Haiti is an independent republic that is part of the West Indies. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with its neighboring country the Dominican Republic. Haiti occupies about a third of the island. Haiti has an area of 27,750 sq km (10,714 miles). Haiti's capital is Port-au-Prince and is also Haiti's largest city.
Haiti is made up of two peninsula. Haiti is covered in mountain ranges across the country. Haiti's five mountain ranges are the Chaine du Haut Piton, the Massif des Montagnes, the Massi de la Hotte, Noires, Chaine des Cahos, and Montagne Terrible. Montagne Terrible consists of only one mountain peak. The highest point in Haiti is at Pic la Selle. .
The island of Gonave found in the Golfe de la Gonave is the largest island on Haite off the shore. Haiti has a very unusual shoreline, but has many natural harbors. Haiti has many swift yet short rivers so these rivers are unnavigable. The only river that is somewhat navigable is the Artibonite river. A saltwater lake is it's largest lake called Saumatra lake, however the largest freshwater lake is Peligre Lake which was formed by a dam on the upper part of the Artibonite river.
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The climate of Haiti is tropical. The mountains and lowlands affect temperature and rainfall, causing climate variations throughout the country. Rainfall in the country varies from a high of 3600 mm to 600 mm. Most of the rain comes in fall and late summer. The temperature in Port-au-Prince average temperature of 27 degrees Celcius. Haiti is easily hit by hurricanes, Haiti was hit by very destructive storms in 1963, 1980, 1988, and 1994.
The forest in Haiti has been stripped of it's wood for charcoal. Now only some pine trees remain. Tropical reefs around the country are damaged by silt that washes down from the mountain. Most of the farmland in Haiti contains mostly Sugarcane, sisal, cotton, and rice. The most common animals found in Haiti are Caiman and Flamingo.
