Arch itectural Structures Da ily L ife & Culture

Fascinating Facts! Their currency is called the Haitian gourde, but dollars are commonly used to make large purchases. The most popular languages spoken are French and Creole. The average life expectancy for someone who lives in Haiti is a mere 51 years. Haitis literacy percent is 53. Rice and beans are considered to be the national dish eaten, eaten on a daily basis. Haitians generally eat two meals a day: a small breakfast, and a large afternoon meal. There are snacks eaten later in the day. Visitors to a household never leave empty- handed or without drinking coffee, or at least not without an apology, and failure to announce departure is considered rude. Young women are not to smoke or drink alcohol except for on festive occasions. As children get older, the rules become less strict. Older women can drink run, and men are prone to smoking tobacco. Haggling is especially common in Haiti, even if there is already a set price for an item. It is common for people of the same sex to hold hands out in public as a sign of friendship. There is less than one doctor per eight-thousand people. This is a before and after of the Port-au-Prince Cathedral. The earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 severely damaged many of the major buildings in the country, including the Presidential Palace (below).

Haiti
Ridhima Phukan

Government
Haiti is a republic with a bicameral legislature. The National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote and serve six-year terms; onethird is elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats ; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms). They have numerous prominent political parties. Their independence from France was on January 1st, 1804

^One structure that managed to^ survive through many earthquakes is the Citadelle Henry Christophe. It was built from 1805-1820 as a way to ensure that the newly-independent nation of Haiti was safe from French invasion. The Haitians equipped the fortress with 365 cannons of different sizes, and to this day stockpiles of cannonballs sit at the base of the fortress walls.

G e og ra p hic a l L a nd for ms a nd L o c a t io n

Ec on o mi c s/ Re s ou rc e s

Religiousoc c u p a t io n Traditions

Ch a in e de la Se lle

EconomyFree market economy with low labor costs and tariff-free access to the US for many of its exports. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere . 80% of people live under the poverty line. There is a huge gap between the Creole- speaking black majority and the mulattos (mixed African and European descent) who speak French. Mulattos make up only 5% of the population but control most of the wealth in the country.

ReligionThe official religion of Haiti is Roman Catholicism. Roughly half the population practices voodoo. Majority of Haitians practicing voodoo say that their religion can coexist with Catholicism. Voodoo has given many people the misconception that Haitians practice a religion full of zombies. In voodoo, spirits are passed down from generation to generation and they are there to protect people. People will make pilgrimages to waterfalls and certain species of trees because they are believed to house spirits and be the places where the spirits enter the human world. Funerals are important social events and involve many days of feasting. Many people prefer to be buried in a very expensive tomb aboveground rather than be buried underground.

Coordinates- 19 00 N, 72 25 W It is the second largest island in the Caribbean. Haiti has a mostly rough and mountainous terrain The highest point in Haiti is Chaine de la Selle 2680m above sea level They have a tropical climate; semiarid where the mountains in the east cut off the trade winds. Only 28.3% of the land in Haiti is arable. Due to its geography, Haiti is susceptible to hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, and droughts.

Resources
Bauxite, copper, calcium gold, marble, hydropower carbonate,

ExportsCoffee, oils, cocoa

Occupation66% make their living from agriculture, mostly small-scale subsistence farm. Their major products are coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, and wood.