Shabby Chic Mardi Gras Ball 2018 Mobile AL
Shabby Chic Mardi Gras Ball 2018 Mobile AL. Darryl and Johnita Evans put on the Mardi Gras of Mardi Gras Balls in the original home of Mardi Gras of Mobile Alabama and they also do it in the big ATL
Traditional Mardi Gras
It is the oldest annual Carnival celebration in the United States
started by Frenchman NICHOLAS LANGLOIS in 1703
When Mobile was the capital of Upper Louisiana. which was 14 years before
News Orleans was ever founded
What is a krewe s of Mardi Gras?
A krewe (Mystic society) is any group or organization of revelers to band
together to host a Mardi Gras ball,
Mardi Gras parade float and participate in social events throughout the year.
In Southwest Louisiana, there are more than 50 krewes,
a number that continues to grow each season.
Traditional Mardi Gras beads are purple, green, and gold colors.
The purple symbolizes justice;
the green represents faith; and the gold signifies power.
If you are participating in the Mardi Gras carnival this year or hosting your own
Mardi Gras party, make sure you get plenty of colorful beads!
What Week is Mardi Gras ?
Mardi Gras is then scheduled 47 days before Easter and can occur on any Tuesday
from February 3 through March 9. Plan to come to Mardi Gras at your first opportunity:
February to March
What is the celebration of Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras , also called Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday, in English,
refers to events of the Carnival celebrations,
beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany
(Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday.
What are the Mardi Gras beads for?
The goodies, or 'throws,' consist of necklaces of plastic beads,
coins called doubloons, which are stamped with krewes' logos,
parade themes and the year, plus an array of plastic cups
and toys such as Frisbees or figurines.
Fat Tuesday
Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday.
It is also known as Mardi Gras Day or Shrove Day.
It is a day when people eat all they want of everything and anything
they want as the following day is Ash Wednesday.
Happy Mardi Gras
Royal Dinner - Spices and Delights of Louisiana | Episode #9
Louisiana is very proud of its gastronomy, result of a multicultural history. Michel Roth pays tribute to the State, cooking traditional dishes like the Jambalaya or the Pecan Pie.
Assisted by the food journalist Caroline Mignot, the starred chef Michel Roth invites you to discover different menus created from great moments in world gastronomy. Many opportunities for the “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” to give free rein to his imagination and to reinvent exceptional recipes.
You can find the other episodes of Royal Dinner here:
Subscribe to our channel to discover other festive meals:
Follow wocomo on Facebook:
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INGREDIENTS FOR 6 PERSONS
Crab and crayfishes soup.
2kg small crabs
30 crayfishes
3L Vegetable stock
2dl white wine
1 bouquet garni
2cl Olive oil
1 onion
1 celery
3 green peppers
1 garlic clove
100gr tomato concentrate
Salt, Tabasco
Cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme
For thee roux
200gr butter
200gr flour
Jambalaya of pork
500gr grain rice
2,5L Vegetable stock
600gr pork tenderloin
300gr ”andouillette” cut into rings
300gr sausages
2 chopped onions
1 chopped garlic clove
2 plantain bananas
2 diced sweet potatoes
300gr okras
Paprika
Cinnamon
50gr butter
2cl Olive oil
Salt, cayenne.
Pecan pie
For the sweet pastry
250gr flour
125gr butter
125gr sugar
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
For the pie
3 eggs
50gr sugar
15cl maple syrup
60gr flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch of salt
250gr pecan
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont)
Photos prises au Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park au Vermont le 14 juillet 2015
Canape: May 2012
St. Patrick's Cathedral Organ Player Daniel Brondel
On a trip to New Orleans at the age of sixteen Daniel Brondel fell in love with the United States. Two years later the native of southern France enrolled as a full scholarship student in music at Georgia State University. Two decades and a master's degree in performance from the Eastman School of Music later, he is the Associate Director of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Ave. in the heart of Manhattan. His duties include daily organ performances and choral direction. His solo organ album The Glory of the Organ was recorded in the cathedral. The veteran musician chats with CANAPE about his musical life and transatlantic journey.
Washboard Player David Langlois
As a teenager in the French Alps David Langlois was insulted when he was approached by a washboard player. After all, David thought, I'm a drummer. But listening to the washboard changed it from novelty to an instrument for him. After developing his chops for years on the French music circuit, he decided to try the Brooklyn music scene. Now he can be heard every night playing his instrument, which is actually an assemblage of a fondue pot, sieve, pie tin, and more. CANAPE arrives on the spot to listen to the music and the innovative musician.
