Haiti (officially the Republic of Haiti) occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince. Haitian Creole and French are the official languages.
The island has had a history of destructive earthquakes. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 and devastated Port-au-Prince. The highest reliable death count was estimated at 220,000. Haitian government estimates were higher. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless.
Haiti's population in 2008 was estimated to be about 9.8 million according to the UN. Hope for Haiti estimates that over 50% of Haiti's population is school age and the literacy rate is less than 50%. Approximately 70% of the people live in poverty, with an average annual income of $400 per year. 15% of all children in Haiti are orphaned or abandoned ("practically orphaned"). Most extimates put the number of orphans in Haiti prior to the January 2010 earthquake at about 380,000. Current estimates put the number of orphans at about 750,000. (http://haitiorphanproject.org/about/)
For more information about Haiti and Haitian adoption check out the following sites:
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