The strongest earthquake in American history, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale, slams southern Alaska, creating a deadly tsunami. Tap/click on "gear icon" for options and settings. It was also just 10 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince. Some of the earthquakes in Haiti have been very destructive to the country. Christopher Columbus landed on the island in 1492 and named it La Isla Española (Hispaniola in its Anglicized form). During Spanish colonial times, the island’s position on the northern flank of the Caribbean Sea provided an excellent location for control of Spanish expansion to Cuba, Mexico, Panama, and South America. The quake's closeness made its … Find recent or historic earthquakes, lists, information on selected significant earthquakes, earthquake resources by state, or find webservices. Haiti, whose population is almost entirely descended from African slaves, won independence from France in 1804, making it the second country in the Americas, after the United States, to free itself from colonial rule. The 7.0 quake that struck Haiti was the same strength as the Loma Prieta earthquake that struck San Francisco during the 1989 World Series. But Haiti's quake was 6.2 miles below the surface. Latest earthquakes map and list for U.S. and worldwide. Over the centuries, however, economic, political, and social difficulties, as well as a number of natural disasters, have beset Haiti with chronic poverty and other serious problems. Some 131 people were killed and thousands injured. ^ United Nations …