Caribbean, islands in the stream

Inspired by the American and French Revolutions and the principles of the rights of men, Haiti was the first and only republic created by a slave rebellion against colonialism Located on western third of the island of Hispanola which is shares with the Dominican Republic, Haiti is the most densely populated country in the Caribbean. It is also the poorest. Even before the earthquake devastated the capital of Port o Prince in 2010, Haiti ranked 153rd of 177 countries on the Human Development Index. About 80% of the population live in degrading poverty: Many families subsist in dilapidated wooden huts, without electricity or running water. Because they rely on charcoal as their main source of energy, deforestation has devastated 97% of Haitian forests causing much of the rich topsoil to be washed away by rain into the sea inflicting much damage to coral reefs and even more injury to the farming economy. Formerly rich farm land that made Haiti the jewel of the Caribbean 200 years ago has been lost, resulting in many Haitians leaving the countryside to try their luck in Port-au-Prince or Cap Haitien where most end up in slums with no jobs and little or no services or infrastructure. They live among open sewers and piles of garbage in the streets full of holes. The relative absence of police makes law and order impossibe. The well to do 1%. control more than 45% of the country's resources, and reside in the hills above the slums, in gated, guarded, and protected Petion Ville district where the luxury shops and fine restaurants seem to belong to another planet. Before the earthquake, after years of crushing foreign debt, persistent misgovernment, foreign occupation, and the rapacious dictatorial Duvalier’s and their feared paramilitary goon, the Tonton Macoutes, there was a return to a semblance of social peace. Tourism began to return to Haiti with several good resorts isolated and gated from the rest of the country. But Haiti still can be dangerous.

TERRITORY

islands of Gonave,  so primitive that people do not use paper money, and La Tortuga, legendary haunt of pirates. Haiti has an area of 27.750 kmq., about 1/3 of the whole Hispaniola island. The capital is Port-au-Prince.

CLIMATE