south
along the east coast of Cuba when his crew sighted land again. On
December 5, 1492, he anchored the Santa Maria on Haiti's north coast in
front of what is now the town of Môle Saint-Nicolas. He went ashore in
the Bahia de la Concepción / Baie des Moustiques and erected a cross.
The mountainous landscape reminded him of his European homeland, so he
named the island La Espanola, which later became the Latinized name
Hispaniola. A few days later, his flagship, the Santa Maria, ran aground
in front of what is now Cape Picolet. Since the ships were small, part
of the crew had to stay behind. So the town of La Navidad was founded,
but it was soon destroyed by the Indians.
Around 300km further
east, in what is now the Dominican Republic, the town of La Isabela was
founded. The Spanish conquerors found gold in this part of the island.
They forced the Indians to work in the gold mines, where they died after
a short time due to the unfamiliar work and European diseases that had
been brought in. In 1508, around 60,000 of the indigenous population
were still alive; in 1548, there were fewer than 500. The Indians from
all the other conquered islands in the region were also brought to
Hispaniola for forced labor. The first slaves arrived in the new
colonies from Africa as early as 1503. Diego Colón was appointed viceroy
in 1509, and the administrative seat was Santo Domingo in the southeast
of the island. After the gold reserves had already been exhausted in
1525, the capital of the viceroyalty was moved to Mexico City in 1535.
The conquest of Mexico (1521) and Peru (1532) with their large gold
reserves reduced the importance of Hispaniola to nothing. In 1586,
British troops under the leadership of Francis Drake besieged the island
for a whole month. By 1681, the population had shrunk to 2,500 whites
and 3,800 coloreds.
The almost deserted island was visited more
and more often by English and French pirate ships. The 40 km long island
of Tortuga (Ile de la Tortue - Turtle Island), located off the north
coast, became a notorious pirate base after 1630 under the Englishman
Anthony Hilton. The loot was sold there and crews and supplies were
replenished. The island was ideally suited for these ventures. The north
coast was protected by the rough Atlantic swell, and on the south coast,
apart from the harbor, there were extensive mangrove forests. After a
few years, leader Hilton was ousted by Jean Le Vasseur, who built
Tortuga into a fortress. After 12 years of rule, he was stabbed to death
in a fight by one of his own men. His successor was the Frenchman
Chevalier de Fontenay. In 1654, the Spanish attacked the island with
five heavily armed warships and a transporter. After long battles, the
fortress was taken and Fontenay was deported to France. After the
Spanish withdrew their troops, all the other pirates returned.
In
the following years, well-known pirates such as Rock Brasiliano and
Francis L'Ollonais came to Tortuga. The latter sailed from there to
Maracaibo with ten ships and a crew of 660 men. The city was then the
pearl center of the Caribbean. More and more French people settled in
the area of Cap Haitien. Growing sugar cane became a more profitable
business than piracy. The Spanish were driven to the southeastern part
of the island and settled mainly in the area around Santo Domingo. In
1697, Spain was forced to cede the western half of Hispaniola to France
in the Treaty of Rijswik.
The new French colony of Saint-Domingue
quickly became very rich through the trade in sugar, indigo and coffee,
while the Spanish eastern part became increasingly impoverished. By
1780, the 800 sugar plantations produced more than all the English
Caribbean islands combined. At the same time, there were about 3,000
indigo dyeing factories and 700 cotton and coffee plantations. The
number of slaves had risen to 117,000 by 1730 and by 1791 there were
already 480,000. Between 1680 and 1776, over 800,000 "Negro slaves" were
brought to the island. The number of mulattoes, gens de couleur, rose
from 500 in 1703 to 28,000 by 1791. At the same time, 40,000 white
people lived in the colony. Plantation owners, grands blancs, as well as
craftsmen and small farmers, the petits blancs. Since 1685, mulattoes
were also allowed to own plantations, and at the end of French rule they
controlled a third of all plantations in the colony. However, they had
fewer rights than whites, had to wear different clothes, sit in
segregation in church and were not allowed to leave the house after 9
p.m.
Militarily, the island was under the control of the French
Navy Ministry. The island had a 3,000-man army made up exclusively of
whites. One power factor was the officers who controlled the towns and
districts, the other power factor was the colonial officials, far from
the motherland. Many were disgraced officers, impoverished gentlemen or
bankrupt traders who had obtained a position in the colony through their
good connections in France. They all used their power to quickly become
rich again so that they could then return to France. In 1789 alone, they
sold 15,000 tons of sugar and 12,000 tons of coffee on their own
account.