Polisse by Maïwenn
Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the crime drama Polisse written and directed by Maiwenn also picked up two Cesar Awards in France while meriting twelve more Cesar nominations. In the world of ensemble police dramas the new French film stands out. It's subject is the day to day stress of a Child Protection Unit in north Paris. The film measures the toll of upon victims and protectors of the vice related crimes. The filmmaker shares her thoughts about the project with CANAPE.
Judith Malina's Living Theater
In 1947 Judith Malina and Julian Beck founded The Living Theatre, which is now recognized by critics and historians as a place where the theatrical contract changed. The troupe's more than one hundred productions staged in New York City and around the world have made a permanent mark on the global idea of drama. In the second decade of the 21st century the theatrical group looks forward to further innovation. In tribute to their energy CANAPE revisits an interview with founder Judith Malina.
Dreaming in French by Alice Kaplan
A junior year abroad is a life shaping experience for any university student. But it's of a different order of magnitude if that student happens to be Jacqueline Bouvier, Susana Sontag, or Angela Davis. The new group study by Alice Kaplan Dreaming in French explores how France influenced the lives of these three gifted, influential yet very different women. Author Kaplan talks to CANAPE about how cultural exchange and difference offered a lifelong gift to the three future celebrities.
Israel Horovitz Medal Ceremony
The 1968 Obie Award for Best Drama went to the young playwright Israel Horovitz for The Indian Wants to the Bronx. It starred an unknown actor named Al Pacino. More than forty years later with over seventy plays later produced in more than thirty languages Horovitz is recognized as a major American theatrical voice. His plays have had a particularly warm reception in France, where he developed a decades long friendship with Samuel Beckett. CANAPE sits down with the writer in his Greenwich Village home to hear his thoughts on France and theater.
(Taped: 05/23/12)
Canapé is seen on the third Thursday of the month in a French-only version and repeated the fourth Thursday of the month in an English-subtitled version.
Watch more at
Savannah Monument Honors Haitians (Georgia, U.S.A.) - Oct 11, 2009
In 1779 about 1,500 Haitians came from Haiti to the U.S. - They fought and died to save the U.S. Revolution at a time when the American troops were almost destroyed by the British. A monument was erected in Franklin Square in Savanah, Georgia on Cotober 11, 2009 to honor the Haitian soldiers who gave their lives to bring the United States back to life.
2/2 La Louisiane française (1682-1803) Empire Colonial Français
La Louisiane (2/2). 2000 ans d'Histoire sur France Inter de Patrice Gélinet avec Gilles-Antoine Langlois (historien). 26.01.2004
« De par le très puissant et très victorieux Louis le Grand, roi de France et de Navarre, quatorzième du nom, ce jour 9 avril 1682, je prends possession, au nom de Sa Majesté, de ce pays de Louisiane. »
(Robert Cavelier de La Salle)
Si aujourd'hui la Lousiane n'est plus qu'un des Etats des Etats-Unis, elle fut au XVIIIe siècle une des plus grandes colonies du monde.
De part et d'autre du Mississippi, entre les Appalaches et les Montagnes Rocheuses, du Sud du Canada au Golfe du Mexique, la France a colonisé pendant un siècle un territoire immense que Bonaparte a vendu aux Américains pour une poignée de dollars en 1803.
De cette époque où la Louisiane était française il ne reste aujourd'hui que le nom de ses villes, Saint-Louis, Bâton-Rouge, Lafayette ou la Nouvelle-Orléans dont quelques habitants parlent encore la langue des premiers colons français de Louisiane.
Ces hommes et ces femmes qui au XVIIIe siècle étaient venues de France ou de l'Acadie canadienne pour fonder une des plus grandes colonies que la France ait jamais possédée.
Une colonie oubliée à laquelle, deux siècles après l'abandon de la Louisiane, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing rendait visite, le 2 mai 1976.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
invité:
*Gilles-Antoine Langlois
historien
---------------------------------------------------------------------
livres:
*Gilles-Antoine Langlois
Des villes pour la Louisiane française : théorie et pratique de l'urbanistique coloniale au 18e siècle
éditeur : L'Harmattan (collection Villes et entreprises)
2003
« L'établissement des colons français, puis l'urbanisation de la colonie de la Louisiane entre 1699 et 1763, forment les deux sections principales de cette étude.
