Haiti is located in the western half of Santo Domingo Island (also known as Haiti Island) in the western Atlantic Ocean of Central America. It was first occupied by powerful Spanish colonists, and then France defeated Spain and occupied Haiti. "Haiti" means "a mountainous place". Haitians are mostly descendants of African slaves, who have endured the cruel oppression and exploitation of colonialists for generations. As early as 1790, Haitian mulattoes and free blacks launched an armed uprising, trying to strive for complete equality with whites through violent means. However, due to insufficient preparations for the uprising, there was no revolutionary slogan reflecting the demands of slaves and no support from slaves. The uprising failed under the bloody suppression of French colonists.