The colonial system was destroyed in 1789 by the French
Revolution. At first, the white plantation owners tried to seize the
opportunity to assert themselves against the mulattoes after the French
National Assembly passed a law on March 8, 1790 that gave all people
over the age of 25 the right to vote, provided they had a minimum amount
of property. However, the colony did not want to grant the mulattoes
this right to vote. This led to a revolt, after which 21 mulattoes were
hanged. In August 1791, the first slave uprisings took place. Within six
weeks, 1,200 coffee plantations and 200 sugar plantations were set on
fire. 1,000 whites and 10,000 slaves lost their lives in the uprisings.
The slave Toussaint l'Ouverture quickly became the military leader
of the slave army. He introduced guerrilla tactics and was appointed
brigadier general by the National Convention in December 1791. In the
following ten years he developed not only into an outstanding army
leader, but also into a brilliant politician. In April 1796 he was
appointed lieutenant governor. He tried to restore the plantation
economy. Slavery was to be replaced by a system of contract workers,
which was to be protected by the gendarmerie. The white plantation
owners had fled the country and did not return, nor did the mulattoes.
On May 10, 1801 he had himself appointed governor general for life, and
on August 27, 1801 he abolished slavery. This gave rise to a new class
of people, the nouveaux libres, freed slaves who themselves became
plantation owners and held key positions in the administration. In 1800,
Toussaint l'Ouverture consolidated his power when he managed to defeat
the leader of the mulattoes in the south of the country, General André
Rigaud. His army had now grown to 20,000 men. He was also the one who
had sole access to the state treasury, a fact that still burdens Haiti
today. On December 14, 1801, Napoleon sent a huge expeditionary fleet,
79 ships and almost 30,000 soldiers under the command of his
brother-in-law, General Charles Le Clerc, to the colony. He managed to
capture L'Ouverture through betrayal. He was taken to France, where he
died in April 1803.
The French victory did not last long. The
national resistance was continued by Jean-Jaques Dessalines and Henry
Christophe. After a large part of the French army had fallen victim to
yellow fever, General Dessalines managed to inflict several defeats on
the remaining soldiers, so that they surrendered on November 18, 1803.
On January 1, 1804, Dessalines declared the colony of Saint-Dominigue
independent on the market square in Gonaives. He appointed himself
governor for life and shortly afterwards followed Napoleon by making
himself emperor. Foreigners, unless they had been murdered or managed to
flee, were not allowed to own land. France only recognized independence
in 1825 under almost unacceptable conditions. 150 million French gold
francs were demanded as compensation for the French plantation owners
who had lost their land. This sum was reduced to 60 million in 1838, and
Haiti needed until 1922 to pay off all these debts.
In 1806,
Dessalines was murdered, and the country split into two states.
President Henry Christophe, who later declared himself King Henri I, now
ruled in the north. The megalomaniac Henri I had nine magnificent
castles and the Citadelle La Ferrière fortress built. He later killed
himself in his madness.
The southern republic was ruled by the
mulatto Alexandre Pétion, who went down in history as a great statesman
and democrat. Pétion died in 1818 and was succeeded by Jean Pierre
Boyer. He achieved reunification, marched into Santo Domingo just one
year later, on February 9, 1822, and declared the entire island
indivisible. It was not until 22 years later that Juan Pablo Duarte
managed to storm the Haitian garrison in Santo Domingo and proclaim the
Republica Dominicana in 1844.
The high French compensation
payments forced Haiti to implement austerity measures in its own
country. The discontent of the population caused Boyer to flee to
Jamaica in 1843. The mulatto Faustin Soulouque was elected as his
successor. He too fell into madness, had himself crowned Emperor Faustin
I in Port-au-Prince in 1848 and was deposed by his chief of staff Fabre
Goffard in 1859.
After the abolition of slavery, the plantation
economy could no longer be maintained. The large landowners who remained
in the country divided their land into small plots and leased them to
small farmers. Since the country was too poor to buy fertilizer and many
of the freed slaves could not buy land, more and more forest areas were
burned down. The small farmers mainly planted coffee and sugar cane.
Another part of the forest was exported or sold to the population as
charcoal. As a result, large parts of Haiti now consist of nothing but
bare rock due to erosion. The large landowners retreated to the cities,
mainly to Port-au-Prince. Political life consisted of gaining power and
supporting the power gained with military force, and there was also open
corruption. The respective governments plundered the state treasury to
enrich themselves. It was not until after 1880 that a banking system was
established in the country. Around this time, the mulatto ethnic group
had gained power to the extent that they held key positions in the
ministries and in the administration, while the black majority of the
population was only represented by an influential president.
