Map of Haiti
Haiti is a country in North America with its capital at Port-au-Prince, home to about 11.91 million people across 27,750 km². The interactive map below plots 9 cities and towns, 1 lakes, 1 mountain summits and 5 ports recorded for Haiti in YearMaps.
- Population
- 11.91 million
- Area
- 27,750 km²
- Capital
- Port-au-Prince
- Continent
- North America
Interactive Map of Haiti
Centred on Port-au-Prince at 18.5430° N, 72.3380° W. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country in the Caribbean on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica and south of The Bahamas. It occupies the western side of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean by area, and with an estimated population of 11.4 million, it is the most populous Caribbean country. The capital and largest city is Port-au-Prince.
Haiti was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples, known as the Taíno. In 1492, Christopher Columbus established the first European settlement in the Americas, La Navidad, on its northeastern coast. The island was part of the Spanish Empire until 1697, when the western portion was ceded to France and became Saint-Domingue, dominated by sugarcane plantations worked by enslaved Africans. The 1791–1804 Haitian Revolution made Haiti the first sovereign state in the Caribbean, the second republic in the Americas, the first country in the Americas to officially abolish slavery, and the only country in history established by a slave revolt. The independent state began as an empire, later splitting into two nations before reunifying in 1820; a second empire was established under Faustin Soulouque before the return of the republic in 1859. The 19th century also saw political instability, international isolation, a crippling debt to France, and failed invasions of the Dominican Republic, including a costly war. U.S. forces occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, followed by the dictatorial rule of the Duvalier family (1957–1986). Following a coup d'état in 1991, a U.S.-led multinational force intervened in 1994; a second coup in 2004 was followed by a United Nations intervention. In the 2010s, a catastrophic earthquake and a large-scale cholera outbreak devastated the country.
Historically poor and politically unstable, Haiti has faced severe economic and political crises, gang activity displacing over 1.3 million, and the collapse of its government. The presidency has been vacant since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, while the National Assembly and the judiciary have been rendered inoperative, leaving the country in virtual anarchy with almost nonexistent state control. One of the world's least developed countries and with no elected officials remaining, Haiti has been described as a failed state.
Haiti is a founding member of the United Nations, Organization of American States, Association of Caribbean States, and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Haiti (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Haiti
The native Taino -- who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when Christopher COLUMBUS first landed in 1492 -- were virtually wiped out by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but relied heavily on the forced labor of enslaved Africans and environmentally degrading practices. In the late 18th century, Toussaint L'OUVERTURE led a revolution of Haiti's nearly half a million slaves that ended France's rule on the island. After a prolonged struggle, and under the leadership of Jean-Jacques DESSALINES, Haiti became the first country in the world led by former slaves after declaring its independence in 1804, but it was forced to pay an indemnity of 100 million francs (equivalent to $22 billion USD in March 2023) to France for more than a century and was shunned by other countries for nearly 40 years. In 1862, the US officially recognized Haiti, but foreign economic influence and internal political instability induced the US to occupy Haiti from 1915 to 1934. Francois "Papa Doc" DUVALIER and then his son Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" DUVALIER led repressive and corrupt regimes that ruled Haiti in 1957-1971 and 1971-1986, respectively. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was Haiti's first democratically elected president in 1991 and was elected a second time in 2000, but coups interrupted his first term after only a few months and ended his second term in 2004. President Jovenel MOÏSE was assassinated in 2021, leading the country further into an extra-constitutional governance structure and contributing to the country’s growing fragility. The Government of Haiti then installed Ariel HENRY -- whom President MOÏSE had nominated shortly before his death -- as prime minister. On 29 February 2024, a significant escalation of gang violence occurred on the 20th anniversary of ARISTIDE's second overthrow, after the announcement that HENRY would not hold elections until August 2025. HENRY’s return from an overseas trip was diverted to Puerto Rico when the airport closed due to gang violence. With control of much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, gang leaders called for the ouster of HENRY’S government. By mid-March, Haiti’s continued violence, HENRY’S inability to return to the country, and increasing pressure from the international community led HENRY to pledge to resign. On 25 April 2024, HENRY formally submitted his resignation as a nine-member Transitional Presidential Council assumed control, tasked with returning stability to the country and preparing elections. Since January 2023, Haiti has had no sitting elected officials. The country has long been plagued by natural disasters. In 2010, a major 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti with an epicenter about 25 km (15 mi) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 300,000 people were killed, and some 1.5 million left homeless. The earthquake was assessed as the worst in this region in 200 years. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti’s southern peninsula in 2021, causing well over 2,000 deaths; an estimated 500,000 required emergency humanitarian aid. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, as well as one of the most unequal in wealth distribution.
