| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 500,000 to 1 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Port-au-Prince,Les Cayes,Pétion-Ville,Gonaïves | |
| Languages | |
| Haitian French,Haitian Creole,Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity,Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Levantines |
LevantineHaitians (French: Levantinehaïtiens;Haitian Creole:Ayisyen levantin) areHaitians of full or partial Levantine ancestry, including Levant-born immigrants toHaiti.
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The first Levantine immigrants to arrive inHaiti in the mid 19th century.[1] During the time, Levantine business secnated byItalian immigrants.[1] Many of Levantines migrated to the countryside where they peddled and were very informal economically speaking.World War I, which took place whenLebanon was part of the Germany-alliedOttoman Empire, triggered a Lebanese migration to theAmericas, with Haiti receiving a large number of Lebanese immigrants.[1] Haiti received a score ofPalestinian refugees during the 1948Nakba.[1] The country was estimated to have about between 500,000 and 1 million residents ofLevantine heritage.
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Levantine Haitians are commonly considered as part of the upper class within Haitian society, yet they maintain their own unique presence separate from the very influential and much largermixed-race and white Haitian populace. For years, they were shunned by the elite mulatto Haitians because of amicable interaction with the poor masses, their willingness to do business with the masses and their inability to speak French. This relationship changed gradually over the years as their prominence grew in Haiti's business sector and consequently, a large percentage of them reside and do business in the capital ofPort-au-Prince.Middle-class levantine Haitians often are the owners of many of the city's supermarkets.[citation needed]
