Description

Haiti is a Latin American country located on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It is one of the two Caribbean islands that are split by two countries, sharing its border with Dominican Republic. The island is located to the west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. The terrain consists of rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys. There is only 2% forest cover in Haiti and this process has destroyed fertile farmland soils and contributed to desertification. This deforestation has led to period flooding which has killed over 3,000 people.
 
The President of Haiti is the head of state while the Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government and Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Assembly of Haiti. The country is divided into ten departments and each department is further divided into 41 arron dissements and 133 communes which serve as second and third level administrative divisions.
 
Haitian culture is a mix of African and French elements present in nearly all aspects of society. The official state religion is Roman Catholicism, with 80-85% practicing this religion. The most well known language is kompa, a vibrant music and dance genre. Kompa sounds similar to jazz and lyrics sung in Haitian Creole are accompanied by African drumming, modern guitar sounds, and saxophones.

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