Between 1911 and 1915, seven presidents were thrown out of office. Since
the government also had difficulties repaying interest on loans to
American banks, the USA seized the opportunity and occupied Haiti in
December 1914. Gold deposits worth 500,000 US dollars at the Banque
Nationale were confiscated by force of arms and taken to the vaults of
the National City Bank in New York. The Americans disbanded the army and
replaced it with a gendarmerie under American leadership. A customs
authority was set up, which administered the national revenues forcibly.
The constitution was amended to allow foreigners to acquire land.
Between 1918 and 1922 there were uprisings by small farmers. In 1919
their leader Charlemagne Péralte proclaimed a provisional
counter-government in the north. In October of the same year he was
captured and killed. During the years of occupation the mulatto elite
was able to gain leading positions in the government.
In 1934,
American troops left Haiti. The mulatto Elie Lescot was elected as the
new president. But even after their withdrawal, the USA kept the country
under its control. The Banque Nationale became a branch of the US
Export-Import Bank. The Standard Fruit Company controlled banana
cultivation. During World War II, America took over more agricultural
land in order to obtain war-critical materials such as fiber and rubber.
Tens of thousands of small farmers lost their land and had to work as
sugar cane cutters in the Dominican Republic. In 1946, President Lescot
was killed in a military uprising.
The Haitian military, the
National Guard, preferred a black president. So the ex-teacher Dumarsais
Estimé was given this office. When he wanted to change the constitution
four years later in order to be re-elected, he was banished from office
by Colonel Paul Magloire in May 1950. Magloire made himself president.
His policies quickly won the approval of the army, the Catholic Church,
the country's elite and the USA. He brought foreign capital into the
country, opened Haiti to tourism and presented an economic development
plan. In January 1955 he visited Washington and in the same year Vice
President Nixon returned his visit. Due to his enormous corruption, he
and his family had to flee into exile abroad in December 1956, of course
not without plundering the state treasury.
In the following nine
months there were five transitional governments. General elections were
not held until September 22, 1957. The country doctor Dr. Francois
Duvalier, who had already been Minister of Labor and Health under
Dumarsais Estimé, was able to win two thirds of all votes. Within a
year, with the help of the head of the secret police, he managed to send
all possible opponents and enemies into exile or murder them. When a
bomb exploded in the immediate vicinity of the presidential palace in
April 1958 and an attempted coup took place, Duvalier declared a state
of siege. He assembled a palace guard under his personal command. He
replaced older army officers with younger, exclusively black ones. He
formed a murder squad from a group of secret police officers, the
Tontons Macoutes (Uncle Knuckles). After several coup attempts, the
Tontons Macoutes were renamed the Volontaires de la Securité Nationale
(VSN) in 1963 and placed under the direct control of the president. In
1964, the constitution was changed and Duvalier became president for
life. In January 1971, he announced his wish that his 19-year-old son
Jean-Claude should succeed him. This wish was approved in a referendum
in the same month. "Papa Doc" Francois Duvalier died on April 21, 1971.
Just one day later, on April 22, Jean-Claude Duvalier was
inaugurated as the new president. "Baby Doc" Jean-Claude changed his
policy by turning his back on the black middle class and giving the
mulatto upper class more power. This led to protests from old friends
who felt they had been robbed of their power. In addition, the young
president's luxury became more and more apparent, while the poor were
starving more and more. There were repeated uprisings and coup attempts,
but all of them failed. Under pressure from the USA, he and his family
had to leave the country in 1986 and found political asylum in France.
During the exit negotiations, he managed to deposit the country's
currency reserves of around 100 million US dollars abroad, so that he
could continue his previous way of life in asylum.
After the end
of the Duvalier dynasty, a mixed army/civilian government was installed.
On March 27, 1987, a new constitution was introduced by referendum, and
new elections were to be held in the same year. These were cancelled in
November. Serious riots broke out in which 34 demonstrators were killed.
New elections were called again in January 1988. M. Leslie Manigat was
elected as the new president, but was overthrown by the army in June
1988. General Henri Namphy took over as president. Just three months
later, he was deposed again by his rival, Lieutenant General Prosper
Avril. The 1987 constitution was repealed. Avril promised new elections
for 1990. On January 20, 1990, he declared a state of siege for ten
days. Several political opponents were sent into exile in Florida and
France. New elections were to be held on October 28, but they were
postponed until December. Both the former US ambassador to the United
Nations Andrew Young and the former US president Jimmy Carter tried to
influence the elections by putting pressure on candidate Aristide.
