Why can Haskell handle very large numbers easily?

Question

Hugs> 94535^445
13763208823213770506960538876615156211048901640052821530697264247739998018468419032448277029434879827074549660094560167350418780006041435009085328         


        

Answer 1

Java has the BigInteger class.

It could have built this facility into the language, but (like many languages) it tends to make the primitive features map closely onto things that are supported by the CPU.

Haskell on the other hand emphasizes expressiveness in the style of mathematical notation, where "performance" considerations are largely irrelevant.