Download Rockvale Middle School Haiti Savannah Dye 4th Period language

Rockvale Middle School
Haiti
Savannah Dye
4th Period language arts
Richard Rorabaugh
March 1, 2013
Haiti is a very interesting country. It is very rich in culture and diversity. However, as a result of
its location, economy, climate, culture, and parts of its history, Haiti is the poorest
country in the western hemisphere.
The first reason Haiti is so poor is its location and geography. Haiti is located in the Caribbean
Sea. Another possible reason for the country being so poor is deforestation. According
to Wikipedia, in 1925, 60% of the original forest covered the land. Since then, about 98%
has been cut down. (“Haiti”. Flora- par. 1) Haiti is also poor because it has to share the
island with the Dominican Republic. According to About.com, the western one-third is
Haiti, and the eastern two-thirds are the Dominican Republic. (“Haiti”. Geography- par.
1)
Haiti’s government and economy is another reason why they are so poor. According to Haiti in
Pictures, Haiti has many problems such as inflation, trade deficit, and lack of foreign
resources. (Goldstein, Margaret J. p. 58) Haiti’s imports and exports are also an issue.
According to Fact Monster, Haiti’s exports are $690.3 million, and its exports are $3.275
billion. (“Haiti”. blue sidebar- par. 14) Haiti imports much more than it exports. You can
also tell it is the poorest country by its rankings. “Haiti ranked 145 out of 182 countries
in the 2010 United Nations Human Development Index, with 57.3% of the population
being deprived in at least three of the HDI’s poverty measures,” stated Wikipedia.
(“Haiti”. Economy- par. 1)
Parts of Haiti’s history have also contributed to it being poor. According to Haiti in Pictures, the
president in 1957, Francois Duvalier or “Papa Doc”, made many changes in Haiti that
weren’t good. When he died, his son, Jean-Claude or “Baby Doc”, took over. (Goldstein,
Margaret J. p. 31 and 32) Also in Haiti’s history, there were many different countries
trying to take over. According to Haiti in Pictures, the English and French both found a
settlement in 1641. Then, in 1655, England tried to take over. In 1664, France ruled the
western part of Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain gave France the western one-third and kept
the other two-thirds. (Goldstein, Margaret J. p. 23) There have also been many uprisings
in Haiti. According to Bob Corbet, there was one uprising that led to the Revolutionary
War that lasted until 1804 when Haiti won independence. (Corbet, Bob. The Haitian
Revolution- par. 2)
The next reason Haiti is so poor is its culture and religion. Haiti is a very diverse country.
According to Wikipedia, Haitian culture is a mixture of French, African elements, and
Native Taino. It has also been influenced by the colonial Spanish. (“Haiti”. culture- par.
1) Also, according to Haiti in Pictures, the Mulattoes, the people that make up less of the
population, own most businesses and control political power. (Goldstein, Margaret J. p.
39) Another reason they are poor is because the women don’t work much. “The women
in the country keep to house making or helping in fields. Very few women are found
working in organizations and institutions,” stated Madhura Pandit. (Pandit, Madhura.
par. 7)
The last reason Haiti is so poor is its climate. Haiti has many natural disasters such as hurricanes,
droughts, and floods. “The hurricane season lasts from June through October with July,
August, and September being the most likely months for hurricanes,” stated Haiti in
Pictures. (Goldstein, Margaret J. p. 12) Also, according to Haiti in Pictures, as a result of
the deforestation in Haiti, trees cannot absorb the water from hurricanes, which causes
floods and mudslides. (Goldstein, Margaret J. p. 12) According to Tracy Slagle and
Madeleine Rubenstein, climate change can cause more extreme weather, which means
stronger wind and more rain. This can lead to the death of humans and destruction of
crops and livestock. (Slagle, Tracy and Rubenstein, Madeleine. par. 4) Also according to
Tracy Slagle and Madeleine Rubenstein, changing precipitation patterns may cause
more droughts in addition to floods and too much rain. (Slagle, Tracy and Rubenstein,
Madeleine. par. 6)
In conclusion, all of these things have contributed to Haiti being the poorest country in the
western hemisphere. Although Haiti is very interesting, most people would never want
to live there.
References
Goldstein, Margaret J. Haiti in Pictures. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2006.
“Haiti” Wikipedia. February 17, 2013. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. February 18, 2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti
“Geography of Haiti” Wikipedia. January 30, 2013. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. February 18,
2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Haiti
“Haiti” About.com. November 1, 2005. InterActive Corp. February 18, 2013
http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blchaiti.htm
“Haiti” Fact Monster. 2012. Pearson Education, Inc. February 18, 2013
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107612.htm
Corbet, Bob. “Short and Oversimplified History of Haiti” Bob Corbet’s Website. August 1999.
Webster University. February 18, 2013
http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/history/course/unitone/short.htm
Pandit, Madhura. “Haitian Culture Facts” Buzzle. September 9, 2010. Buzzle.com. February 19,
2013 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/haitian-culture-facts.html
Slagle, Tracy and Rubenstein, Madeleine. “Climate Change in Haiti” State of the Planet. February
1, 2012. Earth Institute, Columbia University. February 19, 2013
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/02/01/climate-change-in-haiti/>