Haiti 🇭🇹
Haiti is a country in North America with a population of 11,584,996. Its capital is Port-au-Prince. The official currency is HTG, and the main languages are French, Haitian Creole.
Quick facts
- Capital: Port-au-Prince
- Continent: North America
- Population: 11,584,996
- Area: 27,750 km²
- Density: 417 people per km²
- Currency: HTG
- Languages: French, Haitian Creole
- ISO code: HT
Where Haiti sits
Haiti 🇭🇹 is one of 23 countries in North America, with its capital at Port-au-Prince. It covers 27,750 square kilometres — 144th in the world — and is home to about 11,584,996 people, 82nd globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include United States, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala and Dominican Republic. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Haiti compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Haiti sits closest to Belgium and Jordan. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Burundi and Equatorial Guinea.
At 417 people per square kilometre it is about 7.0 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
French is an official language in 30 countries here, among them Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso and Burundi, and 25 others. The HTG is used by Haiti and no one else.
To see Haiti next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Haiti
Port-au-Prince is French for 'Port of the Prince', and it sits at the end of a big bay on the west of the island. For the flag, think blue sky over red earth with a coat of arms in a white box.
The flag of Haiti: blue and red
🇭🇹 The flag is two horizontal bands, blue over red, with the national coat of arms on a white panel in the centre. The blue and red were taken from the French flag when the white was removed during the fight for independence. They are said to stand for the union of the country's peoples, and the motto on the coat of arms reads 'L'Union fait la force' (Unity makes strength).
Region and neighbours
Haiti is the western third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles. It shares land borders with one country: Dominican Republic.
- Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 — capital Santo Domingo
Three facts about Haiti
- Haiti became independent from France in 1804 after the Haitian Revolution, making it the first sovereign state in the Caribbean.
- Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, and Hispaniola is the second-largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba.
- The Citadelle Laferrière, a huge mountain-top fortress built after independence, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sources: Wikipedia: Haiti, Wikipedia: Flag of Haiti, Wikipedia: Port-au-Prince, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Haiti
- North American capitals quiz — match Haiti to Port-au-Prince
- North American flags quiz — spot the Haiti flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Haiti
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Haiti those are:
- North America map quiz — place it on a blank map
- North America flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- North America capitals quiz — match it to Port-au-Prince
- Haiti capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Haiti
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Haiti
- Capital of Haiti: Port-au-Prince — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 23 countries of North America
Nearby countries
- Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬 — capital Saint John's
- Bahamas 🇧🇸 — capital Nassau
- Barbados 🇧🇧 — capital Bridgetown
- Belize 🇧🇿 — capital Belmopan
- Canada 🇨🇦 — capital Ottawa
- Costa Rica 🇨🇷 — capital San José
- Cuba 🇨🇺 — capital Havana
- Dominica 🇩🇲 — capital Roseau
- Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 — capital Santo Domingo
- El Salvador 🇸🇻 — capital San Salvador
- Grenada 🇬🇩 — capital Saint George's
- Guatemala 🇬🇹 — capital Guatemala City
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Haiti flag?
The flag of Haiti is two horizontal bands, blue over red, with the national coat of arms on a white panel in the centre. The blue and red were taken from the French flag when the white was removed during the fight for independence. They are said to stand for the union of the country's peoples, and the motto on the coat of arms reads 'L'Union fait la force' (Unity makes strength).
Which countries border Haiti?
Haiti shares land borders with Dominican Republic.
How can I remember the capital of Haiti?
Port-au-Prince is French for 'Port of the Prince', and it sits at the end of a big bay on the west of the island. For the flag, think blue sky over red earth with a coat of arms in a white box.