Haiti : The Country Of The Western Hemisphere

Haiti is a prime example of how human needs in one area of the world are interdependent with social conditions elsewhere in the world. Haiti, for most of its history has been overwhelmed with economic

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities “- Stephen R Covery. Living in two different countries is an experience that is likely to open anyone mind. One raised in a smaller country, then moved to a larger country mixed with multiple culture is an experience not to be taking for granted. Full of hardships. Yet, despite lacking in the modern luxuries that are readily available in the United States, they also live a vibrant life full of flavorful food, music, dance, ritual and celebration. There are many differences in the way Haitians live in Haiti versus in America, including school, work, transportation, and environment and while not all of these differences are negative, it is obvious that the great disparity of wealth between the

Purpose: To understand how Haiti became what it is and all the trials it has endured

In order to understand Haiti we must first put ourselves in their shoes. At one stage or another, every man, woman, or child will be faced with at least one issue that is now happening in Haiti. The issues involving Haiti has been a popular topic for the past two years. Since January twelfth two-thousand and ten. There are many factors which influenced the development of Haiti. Many people have abandoned Haiti over the past years. They have also given up hope for Haiti. Haiti is heralded by economic issues both political and social, foreign issues, military issues (minustah), presidential issues, and the recent earthquake. I plan to explain each of these factors in detail and give

What does the average American really know about the country, Haiti? Is the lifestyle all black magic, spells, and séances? Is this media portrayal of Voodoo the only way of life and what is Voodoo, any way? These questions come to mind when someone wants to know the truth about Haitian culture and life in Haiti. Haitian culture consists of deep rooted religious beliefs, music, and Haitian cuisine.

The story of Haiti’s healthcare system is unfortunately tied all too closely to disaster, both man-made and nature-born. This paper will briefly discuss the pre-2010 earthquake healthcare environment in Haiti as the uncertainty that exists provides little opportunity to provide a reasoned understanding of its current national healthcare status.

Haiti is one of the more indigent countries in the world; the country also holds a low economic status. Over time Haiti’s economy grew gradually at around 2.3

Haiti is the second largest Caribbean Island. It occupies a third of the western part of the island it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti is also made up of several islands that surround the main territory. The capital is Port-au-Prince. It rains between November and March in the North of the island and between May and October in the South. “Once covered by forest, the country has been heavily logged for wood and fuel and to clear land for farming, and is now largely deforested.” Haiti is divided into “nine administrative departments.” Besides the capital, other important cities are Cap-Haitien and Gonaives.  “Haiti is the most densely populated country in Latin America and has the lowest per

Haiti is usually depicted as a place of disorganization, chaos or unrest. With the various issues facing Haiti, we can categorize them into the different social science disciplines. Some of the social science disciplines that I would use to try and figure out main issues facing Haiti are: the history, the economics and the political science.

Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State. (Dec. 2010). Background note: Haiti. Retrieved from:

Even after severally being granted loan reliefs, Haiti continues to take new loans and increase her foreign debts. For instance in 2010, after the country was hit by a fierce earthquake, the government borrowed a loan from IMF worth $102 million in order to assist in her recovery (Hiatt, 2013). As a result, Haiti remains to be a victim of financial neo-colonialism since the borrowed funds are misused by unscrupulous leaders, whereas tax payers continue to dig deeper in order to meet the debts. Consequently, Haiti is ranked among the most undeveloped and poor nations across the world. According to Hiatt (2013), the country is ranked as the poorest nation in the Western world with over 80% of her populace living below poverty line. Therefore, funding by World Bank, IMF, IADB, and by her bilateral creditors does not contribute in the country’s political, social and economic development.

At the same time, Haiti’s economy continued to struggle with debt service in the place of national development. Thus, Haiti’s economy by GDP stands at only $6.95 billion, compared to France’s $ 2.85 trillion. With such an impoverished history, the Haitian economy was not set for a healthy development from the beginning, as the reparations took up a considerable percentage of Haiti’s annual production (Wroughton, 2010).

The caribbean is where a small island, contains two countries within its borders and a long history of conflict. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two different country, with completely different cultures, from religion, to the food they eat, Two countries, with two different, yet correlating stories. A story of conflict is what unites these two countries. This paper will attempt to analyse that story, and answer how this small island came to be divided into two countries, and inhabited by two peoples of such different cultures. This paper will also take a small look at the results of this history, and it’s effects on both countries.

The Dominican Republic gets its wealth from the exportation of sugar, tobacco and coffee, but recently they have grown in the agriculture and telecommunications field. Another important part of this country’s economy is the tourism and remittances that are sent from the US or Europe. Haiti’s economy, on the other hand, due to corruption and poverty hasn’t been able to grow like the Dominican Republic’s. Part of this country’s economy beside the exportation of clothing to the United States, is remittances and agriculture (Dominican Republic vs. Haiti, n.d).

Poverty, corruption, and poor access to education are the most serious disadvantages that Haiti faces. Two-thirds of the country depends on agriculture, consisting of mainly small-scale subsistence farming. This sector is high vulnerable to damage from natural disasters and the country’s widespread deforestation (which have caused periodic flooding). Additionally, Haiti suffers from high inflation, lack of investment,