Despite this, the Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide emerged as the
winner of these elections. He received 66% of all votes. His
inauguration in February 1991 immediately led to an attempted coup by
supporters of the Duvalier clan, which left 65 people dead. On September
30 of the same year, the army forced him into exile in North America.
General Raoul Cedras took power, the "puppet" Nérette was installed as
president, and Marc Bazin of the MIDH was appointed head of the
government. In the following weeks, there were repeated uprisings in
Port-au-Prince, in which over 1,000 people were killed and another 1,000
injured. As a result, the UN condemned the coup and on November 5, 1991,
US President George Bush signed a trade boycott of the country, which
was only partially observed. On June 8, 1993, Marc Bazin resigned from
office. In the following period, rumors began to spread that large
quantities of drugs were being transported from South America to the USA
via Haiti. This led to another trade embargo by the UN on June 23, 1993,
which particularly affected arms and oil deliveries. After tough
negotiations between Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the new US President
Bill Clinton, Robert Malval was elected as the new Prime Minister of
Haiti. General Raoul Cedras was appointed by the USA to resign.
In October 1993, the US government moved six warships into Haitian
waters and 20,000 American soldiers occupied the country. Together with
ships from Canada and the EU, they blocked all of the country's ports.
In the months that followed, the catastrophic living conditions led to
an exodus of Haitians who desperately tried to leave the country by sea.
In March 1994, the army declared the post of president vacant. On May
11, the President of the Supreme Court, Emile Joussaint, was appointed
the new president, but he resigned from this post in October. On October
15, 1994, Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned to Haiti accompanied by strong
security forces. With Aristide's return, the UN began a peacekeeping
mission supported by a 1,300-strong international peacekeeping force;
225 civilian police advisers also came to the country. The Haitian army
was disbanded, leaving 2,000 police officers to ensure peace and order
in the country. After his term of office ended, a long-time comrade of
Aristide, René Préval, was elected as the new president in December
1995, who appointed Rosny Smart as the new prime minister. However,
Smart announced his resignation on June 9, 1997. In the following two
years, three of President Préval's proposals for a replacement were
rejected by Congress. In January 1999, Préval warned that he would
dissolve Congress if his fourth proposal, former Education Minister
Jacques-Edouard Alexis, was not finally accepted.
Presidential
elections were held on November 26, 2000. All opposition parties refused
to participate because of election fraud. This allowed former President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide to win the election without any problems. In the
years that followed, Aristide developed into a tyrant who was greedy for
money and power. So-called "chimeres", his most loyal followers, secured
his power through bloodshed. At the end of 2003, dissatisfied people met
in the north of the country with former military officers who had gone
to the Dominican Republic after the army was abolished. In February
2004, rebels from the north began to occupy the large cities and marched
towards the capital. They called on Aristide to give up his post and
hold new elections. Within three weeks, the entire country except the
capital was in the hands of Aristide's opponents. He called on the UN,
America and France for help, and over 100 people were killed in violent
clashes between Aristide supporters and his opponents. As civil war
threatened in Haiti, the USA put Aristide under pressure and asked him
to leave the country. This happened on February 29, 2004, but the
circumstances are unclear. According to Aristide, he was forcibly taken
out of the country by American special forces. On March 1st, the first
American and French troops arrived in the country. The chief judge of
Haiti's Supreme Court, Boniface Alexandre, took over the government, and
Gerard Latortue became Prime Minister. As the uprisings continued in the
following weeks, over 2,500 US soldiers were ordered to Haiti.
After months and years of civil war-like unrest and unimaginable cruelty
on the part of the "Chimaires" (Aristide supporters), presidential
elections were held again in February 2006 under the supervision of
several thousand UN soldiers, and parliamentary elections in April 2006.
René Préval, Aristide's former confidant, was declared the controversial
winner. The number of UN soldiers was increased to 12,000.
Cyclones that swept along the north coast caused heavy rain and
flooding. Over 5,000 people lost their lives. In the late summer of
2008, four hurricanes swept across the country in a very short space of
time, causing severe devastation. Hundreds of people died as a result of
flooding and mudslides. Buildings and infrastructure were destroyed.
Agricultural land, livestock and crops were washed away in all parts of
the country. Due to deforestation and soil erosion, Haiti suffers more
than other countries in the region from seasonal hurricanes.