La création des villes de la Mobile et de la Nouvelle-Orléans illustre l'originalité de l'ambition de la France de l'Ancien Régime en Amérique du Nord.
Un point sur la part française de l'histoire urbaine des Etats-Unis. »
*La Louisiane. De la colonie française à l'État américain
Gilles-Antoine Langlois et alii
Mona Bismarck Foundation / Somogy
2003
*Manon Lescaut
Abbé Grégoire
J'ai lu
2003 (1731)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
vidéos:
*Que la fête commence
Bertrand Tavernier
film
1975
RCV Vidéo (VHS)
*Horizons Lointains (The Far Horizons)
Rudolph Maté
film
1955
VHS
Louisiana (New France) | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Louisiana (New France)
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Louisiana (French: La Louisiane; La Louisiane française) or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control 1682 to 1762 and 1802 (nominally) to 1803, the area was named in honor of King Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. It originally covered an expansive territory that included most of the drainage basin of the Mississippi River and stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains.
Louisiana included two regions, now known as Upper Louisiana (French: la Haute-Louisiane), which began north of the Arkansas River, and Lower Louisiana (French: la Basse-Louisiane). The U.S. state of Louisiana is named for the historical region, although it is only a small part of the vast lands claimed by France.French exploration of the area began during the reign of Louis XIV, but French Louisiana was not greatly developed, due to a lack of human and financial resources. As a result of its defeat in the Seven Years' War, France was forced to cede the east part of the territory in 1763 to the victorious British, and the west part to Spain as compensation for Spain losing Florida. France regained sovereignty of the western territory in the secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso of 1800. But strained by obligations in Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte sold the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, ending France's presence in Louisiana.
The United States ceded part of the Louisiana Purchase to the United Kingdom in the Treaty of 1818. This section lies above the 49th parallel north in a part of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Gumbo | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Gumbo
00:02:13 1 Etymology
00:02:55 2 Variations
00:03:48 2.1 Thickeners
00:05:18 2.2 Cajun vs. Creole gumbo
00:06:40 2.3 Gumbo z'herbes
00:07:52 3 History
00:08:01 3.1 Background
00:10:55 3.2 Origin
00:13:33 3.3 Development
00:15:56 4 Preparation and serving
00:17:41 5 Social aspects
00:19:56 6 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Gumbo (French: Gombo) is a stew popular in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the official state cuisine. Gumbo consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and what Louisianians call the Holy Trinity of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used, whether okra or filé powder (dried and ground sassafras leaves). The dish derived its name from Louisiana French, which may have derived the name from a source such as the Choctaw word for filé (kombo).
Gumbo can be made with or without okra or filé powder. The preferred method in the historical New Orleans variation is with a French dark roux. The flavor of the dish has its origins in many cultures. Creole gumbo generally contains shellfish, and a dark roux, filé, or both. Tomatoes are traditionally found in Creole gumbo and frequently appear in New Orleans cuisine. Cajun gumbo is generally based on a dark roux and is made with shellfish or fowl. Sausage or ham is often added to gumbos of either variety. After the base is prepared, vegetables are cooked down, and then meat is added. The dish simmers for a minimum of three hours, with shellfish and some spices added near the end. If desired, filé powder is added after the pot is removed from heat. Gumbo is traditionally served over rice. A third, lesser-known variety, the meatless gumbo z'herbes, is essentially a gumbo of slow-cooked greens.
The dish combines ingredients and culinary practices of several cultures, including French, Spanish, German, and Choctaw. Gumbo may have been based on traditional native dishes, or may be a derivation of the French dish bouillabaisse, or Choctaw stew, but most likely all of these dishes contributed to the original recipe. It was first described in 1802, and was listed in various cookbooks in the latter half of the 19th century. The dish gained more widespread popularity in the 1970s, after the United States Senate dining room added it to the menu in honor of Louisiana Senator Allen Ellender. The popularity of chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s spurred further interest in the dish.
Welbon Whitmire - African Americans in Europe: London, Copenhagen, and Paris
African Americans have been traveling to and living in Europe since and before the end of slavery, right up to the present; perhaps most famously noted in the writing of James Baldwin. Join us for a discussion of some of the varied aspects of the long and wonderfully complex story.
