June marks Caribbean Heritage Month, a month devoted to honoring the contributions of the Caribbeans all over. Here are six facts about Haiti and the Caribbean to celebrate this month.
Second-biggest island in the Caribbean
Haiti is part of the island of Hispaniola, the second-biggest island in the Caribbean with a land area of 29,418 square miles. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, with an area of 42,426 square miles, which is about three-fourths as large as the state of Florida.
Most mountainous island in the Caribbean
Haiti is the most mountainous island in the Caribbean. The word Haiti derives from the Indigenous Taino word Ayiti, meaning land of mountains. The Tainos were the Indigenous people who inhabited Haiti before Christopher Columbus arrived
One of the largest cave systems in the Caribbean
The Marie-Jeanne Cave in Port-a-Piment, Haiti, is one of the largest cave systems in the Caribbean. It is 120 meters high and spans 15 to 20 km. The site has 56 caves. It is located in the Sud-Est department, near the town of Belle-Anse, on the island’s southern peninsula.
The majority of Creole spoken in the Caribbean is Haitian Creole
Haitian Creole is the most widely spoken Creole in the Caribbean. With over 10 million speakers, this language derives from French, West African Languages, Taino, Spanish, and English influences. Other Caribbean islands, such as Dominica, St.Lucia, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, speak some form of Creole.
Most populous country in the Caribbean
Haiti is the most populous country in the Caribbean, with an estimated population of 11.4 million. The Dominican Republic is second, with an estimated population of 11.1 million, and Cuba is third, with an estimated population of 11 million.
Largest fortress in the Caribbean
The largest mountaintop fortress in the Caribbean and Western hemisphere is “the Citadelle.” It is located in Milot, Haiti, on top of the mountain Bonnet a` l’Eveque.] Haitian king Henri Christophe, commissioned the building of this fortress as a way to secure safety for Haiti from a potential French invasion after securing independence from France. The fortress took 15 years to build and is nearby the palace Sans-Souci Palace also commonished by Henri Christophe.