In
January 2010, a severe earthquake occurred in Haiti, which in terms of
the number of victims is one of the worst earthquakes in human history.
According to estimates, around 310,000 people were killed, 1.85 million
people were left homeless, the capital Port-au-Prince was largely
devastated and the country's infrastructure was completely destroyed.
The country has never recovered from this natural disaster and 14 years
later, in 2024, it is still in ruins, with many people still living in
emergency shelters that were only intended to last a few months. The aid
from the international community led to a scandal when it emerged that
foreign aid workers had sexually abused Haitians, which led to deep
bitterness among the population and fueled mistrust of foreigners.
There have been no elections in Haiti since 2017; the last
democratically elected president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in
2021. Since then, there has been neither a president nor a functioning
Senate. The already very weak government can hardly enforce its monopoly
on violence, and anarchy largely prevails in the country.
Despite all the turmoil, it can be seen that Haiti is "run" by about
half a dozen very wealthy family clans whose ties stretch all the way to
Washington, DC.
The Brandts are said to be the richest family in
the country. They originally come from Jamaica, where they still do
business today. They earn their money from cooking oil, poultry and
agriculture, and are also said to have links with the drug mafia.
The
Mevs dominate the sugar industry, they manufacture shoes, plastics and
cleaning products.
The Accra's control the country's textile
industry. They produce 500,000 uniforms for school children every year,
among other things.
The Bigio's belong to the small group of Jewish
families in the country. They have the monopoly on iron and steel. Their
steelworks would need 50% of the country's total electricity capacity if
it were operating at full capacity.
The Behrmann's have the import
rights for cars and trucks.
The Apaid's operate factories for
electronic items.
The Madsens control the cultivation and export of
coffee.
Some of the ancestors of these mulatto families came from
Syria and Lebanon. Since the beginning of the century they have had good
business relations with the USA. Today they control the Haitian economy
through trade relations that extend to France, Poland, Germany and the
Middle East. They are close friends of the Kennedys and Clintons. They
run their businesses according to tried and tested recipes. They could
invest more money, but don't because it creates more work.
Over the past half century, Haiti has become world famous in the
field of naive painting. The pictures show traditions and landscapes of
the republic in strong colors, market scenes, folk festivals, field
work, fruit or animals, and proportions and perspectives are often
completely omitted. The painters Faustin, Hyppolite, Pierre and Valcin
have also decorated voodoo temples with murals. Only a minority, such as
Max Gerbier, born in Milot in 1951, dealt with the abundant socially
critical themes.
In 1941, the American art teacher Dewitt Peters
discovered paintings by Héctor Hyppolite (1894-1948). This former army
officer and practicing voodoo priest painted a total of around 600 oil
paintings, of which fewer than 100 remain today.
In 1944, Dewitt
Peters founded the Centre d'Art in Port-au-Prince. It became the center
of naive painting in Haiti and produced famous painters such as Philippe
Auguste, Castera Bazile, Rigaud Benoit, Wilson Bigaud, Bottex, Dufont,
Etienne and the Obin brothers. Philomé Obin (1892-1977) initially opened
a painting school in Cap-Haitien. After the death of Héctor Hyppolite,
he took over the dominant role of the naive painters. During the 1950s,
other art schools were established in Saint Marc, Port-de-Paix and
Bainet, which often competed with each other and shaped the current
style of painting. Exhibitions in New York, Amsterdam, London and Berlin
brought greater international recognition to Haitian painting. Today,
Jacques-Richard Chéry, Celestin Faustin, Jasmin Joseph and Bernard Wah
are also among the great masters of naive painting.
During the French colonial period, Saint-Domingue developed into the richest colony in the Caribbean. In 1790, there were 3,160 indigo plantations, 3,017 coffee plantations, 792 sugar plantations, 789 cotton plantations and 54 cocoa plantations. The remains of the sugar plantations in particular can still be found scattered throughout the countryside today. Some of these primitive facilities are even still in operation. Due to the poor road conditions, it is hardly possible to visit them. The country's great poverty has led to the historical sites no longer being maintained and being left to decay on a daily basis.
Voodoo is a religious practice that has its roots in West Africa and
has developed over time in various regions of the world, particularly in
the Caribbean and parts of North and South America.
Voodoo is
often characterized by misconceptions and stereotypes, mainly spread
through pop culture, movies, and books. These depictions are often
greatly exaggerated and distorted. In reality, voodoo is a complex
religious practice that includes a belief in a higher power or gods,
spirits, and ancestors. There are ritual acts, incantations, chants,
dances, and offerings to connect with these spiritual forces and to
obtain protection, healing, good luck, and other wishes.
