Interesting Facts About Haiti

The Republic of Haiti, officially known as the Republic of Haiti, passed under the control of the United States after being a French colony for many years and finally declared its independence, albeit with difficulty. Haiti is a small island country, with a population of only a few million, but despite being a colony for many years, it has managed to preserve its own cultural values ​​and traditions.

Unfortunately, we hear the name Haiti because of the frequent earthquakes and its not fully settled political structure. Like many other countries with bad fate, Haiti has a nature that amazes those who see it. So despite everything, this place continues to be a tourism paradise. Let’s take a closer look at this country and see some extraordinary information about Haiti, some of which you will hear for the first time.

Extraordinary facts about Haiti, some of which you will hear for the first time:

• Haiti is not exactly an island country.
• The region consists of mountains as far as possible.
• Always write in Haiti.
• The deepest cave in the Caribbean is in Haiti.
• It has dishes that are included in the UNESCO heritage list.
• Haitians eat pasta for breakfast.
• Haitians do not celebrate Halloween.
• They have the most used language after colonization.
• Think twice before eating peanut butter in Haiti.
• Venezuelan independence flag waving in Haiti.
• Alexandre Dumas is originally from Haitian.

Haiti is not really an island country:

Haiti is located on an island called Hispaniola, discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 in the Caribbean Sea. But this island is not all Haiti. Two-thirds of the island on the eastern side is the Dominican Republic, the inner one on the western side, about 27,750 square meters, is the state of Haiti. So in fact, Haiti is not exactly an island country, but only a country that has a part of the island. Although there are similarities between the two states, they have different cultural structures.

The region consists of mountains as far as possible:

From the moment you step on the territory of Haiti, you will either find yourself on a mountain or you will be looking at a mountain, because almost all of the island borders are made up of mountain ranges. In fact, the word Haiti means mountainous terrain in the native Taino language. For this reason, one of the most attended activities by the tourists going to the region is to take long mountain walks.

Always write in Haiti:

No matter what time of the year you go to Haiti, which is located in the tropical climate zone, you will encounter the summer season. Even in the coldest weather, the weather only gets a little cooler, so the country’s beaches attract tourists from many different parts of the world at all times of the year. World-famous beaches such as Labadee, Arcadins and Ance Blanche also stand out with their white sands.

The deepest cave in the Caribbean is in Haiti:

The islands in the Caribbean Sea are mountainous but not very rich in caves, with the exception of Haiti. There are many caves under Haiti, which is covered with mountain ranges. One of them, Grotte Marie Jeanne, is the deepest cave in the Caribbean with a length of four kilometers. The cave is one of the most popular visiting spots for tourists.

It has dishes included in the UNESCO heritage list:

We said that although Haiti remained a colony for years, it preserved its culture, and we see the biggest example of this in its cuisine. There is a soup called Joumou, which is made by the locals. This soup, which is made on special days of the year and on holidays, includes vegetables and meat. The reason why this soup draws attention among many other dishes is that it has been included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. It should be noted that every dish in the country contains plenty of spices.

Haitians eat pasta for breakfast:

Okay, maybe the people of Haiti did not preserve their culture that well because even the tourists who go to the region are served spaghetti pasta for breakfast as if it were a special meal, and the local people themselves eat this dish for breakfast. In fact, they eat spaghetti because they want to get the energy they need during the day from this carbohydrate-filled meal in the morning, but it has to be admitted that it is still a bit interesting.

Haitians do not celebrate Halloween:

There’s no religious or traditional reason for this, it’s just that the people of Haiti have lived so long away from the outside world that they haven’t even heard of Halloween. As such, no such tradition was established. In fact, they don’t need it anyway, because they have a festival called Fet Gede, similar to the Day of the Dead celebrated in Latin American countries. On this holiday, which is celebrated throughout the month of November, the local people clean and paint the cemeteries and thus try to welcome the souls back to earth in the best way possible.

They have the most used language after colonization:

There is a type of language called creole. In Latin America and Africa, the language type formed by the meeting of other languages ​​​​and the local language after colonization is named in this way. Haiti also developed a distinctive creole, as it remained a colony for many years. The most striking feature of the Haitian creole language is its simplicity. For this reason, the most widely used creole language in the world belongs to the Haitians.

Think twice before eating peanut butter in Haiti:

Peanut butter, a US-based snack, is very popular around the world. Since Haiti has been under the US administration for many years, peanut butter is also popular here, but if you say I’ll go with this thought and get a jar of peanut butter, you will be in for a big surprise. Because the peanut butter sold in Haiti contains many different spices such as hot pepper and ginger. We said Haitian food would be spicy.

Venezuela’s independence flag waved in Haiti:

Yes, even though they are two different countries, when Venezuela gained its independence in 1806, the first flag that was designed flew in Haiti. Its story is interesting. Venezuelan General Francisco de Miranda; He was a frequent visitor to Jacmel, Haiti, a country that had just gained independence while Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia were fighting for their liberation. During one of these visits, he designed the flag of Venezuela and, with the help of Alexandre Pétion, the president of Haiti at the time, flew the flag there. A short time later, the country gained its independence.

Alexandre Dumas is actually Haitian:

We all know the French writer Alexandre Dumas, born on July 24, 1802. Good, but whatever you say about Haiti, the answer is hidden in his father. Alexandre Dumas’ father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, was born here when Haiti was a French colony, and moreover, his mother is a Haitian. Like his father, he served here as a general of France for many years.

We tried to get to know this small country better by talking about interesting information about the small island country of the Caribbean Sea, Haiti. One cannot help but wonder what would have happened today if it had not been exploited for hundreds of years.