From a geological point of view, Haiti is located on the border between the Caribbean and the North American continental plate. On January 12, , a massive earthquake of magnitude 7. The hypocentre of the main quake was located 25 kilometres southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince at a depth of 13 kilometres.
When a land reform was introduced at the beginning of the 19th century, each farmer family received 15 hectares of farmland. The descendants of those land owners divided the land up into ever smaller pieces. In one farmer family owned no more than 1. In order to live of the land, it had to be overexploited. This led to strong erosion and within only a few years the soil was no longer fertile. The impoverished descendants of the farmers started to cultivate even steeper slopes.
Also this soil will be exploited within a few years. Furthermore, since , more and more land has been used for coffee and mango plantations. As a consequence, masses of desperate people left their farms in the hills and moved to Port-au-Prince. In the whole country the loss of arable land that could be cultivated by the people led to social destabilisation. Haiti is the poorest country in the Caribbean and among the poorest countries in the world, with some 60 percent of the population living in poverty.
The government relies on foreign aid from countries like the United States and Canada , which includes money for food, healthcare, and reconstruction efforts after major weather disasters. Most of the Haitian population works in farming. Clothing factories also employ thousands of Haitians, mainly women, to manufacture products that are exported, or sent, around the world. Hispaniola has been inhabited since around B. Explorer Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola in and claimed it as a Spanish colony.
Soon hundreds of Spanish settlers arrived. They killed most of the island natives and brought over enslaved Africans to work in the colony. By the s, the French had taken over much of the colony, which they called Saint Domingue. They increased production of many crops such as coffee, cotton, and sugarcane.
But the enslaved people of Saint Domingue revolted against French rule in After what many historians refer to as the largest and most successful rebellion by enslaved people, the islanders finally declared their independence from France in and changed the name of the country to Haiti.
These Haitians had created the first independent nation in the Caribbean. The others were colonized, or ruled, by countries like Spain and France. Haiti was also the second democracy in the Western Hemisphere after the United States , and the first Black republic—or a government not led by a monarch—in the world. But because the population had been ruled by outsiders for so long, the revolution left them without a system for governing, and years of struggle followed.
By , the eastern two-thirds of the island—the part that would eventually become the Dominican Republic—was returned to Spain. Presidents did not remain in power very long in Haiti—by , multiple revolutions had overthrown the government many times.
From until , the country was occupied by U. Marines who were establishing a base to protect the entrances to the Panama Canal, a waterway in the Central American country of Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Starting in , the Duvalier family began its rule of Haiti.
Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier was elected president that year but became a dictator, refusing to give up his leadership role until his death in The younger Duvalier ruled Haiti from to People who didn't agree with his actions were often killed, and many Haitians fled the country to escape the harsh living conditions.
Finally, Duvalier's government was overthrown in The Caribbean Sea is to the southernmost parts of Haiti. As for the western borders of Haiti, there are a few smaller bodies of water that make up the coastline of west Haiti. Haiti is made up of 10, square miles of land and 73 square miles of coastal water regions, for a grand total area of 10, square miles. The population of Haiti is approximately 11,, people as of Haiti is home to about 0.
This puts Haiti in 85th place on the list of countries in order of population, from largest to smallest. Haiti has a population density of approximately 1, people per square mile. On average, Haiti has an elevation level of 1, feet above sea level. Analysts often debate the lowest point of elevation. At the more commonly recognized lowest point, Haiti is directly at sea level with the Mediterranean, which would make the altitude 0 feet above sea level.
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