- Location
- Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic.
- Climate
- Tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds.
- Terrain
- Mostly rough and mountainous.
- Highest point
- Pic la Selle 2,674 m.
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea 0 m.
- Coastline
- 1,771 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 376 km; border countries: Dominican Republic 376 km.
- Natural resources
- Bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower, arable land.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 65.1% (2023 est.); arable land: 36.5% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 10.9% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 17.8% (2023 est.); forest: 13.4% (2023 est.); other: 21.5% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts.
- Geographic note
- Shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic); it is the most mountainous nation in the Caribbean.
- Languages
- French (official), Creole (official)
- Religions
- Catholic 55%, Protestant 29%, Vodou 2.1%, other 4.6%, none 10% (2018 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Black 95%, mixed and White 5%.
- Economy
- Small Caribbean island economy and OECS-member state; extreme poverty and inflation; enormous income inequality; ongoing civil unrest due to recent presidential assassination; US preferential market access; very open to foreign direct investment.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Haiti in Numbers
- Population
- 11.91 million
- GDP
- US$32.1 billion
- GDP per person
- US$2,694
- Life expectancy
- 65.1 years
- Population growth
- 1.13% a year
- Population density
- 427 per km²
- Urban population
- 55.6%
- Surface area
- 27,750 km²
- Forest cover
- 13.4%
- Arable land
- 36.5%
- Access to electricity
- 53.9%
- Internet users
- 47.9%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Haiti in Depth
History
The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western three-eighths, has been inhabited since about 6,000 years ago by Indigenous peoples who are thought to have arrived from Central or northern South America. These Archaic Age people are thought to have been largely hunter-gatherers. During the 1st millennium BC, the Arawakan-speaking ancestors of the Taino people began to migrate into the Caribbean. Unlike the Archaic peoples, they practiced the intensive production of pottery and agriculture. The earliest evidence of the ancestors of the Taino people on Hispaniola is the Ostionoid culture, which dates to around 600 AD.
In Taíno society the largest unit of political organization was led by a cacique, or chief, as the Europeans understood them.
Geography
Haiti forms the western three-eighths of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles. At 27,750 km2 (10,710 sq mi) Haiti is the third largest country in the Caribbean behind Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the latter sharing a 360-kilometer (224 mi) border with Haiti. The country has a roughly horseshoe shape and because of this it has a disproportionately long coastline, second in length (1,771 km or 1,100 mi) behind Cuba in the Greater Antilles.
Haiti is the most mountainous country in the Caribbean. Its terrain consists of mountains interspersed with small coastal plains and river valleys. Plains are only 22% of its territory. The climate is tropical, with some variation depending on altitude. The highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 meters (8,793 ft).
Economy
The economy of Haiti declined dramatically after the 2010 earthquake and subsequent outbreak of cholera, with the country's nominal GDP falling by 8% (from US$12.15 billion to US$11.18 billion). Since then it has grown to US$33.55 billion in nominal GDP as of 2025, and during the same time period it grew from $26.88 billion to $38.2 billion in PPP-adjusted GDP. Despite its tourism industry, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Americas, with corruption, political instability, poor infrastructure, lack of health care and lack of education cited as the main causes. Haiti ranked 145th of 182 countries in the 2010 United Nations Human Development Index, with 57.3% of the population being deprived in at least three of the HDI's poverty measures.
Demographics
In 2018, Haiti's population was estimated to be about 10,788,000. In 2006, half of the population was younger than age 20. In 1950, the first formal census gave a total population of 3.1 million. Haiti averages approximately 350 people per square kilometer (910 people/mi2), with its population concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys.