In
Haiti, where Haitian voodoo originated, it is an officially recognized
religion and plays a significant role in the cultural and spiritual
lives of many people. It is a synthesis of African traditions and
elements of Christianity adopted by the slaves during colonization.
It is important to emphasize that, like any other religion, voodoo
has moral and ethical foundations and is not a practice of black magic
or harmful rites, as it is sometimes falsely portrayed. As with any
religious or spiritual practice, the nature of the practice may vary
from place to place and from group to group, but at its core, voodoo is
a form of spirituality and belief that has a deep-rooted meaning for
those who practice it.
Most of the slaves brought to Haiti came
from the area of Dahomey, now Benin. Especially there, but also in
other parts of Africa, people believe that deceased family members can
intervene in the lives of the living and influence them positively or
negatively. Voodoo includes not only spiritual but also
medical-pharmaceutical knowledge that is passed on from an older family
member to a younger family member. The term "voodoo" (also spelled wodu
or vodou) comes from Vodun in the Fon language and means "god". Over the
centuries, African and Christian beliefs have mixed in the Caribbean.
However, belief in a single God has always been overshadowed by belief
in the countless saints and gods of the voodoo cult. Their total number
is difficult to determine. In addition to the spirits already present,
any outstanding personality can become a new Loa. This happened, for
example, with the Haitian freedom heroes Henri Christophe, Toussaint
L'Ouverture and Alexandre Pétion.
The Santeria cult in Cuba and
the Shango in Trinidad are related to voodoo.
The highest deity
is the Papa maitre, the guardian of the universe and humanity.
Subordinate to him are a number of other more or less important gods,
similar to our patron saints, the Loas. One of the most important
deities after the Papa maitre is the snake god Dambala. The god of
erotic love is called Erzilie, other gods are Amelia, Bazo, Danga Mina,
Gangan, Maitre Carrefour, Ogoun and Wagol. There are friendly gods like
the Rada-Loas and aggressive, hostile gods like the Petro-Loas. The
voodoo temple is called Houmfort. In these holy places there are objects
used for devotion such as a picture of the Holy Virgin, a holy stone,
but also empty cans or bottles. The cult acts are initiated by priests,
the Houngans, or priestesses, the Mambos, and there are also magicians,
the Zobops. They are said to be able to fly, change their shape and
raise the dead. Even angels are present in the voodoo belief, they are
called Zanges. The big good angel is called Gros-bon-ange, the small
good angel, Ti-bon-ange, symbolizes the conscience of a person during
his lifetime.
The Hounguênicon manages the temple. There are also
helpers who are versed in black magic and have knowledge of herbal
medicine, so-called Bocors. The ceremonies usually take place during the
night from Saturday to Sunday. Each ceremony begins with the invocation
of the Loa Papa Legba, the guardian of the gates and mediator between
heaven and earth.
Zombies are an inseparable part of voodoo.
These "undead" are put into a coma-like state by special neurotoxins,
buried as apparent dead and exhumed again after a few hours to serve
their masters as mindless slaves for the hardest work. These shadowy
creatures with no memory of their previous life are not allowed to eat
meat, fish or salt, otherwise they will regain their former
consciousness and take terrible revenge on their tormentors.
Voodoo is not a doctrine of salvation that leads to redemption or
perfection. In voodoo, the living are put into a trance state through
drumming and dancing, in which they make contact with the dead. The dead
can then intervene in everyday life in various ways. They can cure or
bring illness, give or take wealth, make a woman fertile or infertile,
bind a lover or harm a rival. You must always be on good terms with the
countless ancestors and spirits and treat them with respect, and in
return you usually sacrifice roosters, rice or rum to them. Their anger
can bring ruin to the unwary.
Voodoo also includes dechoukaj, the
eradication of everything root and branch. "Here, violent deaths are
natural deaths," wrote Graham Greene in his novel. An aspect that makes
the country's history a little more understandable. Non-Haitians hardly
have a real chance of ever experiencing an authentic voodoo ceremony. On
the other hand, the solemn ceremonies in honor of the sea loa Agwe and
the pilgrimage to the Saut d'Eau waterfall on July 16th become major
public festivals.
Entry requirements
Travelers only need a valid passport that is
valid for six months beyond the date of entry and a return or onward
flight ticket. Anyone entering the Dominican Republic by land must pay
an entry fee of $10. An entry form must be filled out on arrival, the
second half of which must be returned upon departure. A hefty fee of $30
plus a 600 gourde security fee must be paid on departure. For
international flights, this is included in the ticket price; cash is
collected at the land crossings.
