Most Beautiful Islands: Caribbean Islands

Republic of Haiti

The island of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Caribbean, contains two separate countries; the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Columbus claimed Hispaniola in 1492, and it later became the major launching base for the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean, as well as the American mainland,known as a New Land.
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic.

Hotels and Resorts

For low prices and casual resorts, Haiti is the place to go. The stigma attached to Haitian travel is, unfortunately, still there, and the country barely exists as a tourist destination. Regardless of the many hotels in Haiti, many of them are criminally underbooked, many of the beaches go unvisited. While many prefer to stay away from the urban setting of Port-au-Prince, those who want to get real insight into Haitian culture will choose its humble array of lodgings. Although most travelers head to the mountains when on the island, Haiti beaches are quite underrated. One of the most popular Haiti hotels is the Kaliko Beach Club.

Cuisine

The cuisine of Haiti originates from several culinary styles from the various historical ethnic groups that populated the western portion of the island of Hispaniola, namely the French, African, and the Taíno. Haitian cuisine is similar to the rest of the Latin-Caribbean, however it differs in several ways from its regional counterparts.Dishes tend to be seasoned liberally and consequently Haitian cuisine tends to be moderately spicy, not mild and not too hot. In the country, however, many businesses of foreign origin have been established introducing several foreign cuisines into the mainstream culture.

Mark

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti. It had a catastrophic magnitude of 9.0, and it devastated many areas of the country. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake, and the Haitian government reported that an estimated 316,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 were made homeless.I hope for the best for Haiti as it struggles to recover.

Despite the ordeals that Haitians have endured over the years, the country has maintained a welcoming and proud spirit. I can only hope that this spirit will sustain the people of Haiti through their latest trials, and that Haiti can finally emerge from its murky past and tragic present.