Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a Caribbean nation occupying the western side of the island of Hispaniola, and is the most populous country in the Caribbean, with its name deriving from the Taíno word meaning "land of high mountains". It holds a unique place in history as the first sovereign state in the Caribbean and the only country established by a successful slave revolt, following the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) which officially abolished slavery. However, its post-independence path was marred by a crippling debt to France, a U.S. occupation (1915–1934), the brutal Duvalier dictatorship (1957–1986), and catastrophic disasters like the 2010 earthquake and cholera outbreak. Today, the nation is described as a failed state, with a vacant presidency since the 2021 assassination of Jovenel Moïse, no functioning elected officials, and gang violence displacing over 1.3 million people. Despite this, Haiti remains a founding member of the United Nations, OAS, and CARICOM, preserving a profound revolutionary legacy.