Haiti and its larger neighbour the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola, which is in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, to the east of Jamaica and Cuba.
Like other Caribbean countries, it has a pleasantly warm climate, especially on the coast. There are variations inland, depending on the altitude: the Chaîne de la Selle mountains rise to almost 2,700 metres (8,800ft) above sea level.
The Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, is situated in a sheltered gulf on the western coast. Temperatures here peak in the thirties for most of the year, though are slightly lower in the winter months. Even at night they rarely fall below 20C (68F).
Rainfall comes mainly in two wet seasons – the first in April and May, the second from August to October – and humidity is generally lower than on other Caribbean islands. On the more mountainous north coast, there is more rain than in the south.
The best time to visit Haiti, from the point of view of comfort, is from November through to March; but the country’s unstable politics means it is not a popular tourist destination.
The Dominican Republic, which occupies almost twice the land area of Haiti, is also very mountainous, rising to more than 3,000 metres. Again, the north coast is wetter than the south.