There is a large Haitian diaspora community, predominantly based in the United States, Canada, and France.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Haiti (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Haiti: Key Facts
| Currency | gourde |
|---|---|
| Official languages | French, Haitian Creole |
| Head of state | Transitional Presidential Council |
| Head of government | Alix Didier Fils-Aimé |
| Calling code | +509 |
| Internet domain | .ht |
| Highest point | Peak la Selle |
| Lowest point | Caribbean Sea |
| Established | 1 January 1804 |
Facts from Wikidata Q790 (CC0).
History of Haiti: Empires and States
The atlas records 8 polities whose mapped territory included part of Haiti, from Crown of Castile in 1502 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Crown of Castile | 1502–1515 CE | A large part |
| The Spanish Empire | 1516–1699 CE | A large part |
| New France | 1670–1790 CE | Most |
| Kingdom of France | 1670–1791 CE | Most |
| Haiti | 1792–1802 CE | A large part |
| Empire of Haiti | 1805–1915 CE | Most |
| United States of America | 1916–1935 CE | Most |
| Republic of Haiti | 1936–2024 CE | Most |
Historical Maps of Haiti
Haiti on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Haiti
Haiti (Haitian Creole: Ayiti, French: Haïti) is a Caribbean country on the western half of the island of Hispaniola. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the country suffers from a myriad of social, economic, and political problems and since the 1950s, it has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. However, for those with patience and an open mind, Haiti reveals a rich culture that is unique among post-colonial nations. This is the only country in the world that was established by a successful slave revolt, the first country in the Americas to abolish slavery, and all of the country's first leaders were former slaves. Haiti has a sizeable diaspora around the world, and many influential figures including W.E.B. Du Bois, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (the founder of Chicago) and former Canadian Governor-General Michaëlle Jean were of Haitian origin.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Haiti (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Haiti
9 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port-au-Prince | 2.00 million | Ouest | National capital |
| 2 | Cap-Haïtien | 281,487 | Nord | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Les Cayes | 175,457 | Sud | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Gonaïves | 166,678 | L'Artibonite | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Port-De-Paix | 34,657 | Nord-Ouest | Admin-1 capital |
| 6 | Jacmel | 33,563 | Sud-Est | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Jérémie | 30,917 | Grand'Anse | Admin-1 capital |
| 8 | Hinche | 18,590 | Centre | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Fort-Liberté | 11,465 | Nord-Est | Admin-1 capital |
Highest Mountains in Haiti
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pic la Selle | 2,680 m | 8,793 ft | North America |
Pic la Selle
Mountain · 2,680 m
Pic la Selle is a mountain rising to 2,680 metres (8,793 ft) in Haiti, in the North America region. From PeakBagger.com, with kind permission..
Pic la Selle (French pronunciation: [pik la sɛl]; Haitian Creole: Pik Lasel), also called Morne La Selle, is the highest peak in Haiti at 2,574 metres (8,445 ft) above sea level. The mountain is part of the Chaîne de la Selle mountain range and has a pine forest. The species black-capped petrel inhabits the mountain. There are no formal trails on the mountain.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Pic la Selle (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 2,680 m (8,793 ft)
- Global rank
- #301 of 641 indexed
- Region
- North America (#65)
- Subregion
- West Indies
- Country
- Haiti
- Coordinates
- 18.3600°, -71.9800°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Pic la Selle ranks #301 by elevation, below Gora Chen (2,690 m) and above Loi Leng (2,673 m).
- Ranges:
- Blue Ridge (North America), Wilhelmina Gebergte (South America)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Pico Duarte (3,098 m), Pico Turquino (1,974 m), Cerro de Punta (1,338 m)
- Settlements below:
- Port-au-Prince (43 km), Jacmel (60 km), Neiba (61 km)
More about Pic la Selle
Geography
Pic la Selle is 2,574 metres (8,445 ft) to 2,679 metres (8,789 ft) in height and is part of the Chaîne de la Selle mountain range. It is the highest point in Haiti. There are 6,845 hectares of land in the mountain above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).
There were no formal trails on the mountain as of 2019. William Krauss, writing for The New York Times in 1941, noted that most climbers ignored Pic la Selle as it was not high enough for professionals and too inaccessible for others.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Pic la Selle (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pic la Selle: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 2,650 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Chaîne de la Selle |
Facts from Wikidata Q1971319 (CC0).
