Date of independence, or formation date: 1804
Date when current borders were established: 1844
National day: Jan 1
Vehicle country identifying code: RH
Time zone (hours plus or minus from GMT): -5
International telephone dialling code: +509
Internet country identifying code: .ht

Haiti occupies the western third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. A colony of Spain and then of France, in 1804 it was the first ethnic black state and the first Caribbean country to become independent. Democracy did not materialize with the exile of the dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986. Since then, a series of coups, US military intervention, and popular uprisings have left the country struggling with periodic anarchy and endemic poverty.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004