Geography
Republic of Haiti is in the Caribbean. It occupies the western part of the island of Hispaniola; the Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island. Cuba and Jamaica are to the west of the Dominican Republic; Puerto Rico is to the east.

Port-au-Prince is the capital. Other urban areas include Cap-Haitien, Les Cayes and Gonaives.

Haiti has a rugged and mountainous terrain.

The climate is tropical. The rainy season is between February and May.

Environment
The Haitian Environmental Foundation, founded in 1999, aims to promote issues associated with deforestation; only a very small percentage of Haiti's land is forested.

The Macaya Peak National Park was established in 1983. A few years later the Macaya Biosphere Reserve was added to Haiti's designated protected areas.

Other National Parks in Haiti include the Pine Forest National Park and La Visite National Park.

Crocodiles, lizards and other reptiles live in Haiti. Humpback whales migrate to breeding grounds in the region annually.

Architecture
The Palace of Sans Souci and the Citadel, Haiti's most famous monuments, were inscribed on the World Heritage site in 1982. Situated in the Northern Massif Mountains, in one of Haiti's National Parks, the structures date from the early nineteenth century.

In January 2010 the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, built in 1918, was severely damaged when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital.

Population
The population of Haiti was estimated at 10.2 million in 2018.

Languages
French and Creole are official languages in Haiti.

Religion
The majority of the population is Roman Catholic. Voodoo, a recognised religion, is also practised by many of the people.

Food
Haitian cuisine is influenced by French and African food.

Staple foods are cassava, corn, millet and rice. Beans and sweet potatoes are also grown.

Grillot, fried marinated pork with a hot spicy sauce, is a popular dish. Lambi, boiled or grilled conch, is a traditional meal.

Fruits available are coconuts, mangoes, grapefruit, oranges and pineapples.

Coffee is grown in Haiti and rum is produced locally.

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