Largest Lakes in Haiti
1 lake recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etang Saumâtre | 128 km² | Alkaline Lake |
Etang Saumâtre
Alkaline Lake · 128 km²
Etang Saumâtre is a alkaline lake in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a mapped surface area of about 128 km². About 92% of its surface lies in Haiti, and the rest in the Dominican Republic.
Étang Saumâtre (Spanish: Laguna del Fondo), (English: brackish pond) is the largest lake in Haiti, and lies along part of the border with the Dominican Republic. It is also known as Lake Azuéi (Lac Azuéi); its Taíno name was Yainagua.
Unlike its hypersaline neighbor, Étang Saumâtre is a brackish water lake. It lies 22 kilometres (14 mi) east of Port-au-Prince on the fertile Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. The lake supports over 100 species of waterfowl, American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), and several other fauna found nowhere else in Haiti. The color of the lake is an intense shade of blue, and it is skirted by brush and cacti.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Étang Saumâtre (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Surface area
- 128 km²
- Area rank
- #581 of 756 indexed
- Type
- Alkaline Lake
- Countries
- Haiti, Dominican Republic
- Coordinates
- 18.5566°, -72.0098°
Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Etang Saumâtre ranks #581 by surface area, after Jackson Lake (128 km²) and ahead of Pulicat Lake (127 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.
- Settlements on the shore:
- Port-au-Prince (35 km), Jacmel (67 km), Gonaïves (122 km)
- Watercourses:
- Yaque del Norte (River), Cojedes (River)
More about Etang Saumâtre
Geography
Étang Saumâtre is located on the arid part of the valley Cul-de-Sac, 29 kilometres (18 mi) east of Port-au-Prince in the Ouest department. Its eastern side is part of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic; the Dominican city of Jimaní is less than 1 km from the southeast end of the lake.
The lake itself is part of a chain of nearby saline lakes that lie within the rift valley known as the Cul-de-Sac Depression in Haiti and the Hoya de Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic. Because the region was a former marine strait, several areas of the valley are below sea level. It is a tectonic lake formed by movement in the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone, with a depression of16 kilometres (9.9 mi) long and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) wide.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Étang Saumâtre (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Etang Saumâtre: Key Facts
| Surface area | 170 km² |
|---|---|
| Maximum depth | 30 m |
| Surface elevation | 15 m |
| Inflows | Rivière Blanche |
| Outflows | Canal de Boucan Brou |
Facts from Wikidata Q2722327 (CC0).
Ports in Haiti
5 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacmel | 45.7 m | Very Small | Caribbean Sea | medium vessels |
| 2 | Miragoane | 31.1 m | Very Small | Caribbean Sea | medium vessels |
| 3 | Port Au Prince | 31.1 m | Minor | Caribbean Sea | large vessels |
| 4 | Cap Haitien | 20.1 m | Very Small | Caribbean Sea | large vessels |
| 5 | Petit Goave | 12.8 m | Very Small | Caribbean Sea | medium vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Haiti
1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National History Park | 1982 | Cultural | (iv) (vi) |
Largest Islands of Haiti
2 islands recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.
| # | Name | Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater Antilles | 694,191 km² | Island group |
| 2 | Hispaniola | 74,524 km² | Island |
Hispaniola
Island · 74,524 km²
Hispaniola is an island in North America (West Indies), covering an estimated 74,524 km². It extends across the Dominican Republic and Haiti. About 34% of the island belongs to Haiti, and the rest to the Dominican Republic.
Hispaniola is an island in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean, located between Cuba and Puerto Rico. It is the most populous island in the West Indies and the second-largest by land area, after Cuba. Covering an area of 76,192-square-kilometre (29,418 sq mi), it is divided into two separate sovereign countries: the Spanish–speaking Dominican Republic (48,445 km2 (18,705 sq mi)) to the east and the French and Haitian Creole–speaking Haiti (27,750 km2 (10,710 sq mi)) to the west. The only other divided island in the Caribbean is Saint Martin, which is shared between France (Saint Martin) and the Netherlands (Sint Maarten). At the time of the European arrival of Christopher Columbus, Hispaniola was home to the Ciguayos, Macorix, Ciboney and Classic Taíno Indigenous peoples.
