Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2018 | Page 344

haiti POPULATION SIZE 10.31 million (2013) 27,750 sq. kilometers OFFICIAL LANGUAGE CAPITAL CITY French CURRENCY Haitian Gourde (1 US dollar equals 42 Haitian Gourdes) Port-au-Prince AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 26.60 C / 800 F Haiti was discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus who gave it its name. It is located on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea which consists of two countries - The Dominican Republic and Haiti. Haiti occupies 1/3 while The Dominican Republic occupies 2/3 of Hispaniola. Haiti is primarily populated by African-Caribbean people with a history of French colonialism. [Source: Bob Corbett, August 1999]