Haitians in the context of Haitian French

Haitian Creole (/ˈheɪʃən ˈkriːoʊl/; French: Créole haïtien [kʁeɔl ajisjɛ̃] ; Haitian Creole: kreyòl ayisyen, [kɣejɔl ajisjɛ̃]), or simply Creole (Haitian Creole: kreyòl), is a African mixed French-based creole language that is spoken by over 13 million Haitian people worldwide. It is one of the two official languages of Haiti (the other being French), where it is the native language of the vast majority of the population. It is also the most widely spoken creole language in the world.

The three main dialects of Haitian Creole are the Northern, Central, and Southern dialects; the Northern dialect is predominantly spoken in Cap-Haïtien, the Central in Port-au-Prince, and the Southern in the Cayes area.

Haitian Creole (/ˈheɪʃən ˈkriːoʊl/; French: Créole haïtien [kʁeɔl ajisjɛ̃] ; Haitian Creole: kreyòl ayisyen, [kɣejɔl ajisjɛ̃]), or simply Creole (Haitian Creole: kreyòl), is an African mixed French-based creole language that is spoken by over 13 million Haitian people worldwide. It is one of the two official languages of Haiti (the other being French), where it is the native language of the vast majority of the population. It is also the most widely spoken creole language in the world.

The three main dialects of Haitian Creole are the Northern, Central, and Southern dialects; the Northern dialect is predominantly spoken in Cap-Haïtien, the Central in Port-au-Prince, and the Southern in the Cayes area.

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (English: /ˌluːvərˈtjʊər/ LOO-vər-TURE, French: [fʁɑ̃swa dɔminik tusɛ̃ luvɛʁtyʁ]; 20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda, was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louverture first fought and allied with Spanish forces against Saint-Domingue Royalists, then joined with Republican France, becoming Governor-General-for-life of Saint-Domingue, and lastly fought against Bonaparte's republican troops. As a revolutionary leader, Louverture displayed military and political acumen that helped transform the fledgling slave rebellion into a revolutionary movement. Along with Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Louverture is now known as one of the "Fathers of Haiti".

Toussaint Louverture was born as a slave in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti. He was a devout Catholic, and was manumitted as an affranchi (ex-slave) before the French Revolution, identifying as a Creole for the greater part of his life. During his time as an affranchi, he became a salaried employee, an overseer of his former master's plantation, and later became a wealthy slave owner himself; Toussaint Louverture owned several coffee plantations at Petit Cormier, Grande Rivière, and Ennery. At the start of the Haitian revolution he was nearly 50 years old and began his military career as a lieutenant to Georges Biassou, a leader of the preliminary 1791 slave revolt. Initially allied with the Spaniards of neighboring Santo Domingo, Louverture switched his allegiance to the French when the new Republican government moved to abolish slavery in its colonies. As leader of the Haitian Revolution, Louverture gradually established control over the whole island and used his political and military influence to gain dominance over his rivals.

The Haitian diaspora consists of Haitian people and their descendants living outside of Haiti. Countries with significant numbers of Haitians include the Dominican Republic, the United States, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, the Bahamas, and France (including French Caribbean territories and French Guiana).

There are roughly 1.5 to 2 million people of Haitian ancestry living outside Haiti, mainly due to chronic economic issues, gang violence and political crises.

White Haitians (French: Blancs Haïtiens, [blɑ̃ (s)aisjɛ̃]; Haitian Creole: Blan Ayisyen), are Haitians of predominant or full European descent. There were approximately 20,000 whites around the Haitian Revolution, mainly French, in Saint-Domingue. They were divided into two main groups: The Planters and Petit Blancs. The first Europeans to settle in Haiti were the Spanish. The Spanish enslaved the indigenous Haitians to work on sugar plantations and in gold mines. European diseases such as measles and smallpox killed all but a few thousand of the indigenous Haitians. Many other indigenous Haitians died from overwork and harsh treatment in the mines from slavery. Most Europeans who settled in Haiti were killed or fled during the Haitian Revolution.

Dominican Republic–Haiti relations are the diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and the Republic of Haiti. Relations have long been hostile due to substantial ethnic and cultural differences, historic conflicts, territorial disputes, and sharing the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The living standards in the Dominican Republic are considerably higher than those in Haiti. The economy of the Dominican Republic is ten times larger than that of Haiti.The migration of impoverished Haitians and historical differences have contributed to long-standing conflicts.

The island of Hispaniola was the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo established in 1493 by Spain.The Spanish Empire controlled the entire island from the 1490s until the 17th century. Due to its strategic location British and French pirates began establishing bases on the western side of the island. Battles began during colonial times and developed into constant conflicts between the European powers. Eventually the island was divided in 1697, with Spain controlling the eastern side and France controlling the western side.

Joseph Raoul Cédras (born July 9, 1949) is a Haitian former military officer who was the de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994. Cedras was the last military ruler of Haiti.