There are no restrictions on the
import and export of foreign currency. It is advisable not to bring too
few US dollars in small bills.
Airplane
The largest and by far
the most important international airport is the Aéroport international
Toussaint Louverture (IATA: PAP), which is located near the city center
of Port-au-Prince. The only direct connection from Europe is with Air
Caraïbes from Paris-Orly airport. Otherwise, the airport is mainly
served by flights from other Caribbean islands and the USA.
The
other international airport is the Aéroport international du Cap-Haïtien
(IATA: CAP) in the north of the country. International connections exist
from the USA as well as from the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos
Islands.
No flights are currently served by any other airports in
the country. Apart from the two airports mentioned, there are no longer
any domestic flights.
Train
There is no train connection from
the Dominican Republic.
Bus
Long-distance buses run from
Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien, Hinche, Jacmel, Jérémies, Les Cayes and
Port de Paix. There are bus connections to the Dominican Republic.
Departures are irregular. Night travel is not recommended.
The buses,
called Tap-Tap, are converted truck chassis with brightly painted wooden
bodies. They run irregularly between Port-au-Prince and the provincial
towns.
Car/motorcycle/bicycle
Entry into Haiti from the
Dominican Republic by land is only permitted via the official border
crossings. From the Dominican Republic, Haiti can be reached in the
north via the border crossing at Dajabón, in the center via the town of
Comendador and in the south via the town of Jimani.
Ship
There
is a ferry connection between the port of Montrouis and the town of
Anse-a-Galets on the island of Gonâve, as well as between Port-de-Paix
and Pointe des Oiseaux on the island of Tortuga. However, these
connections are not safe due to the ships being overloaded. On February
16, 1993, the ferry Neptune sank on the route from Jeremie to
Port-au-Prince, 1,743 people and livestock drowned, another accident in
the same year left over 500 dead, and in September 1997 there were over
300 deaths when a ferry sank.
On the north coast near
Cap-Haitien, the shipping company Royal Caribbean has leased the bay of
Labadee. This is where cruise passengers go ashore. The area is fenced
off, however, and no one comes into contact with the local population,
apart from the few who work within the complex. The shipping company
pays the Haitian government 5 US dollars for each tourist who goes
ashore.
An international driving license is required to rent a car. The
minimum age for renting a car is 23 years. A deposit of 500 US dollars
is required, but this is waived if you pay by credit card. The country's
roads are extremely poor. After repairs, the 100km from Port-au-Prince
to Jacmel takes only 2 hours to drive, to Les Cayes around 2½ hours and
the 250km to Cap-Haitien 7-10 hours. The journey from Les Cayes to
Jeremie takes around 8 hours. For trips overland, you should take enough
food and drink with you. It is also recommended to carry a first aid kit
with you, as there are no emergency telephones or hospitals along the
national roads.
Car rental
SECOM Rent-A-Car, 564 Route de
Delmas at the corner of Delmas 68, opposite Caribbean Supermarket. Tel.:
2 942.2940, 2 942.2941, Fax: 2 257.2847.
SECOM Rent-A-Car,
International Airport. Tel.: 2 942.2942, 2 250.2799.
French is the official language. In fact, most people speak Haitian Creole. Spanish is partially understood and spoken as a second or third language.
The local currency, the gourdes, is subject to fluctuations; in July
2023, one euro was worth 149 HTG. The US dollar is therefore often
accepted as a means of payment.
In markets and smaller
restaurants, prices are sometimes given in dollars, which means the
fictitious currency of the Haitian dollar (1 Haitian dollar = 5
gourdes).
woven baskets
wood carvings
naive paintings
rhum Barbancourt
voodoo dolls
Diri ak djon-djon is rice with mushrooms, while pois are peas or
beans that are served as a vegetable side dish.
Djon-Djon mushrooms
are small black mushrooms with an even smaller cap and an inedible stem.
When cooked, a brown-black liquid comes out, which gives the dishes a
delicate aroma and an unmistakable color.
Chicken is available as
Poulet creole in a spicy light sauce and as Poulet Rôti à la Haiti,
while Tasse is grilled turkey in a curry marinade.
Griot is stewed
pork in lime juice, while Gruau is pork fried with fresh allspice.
Brouchette de Fillet is a beef skewer mixed with halved onions.
