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Haiti, Haitian Creole: Ayiti), officially the
Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti ; Repiblik Ayiti), is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean
country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater
Antillean archipelago. Ayiti (Land on high) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the
mountainous western side of the island. The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680
metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and its
capital is Port-au-Prince.
Haiti's regional, historical, and ethnolinguistic position is unique for several reasons. It was
the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation
in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave
rebellion. Haiti is the only predominantly Francophone independent nation in the Americas, and one
of only two (along with Canada) which designate French as an official language; the other
French-speaking countries are all overseas départements or collectivités of France.
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