Haiti
The first free Black republic, and a nation whose call for liberty still echoes from Port au Prince to the mountaintop walls of the Citadelle.
Haiti's national hero is Toussaint Louverture, a formerly enslaved man who rose to lead the revolution that would end slavery on the island. Captured by Napoleon's forces in 1802 and taken to a prison in France, he died before independence was won, but the freedom he fought for arrived in 1804, when Haiti became the world's first free Black republic and the first nation born from a successful uprising of enslaved people.
The motto on Haiti's coat of arms, "L'Union Fait La Force" ("Unity Makes Strength"), has guided the country ever since. It is the same principle this whole hemisphere rests on, that nations grow strongest not by standing alone but by standing together.
Get to Know Haiti
Capital: Port au Prince. Official languages: French and Haitian Creole. Currency: Haitian gourde. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic and became independent in 1804.
Fun Facts
- Haiti was the first country in the world to permanently abolish slavery and the first independent nation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- The Citadelle Laferriere, a mountaintop fortress built in the early 1800s, is the largest fortress in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Haiti is one of the world's leading producers of vetiver, a fragrant root oil used in perfumes worldwide.
Why Visit
The Citadelle Laferriere rises from a mountaintop above Cap Haitien, a fortress built by tens of thousands of formerly enslaved people to guard the young nation's freedom, and still the largest of its kind in the Americas. Jacmel, on the southern coast, is celebrated for its ironwork balconies, gingerbread architecture, and the handcrafted papier mache masks that fill its streets each Carnival season. Haiti's vibrant art scene, from Naive painting to Vodou inspired imagery, has drawn collectors and galleries worldwide. Along the coast, beaches like Labadee and the turquoise pools of Bassin Bleu offer a quieter side of the country.
Made in Haiti
Haiti is known for its coffee, vetiver oil, cacao, and rum, alongside a globally celebrated tradition of Haitian art and handicrafts. This space is reserved for a future Local Marketplace Spotlight, featuring Trust Standard certified Haitian businesses once that pillar of the Americas Ecosystem exists. Soon.