Interesting Facts about Haiti

Did You Know?

12 curious facts about Haiti.

• When a child loses a tooth they throw the tooth on the roof and say “Rat, Rat, Rat. I give you a beautiful tooth. Send me back an old tooth.” They say the opposite of wht they really mean to trick the crafty Rat into giving them what they really want.
• Haiti is the name given to the land by the former Taino-Arawak peoples, an indigenous group who originally inhabited the island. It means “mountainous country.”
• The eccentric Henri Christophe ruled northern Haiti between 1806 and 1820. He ordered the construction of the Citadelle Laferrière and other fortresses as a defence against possible re-invasions of Haiti by the French, but these never occurred.
• Haiti is a densely populated country, with an average of more than 250 people per square kilometre. About three-quarters of the people live in rural areas. City life is limited to the capital city (Port-au-Prince) and five or six large towns.