Louisiana (New France) | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Louisiana (New France)
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Louisiana (French: La Louisiane; La Louisiane française) or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control 1682 to 1762 and 1802 (nominally) to 1803, the area was named in honor of King Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle. It originally covered an expansive territory that included most of the drainage basin of the Mississippi River and stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains.
Louisiana included two regions, now known as Upper Louisiana (French: la Haute-Louisiane), which began north of the Arkansas River, and Lower Louisiana (French: la Basse-Louisiane). The U.S. state of Louisiana is named for the historical region, although it is only a small part of the vast lands claimed by France.French exploration of the area began during the reign of Louis XIV, but French Louisiana was not greatly developed, due to a lack of human and financial resources. As a result of its defeat in the Seven Years' War, France was forced to cede the east part of the territory in 1763 to the victorious British, and the west part to Spain as compensation for Spain losing Florida. France regained sovereignty of the western territory in the secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso of 1800. But strained by obligations in Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte sold the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, ending France's presence in Louisiana.
The United States ceded part of the Louisiana Purchase to the United Kingdom in the Treaty of 1818. This section lies above the 49th parallel north in a part of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan.
From New York to Denver - Colorado #Day 4
Don’t look back, we are not going that way.
Special thanks to: Patrick Langlois, DJ Michael Ashley Trundle and DJ Tower.
Haiti | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Haiti
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written
language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through
audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio
while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using
a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
In case you don't find one that you were looking for, put a comment.
This video uses Google TTS en-US-Standard-D voice.
SUMMARY
=======
Haiti ( ( listen); French: Haïti [a.iti]; Haitian Creole: Ayiti [ajiti]), officially the Republic of Haiti (French: République d'Haïti; Haitian Creole: Repiblik Ayiti) and formerly called Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola, east of Cuba in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) in size and has an estimated 10.8 million people, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the second-most populous country in the Caribbean as a whole.
The region was originally inhabited by the indigenous Taíno people. Spain landed on the island on 5 December 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic. When Columbus initially landed in Haiti, he had thought he had found India or China. On Christmas Day 1492, Columbus' flagship the Santa Maria ran aground north of what is now Limonade. As a consequence, Columbus ordered his men to salvage what they could from the ship, and he created the first European settlement in the Americas, naming it La Navidad after the day the ship was destroyed.
The island was named La Española and claimed by Spain, which ruled until the early 17th century. Competing claims and settlements by the French led to the western portion of the island being ceded to France, which named it Saint-Domingue. Sugarcane plantations, worked by slaves brought from Africa, were established by colonists.
In the midst of the French Revolution (1789–99), slaves and free people of color revolted in the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), culminating in the abolition of slavery and the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's army at the Battle of Vertières. Afterward the sovereign state of Haiti was established on 1 January 1804—the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean, the second republic in the Americas, and the only nation in the world established as a result of a successful slave revolt. The rebellion that began in 1791 was led by a former slave and the first black general of the French Army, Toussaint Louverture, whose military genius and political acumen transformed an entire society of slaves into an independent country. Upon his death in a prison in France, he was succeeded by his lieutenant, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who declared Haiti's sovereignty and later became the first Emperor of Haiti, Jacques I. The Haitian Revolution lasted just over a dozen years; and apart from Alexandre Pétion, the first President of the Republic, all the first leaders of government were former slaves. The Citadelle Laferrière is the largest fortress in the Americas. Henri Christophe—former slave and first king of Haiti, Henri I—built it to withstand a possible foreign attack.It is a founding member of the United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS), Association of Caribbean States, and the International Francophonie Organisation. In addition to CARICOM, it is a member of the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. It has the lowest Human Development Index in the Americas. Most recently, in February 2004, a coup d'état originating in the north of the country forced the resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A provisional government took control with security provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Calling All Cars: Swing Low Sweet Chariot / The Tilted Pan / Trail of the Numbered Bills
The radio show Calling All Cars hired LAPD radio dispacher Jesse Rosenquist to be the voice of the dispatcher. Rosenquist was already famous because home radios could tune into early police radio frequencies. As the first police radio dispatcher presented to the public ear, his was the voice that actors went to when called upon for a radio dispatcher role.
The iconic television series Dragnet, with LAPD Detective Joe Friday as the primary character, was the first major media representation of the department. Real LAPD operations inspired Jack Webb to create the series and close cooperation with department officers let him make it as realistic as possible, including authentic police equipment and sound recording on-site at the police station.