The
spicy sauce Sauce Ti-Malice is served with many dishes. Another sauce is
the less spicy coconut sauce Sauce Coquimol.
Langouste à la creole is
a finely chopped lobster that is steamed together with various
vegetables.
Lambi is the spicy cooked meat of the "conch shells".
For dessert you can choose between fried banana slices (Bananes frites à
la Haitienne) or a bowl of tropical fruit pieces (Assiette de Fruits).
Taffia is a concoction made from sugar cane juice with bark and herbs.
Club Indigo (ex Club Med), Route Nationale 1,km 78. Tel.: 3650.1000,
3651.1000. 225 rooms, restaurant, bars, pool, 4 conference rooms, 4
floodlit tennis courts, theater. Price: All year round: 1 person B&B
US$77, HB US$100, FB US$116, 2 people B&B US$88, HB US$132, FB US$165.
Kaliko Beach Club, Route Nationale 1,km 61, Carriès. Tel.: 3940.4609,
3941.4609, 2298.4608. 55 rooms and bungalows, restaurant, 2 bars, pool,
souvenir boutique, 2 tennis courts. Price: All year round: single room
85-105 US$, double room 100-140 US$. Rental prices include breakfast and
taxes.
Kyona Beach, Côte des Arcadins, Luly. Tel.: 2222-6788,
2257-6850, 2267-6863. 24 rooms, restaurant, bar, beach. Location: 45
minutes by car from Port-au-Prince.
Le Montcel, Route de Kenscoff,
Belot, 14km from Pétion Ville. Tel.: 3510.4777, 3511.3265, 3513.7244. 40
rooms, restaurant "Le Geranium", mountain bikes, riding horses, 2 tennis
courts.
La Villa Creole, Pétion-Ville. Tel.: 2257.1570, 2257.1571,
Fax: 2257.4935. Rooms and suites, restaurant, pool, boutique, fitness
room, 2 tennis courts. Price: All year round: single room 120-150 US $,
double room 150-180 US $, suite 1 person 170-180 US $, suite 2 people
200-210 US $. Rental prices plus 10% tax.
Moulin sur Mer, Route
Nationale 1,km 77, Montrouis, Côte des Arcadins. Tel.: 3938.0569,
3420.1918, Fax: 2278.7652. 68 rooms, 3 restaurants, bar, pool, tennis
courts, beach, water sports. Location: on a former sugar cane
plantation. Feature: ★★★★. Price: Offers January 2010: Single room 110
US $, double room 170 US $, prices for full board, plus 10% tax and 10%
service.
Port Morgan, Ferret Bay, Ile-â-Vache. Tel.: 3921.0000,
3922.0000, 3923.0000. Bungalows, restaurant, bar, souvenir shop, marina,
private beach.
Wahoo Bay Beach Hotel, Route Nationale 1,km 62,
Carriès, Côte des Arcadins. Tel.: 2298.3410, 2298.4619, 2298.4620, Fax:
2298.3414. 20 rooms and suites, restaurant, bar, pool, tennis court,
beach, sailing, surfing and diving. Price: All year round: single room
85 US $, double room 100-120 US $, suite for 1-4 people 150 US $. Rental
prices include breakfast and taxes.
Since the earthquake in 2010, state power in Haiti has largely collapsed. Criminal gangs dominate the streets, violent street battles occur regularly, kidnappings of foreigners are frequent and carried out with extreme brutality. The supply of even basic foodstuffs such as bread and water is not guaranteed in Haiti. The airports are also temporarily blocked, planes are shot down. Security is not guaranteed anywhere in Haiti. The German embassy in Port-au-Prince is closed.
Haiti is in a seismically active zone, so earthquakes must be
expected. Tsunamis can also occur on the coasts after seaquakes.
AIDS: Outside of Africa, Haiti is the country with the highest rate of
HIV infections. The number of infected people is many times higher than
in other Caribbean countries.
In 2016, 150,000 cases of AIDS were
registered in Haiti, which is 2% of the total population.
Climate and travel time
As in the Dominican Republic, i.e. tropical on the coast, much colder in the mountains (some of which are well over 2,000 meters high): temperatures below freezing are possible there in winter.
The post office in Haiti is considered extremely unreliable.
Important items should only be sent via international parcel services
such as DHL.
Mobile communications in Haiti are offered by the
two providers Digicel and Natcom. SIM cards can be bought in shops
across the country (including at Port-au-Prince airport); a passport
must be presented as identification.
The electricity supply in Haiti is not guaranteed. Power outages, even in the capital, are frequent.