Hispaniola is the site of the first European fort in the Americas, La Navidad (1492–1493), the first settlement, La Isabela (1493–1500), and the first permanent settlement, the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo (1498–present). These settlements were founded successively during each of Columbus's first three voyages under the patronage of the Spanish Empire.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Hispaniola (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Island
- Mapped extent
- 74,524 km²
- Size rank
- #68 of 445 islands
- Region
- North America
- Subregion
- West Indies
- Countries
- Dominican Republic, Haiti
- Coordinates
- 18.9027°, -71.5413°
- Summits:
- Pic la Selle (2,680 m)
- Ranges:
- Blue Ridge (North America), Wilhelmina Gebergte (South America)
- Settlements:
- Port-au-Prince (54 km), Gonaïves (59 km), Jacmel (77 km)
More about Hispaniola
Geography
Hispaniola is the second-largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba), with an area of 76,192 square kilometers (29,418 sq mi), 48,440 square kilometers (18,700 sq mi) of which is under the sovereignty of the Dominican Republic occupying the eastern portion and 27,750 square kilometers (10,710 sq mi) under the sovereignty of Haiti occupying the western portion.
The island of Cuba lies 80 kilometers (50 mi) to the west across the Windward Passage; to the southwest lie Jamaica, separated by the Jamaica Channel, the Cayman Islands and Navassa Island; 190 km (120 mi). Puerto Rico lies 130 km (81 mi) east of Hispaniola across the Mona Passage. The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the north. Its westernmost point is known as Cap Carcasse.
History
The Archaic Age people arrived from mainland Central America or northern South America about 6,000 years ago and are thought to have practiced a largely hunter-gatherer lifestyle. During the 1st millennium BC, the Arawakan-speaking ancestors of the Taino people began to migrate into the Caribbean. Unlike the Archaic peoples, they practiced the intensive production of pottery and agriculture. The earliest evidence the Ostionoid people, which dates to around 600 AD. The Taino represented the dominant group on the island during the period of European contact. Each society was a small independent kingdom with a leader known as a cacique.
Demographics
Hispaniola is the most populous Caribbean island with a combined population of 23 million inhabitants as of July 2023.
Judaism, Islam and Baháʼí Faith, Hinduism, Buddhism, Unitarian Universalism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostalism and others also exist.
Haiti is a Creole-speaking nation of roughly 11.7 million people. Although French is spoken as a primary language by the educated and wealthy minority, virtually the entire population speaks Haitian Creole, one of several French-derived creole languages. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, practiced by more than half the population, although in some cases in combination with Haitian Vodou faith. Another 25% of the populace belong to Protestant churches.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Hispaniola (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Hispaniola: Key Facts
| Area | 76,420 km² |
|---|---|
| Population | 22,261,005 (2023) |
| Highest point | Pico Duarte |
| Surrounded by | Atlantic Ocean |
Facts from Wikidata Q25277 (CC0).
Visiting Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a Caribbean island that was explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492 and became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland.
The Spanish Empire initially claimed the whole island. But due to the inability of Spain to actually enforce that claim, the Western third soon became a haven of piracy and later part of the French Empire, becoming one of the most lucrative and most brutal slavery-based cash-crop colonies as "Saint Domingue". The eastern two thirds remained Spanish and relatively unimportant.
The Haitian Revolution began in 1791 and ended with France recognizing the new state of Haiti in 1804. Haiti was the former French part; they laid claim to the Spanish parts of the island and briefly conquered them but lost and ultimately gave up all claims to it during the 19th century.
Today the island encompasses two separate countries:
Dominican Republic – Occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island.
Haiti – Occupies the western third of the island.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Hispaniola (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Countries Bordering Haiti
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in North America
Haiti: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Haiti?
- The capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince.
- What is the population of Haiti?
- Haiti has a population of about 11.91 million, the #83 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Haiti?
- Haiti covers 27,750 km², ranking #149 by area, with about 429 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Haiti in?
- Haiti is in North America.
- Which countries border Haiti?
- Haiti shares a land or maritime border with United States, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands.
- What is the largest city in Haiti?
- Port-au-Prince is the largest city in Haiti, with a metropolitan population of about 2.00 million.
- What is the highest mountain in Haiti?
- The highest summit recorded for Haiti in YearMaps is Pic la Selle at 2,680 m (8,793 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in Haiti?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering Haiti is Etang Saumâtre, at roughly 128 km².