Due to Dragnet's popularity, LAPD Chief Parker became, after J. Edgar Hoover, the most well known and respected law enforcement official in the nation. In the 1960s, when the LAPD under Chief Thomas Reddin expanded its community relations division and began efforts to reach out to the African-American community, Dragnet followed suit with more emphasis on internal affairs and community policing than solving crimes, the show's previous mainstay.
Several prominent representations of the LAPD and its officers in television and film include Adam-12, Blue Streak, Blue Thunder, Boomtown, The Closer, Colors, Crash, Columbo, Dark Blue, Die Hard, End of Watch, Heat, Hollywood Homicide, Hunter, Internal Affairs, Jackie Brown, L.A. Confidential, Lakeview Terrace, Law & Order: Los Angeles, Life, Numb3rs, The Shield, Southland, Speed, Street Kings, SWAT, Training Day and the Lethal Weapon, Rush Hour and Terminator film series. The LAPD is also featured in the video games Midnight Club II, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, L.A. Noire and Call of Juarez: The Cartel.
The LAPD has also been the subject of numerous novels. Elizabeth Linington used the department as her backdrop in three different series written under three different names, perhaps the most popular being those novel featuring Det. Lt. Luis Mendoza, who was introduced in the Edgar-nominated Case Pending. Joseph Wambaugh, the son of a Pittsburgh policeman, spent fourteen years in the department, using his background to write novels with authentic fictional depictions of life in the LAPD. Wambaugh also created the Emmy-winning TV anthology series Police Story. Wambaugh was also a major influence on James Ellroy, who wrote several novels about the Department set during the 1940s and 1950s, the most famous of which are probably The Black Dahlia, fictionalizing the LAPD's most famous cold case, and L.A. Confidential, which was made into a film of the same name. Both the novel and the film chronicled mass-murder and corruption inside and outside the force during the Parker era. Critic Roger Ebert indicates that the film's characters (from the 1950s) represent the choices ahead for the LAPD: assisting Hollywood limelight, aggressive policing with relaxed ethics, and a straight arrow approach.
Haiti | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Haiti
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Haiti ( (listen); French: Haïti [a.iti]; Haitian Creole: Ayiti [ajiti]), officially the Republic of Haiti (French: République d'Haïti; Haitian Creole: Repiblik Ayiti) and formerly called Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola, east of Cuba in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) in size and has an estimated 10.8 million people, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the second-most populous country in the Caribbean as a whole.
The region was originally inhabited by the indigenous Taíno people. Spain landed on the island on 5 December 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic. When Columbus initially landed in Haiti, he had thought he had found India or China. On Christmas Day 1492, Columbus' flagship the Santa Maria ran aground north of what is now Limonade. As a consequence, Columbus ordered his men to salvage what they could from the ship, and he created the first European settlement in the Americas, naming it La Navidad after the day the ship was destroyed.
The island was named La Española and claimed by Spain, which ruled until the early 17th century. Competing claims and settlements by the French led to the western portion of the island being ceded to France, which named it Saint-Domingue. Sugarcane plantations, worked by slaves brought from Africa, were established by colonists.
In the midst of the French Revolution (1789–99), slaves and free people of color revolted in the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), culminating in the abolition of slavery and the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's army at the Battle of Vertières. Afterward the sovereign state of Haiti was established on 1 January 1804—the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean, the second republic in the Americas, and the only nation in the world established as a result of a successful slave revolt. The rebellion that began in 1791 was led by a former slave and the first black general of the French Army, Toussaint Louverture, whose military genius and political acumen transformed an entire society of slaves into an independent country. Upon his death in a prison in France, he was succeeded by his lieutenant, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who declared Haiti's sovereignty and later became the first Emperor of Haiti, Jacques I. The Haitian Revolution lasted just over a dozen years; and apart from Alexandre Pétion, the first President of the Republic, all the first leaders of government were former slaves. The Citadelle Laferrière is the largest fortress in the Americas. Henri Christophe—former slave and first king of Haiti, Henri I—built it to withstand a possible foreign attack.It is a founding member of the United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS), Association of Caribbean States, and the International Francophonie Organisation. In addition to CARICOM, it is a member of the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. It has the lowest Human Development Index in the Americas. Most recently, in February 2004, a coup d'état originating in the north of the country forced the resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A provisional government took control with security provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).