Transcript Haiti
World Regional Geography January 20, 2010 Reading: Marston Chapter 1 Website: http://www.colorado.edu/geography/class_homepages/geog_1982_s10/ Haiti • Brief History of Haiti • Brief Geography of Haiti • • Human / Social Physical • January 12th Earthquake • • • What happened…. Social implications International response • How are geographers helping? • How does this affect the world? Haiti: Location Colonial History 1492: Columbus lands on Hispaniola, Spanish colonize Island shortly thereafter. 1697: Eastern 1/3 of Hispaniola ceded to France by Spain (Saint-Domingue). 1791: Slave revolts begin. 1804: Haiti achieves independence. History 1825: After several failed attempts to retake the country, France officially recognizes Haiti. 1914: British, German, and US forces enter Haiti to ‘protect their citizens”. 1915-1934: US occupation of Haiti. 1937: Parsley Massacre. History 1991: Elected leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide fleas the country following a successful coup. 1994: Aristide returns with international support. 2004: Following his re-election in 2000, Aristide is again overthrown amidst corruption charges. US Marines “evacuate” Aristide. 2006: Current President Rene Preval elected. Instability & Emigration Since achieving independence in 1804 the sitting Haitian government has been overthrown 32 times. As a result hundreds of thousands have fled Haiti Dominican Republic (800,000) United States (600,000) • New York City • Miami (Little Haiti) Canada (100,000) • Montreal France (80,000) Bahamas (80,000) Haiti: Interesting Facts • Only nation in the world born of a slave revolt. • First independent nation in Latin America. • First black-led post-colonial independent nation in the world. • Only French-speaking independent nation in the Americas. • Strong connection to Louisiana Creole population. • 17th century haven for pirates. Tortuga and the “Brethren of the Coast” Haiti The People • Population: 9,035,536 • Ethnicity African Decent: 95% White / Mulatto: 5% • Religion* Roman Catholic: 80% Protestant: 16% None: 1% Other: 3% • Official Languages French Creole * It is estimated that roughly 50% of the population actually practices Haitian Vodou, which merges Catholicism and West African religions. Population Characteristics Population Age Structure 0-14 15-64 65+ Median Age Growth Rate Birth Rate Death Rate Net Migration Rate Urban Population Haiti 9,035,536 USA 307,212,123 38.1% 58.5% 3.4% 20.2 1.84% 29.1 8.65 -2.07 47% 20.2% 67.0% 12.8% 36.7 0.98% 13.82 8.38 4.31 82% • Demographic differences related to stages of development. • “Demographic Transition” Population Density Social/Vital Characteristics Infant Mortality Rate Life Expectancy Total Fertility Rate HIV/Aids Prevelance Literacy Education Expenditures Cell Phones Per Capita % Internet Users Radio Stations Haiti 56.69 60.78 3.81% 3.81 2.20% USA 6.26 78.11 2.05 0.6% Haiti 52.90% 1.40% 0.35 11.07% 67 USA 99% 5.30% 0.88 75.19% 13,750 • Highest fertility rate in the western hemisphere. • Ranks 149th out of 182 countries in U.N. Human Development Index. Economic Characteristics Haiti GDP (2009) GDP per Capita GDP by Sector Services Industry Agriculture Sectoral Employment Services Industry Agriculture Unemployment Rate % Poverty USA $7.018 billion $14.44 trillion $790 $47,500 Dominican Republic $44.4 billion $8,200 52% 20% 28% 79.6% 19.2% 1.2% 66.3% 22.9% 10.8% 25% 9% 66% unknown* 80% 76.8% 22.6% 0.6% 9.7% 13% 63.1% 22.3% 14.6% 14.1% 42% * Nearly 2/3 of the population is not formally employed. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Socio- Economic Characteristics • Poverty Most Haitians live on less than $2 per day. 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. 54% live in “abject poverty”. Poverty has forced some 225,000 children into virtually slavery (unpaid servants). • Labor Force Lack of skilled labor, and opportunities for skilled laborers. 2/3 of population relies on small-scale agriculture (subsistence), which is extremely vulnerable to natural hazards. • Education Brain-drain: 80% of Haitian college graduates have left the country to find work. • Inequality 50% of the nations wealth is owned by 1% of the population. Physical Geography Physical Geography Area: 27,750 km², slightly smaller than Maryland. »3rd largest Caribbean nation. Climate: Tropical, semi-arid immediately east of mountains. Terrain: Mountainous with dispersed plains and river valleys. »Highest point: 2,680 meters (8,793 feet) Arable Land: 28.11% Permanent Crops: 11.53% Land Use Physical Geography Environmental Issues • Extensive Deforestation Agriculture Logging Fuel (Charcoal) • Soil Erosion Mud-slides • Lack of Potable Water Natural Hazards “Lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts.” (CIA World Fact Book) January 12, 2010 in Review Time: Magnitude: Location: Depth: 4:53pm local time (Eastern Time Zone) 7.0 on the Richter Scale 25km (15mi) WSW of Port-Au-Prince 13km (8.1mi) January 12, 2010 in Review Caribbean Earthquakes • How prevalent are earthquakes in this region? • Was what happened rare? Caribbean Earthquakes Caribbean Earthquakes Caribbean Earthquakes • How prevalent are earthquakes in this region? Small earthquakes occur daily in this region, although this particular earthquake was unusually large. • Was what happened rare? Yes…..and no. Seismic activity is common in the Caribbean, but the precise location of this quake was somewhat unusual. The last significant earthquake along the EnriquilloPlaintain Garden Fault occurred in 1860. January 12, 2010 in Review An earthquake of this magnitude occurs somewhere in the world, on average, once every 3 weeks. In relation to other earthquakes, the Haiti quake was very strong. However, what made this earthquake particularly devastating was not necessarily its strength, but WHERE it occurred. Recipe for Disaster • Proximity to Population Metro Port-Au-Prince: 2,000,000 • Shallow epicenter = greater surface intensity • Most buildings not designed to withstand earthquakes. Simple concrete structures. • Many of the slums surrounding Port-AuPrince are built on steep hillsides. • Haiti does not have the resources to respond to a disaster of this magnitude. Social Ramifications • Health & Humanitarian Estimated 200,000 dead. 3 million Haitians in need of food, water, and medical care (U.N.). Estimated 1.5 million Haitians are now homeless. Search and rescue (5-7 days) • Medical care for those successfully extracted. Sanitation and disease. • Social & Political Most government infrastructure destroyed. • Rule of law? • “Mob Justice” Looting and rioting – both “criminal” and survival oriented. International aid - should foreign governments step in for the Haitian government? How are Geographers Involved • Logistics Satellite Imagery: search and rescue mapping. Transportation of aid once it reaches Hispaniola. • Socio-political Aid organization – making difficult decisions. Predicting social behaviors / reactions. How does this affect the world? • Safety of foreign nationals. Diplomats, foreign companies • Instability affects neighboring countries. • Refugees / Legal length of stay. • World commodity prices. Sugar, coffee • Transportation and trade. Airline routes International shipping Aftershock: January 20, 2010 Time: Magnitude: Location: Depth: 6:03am local time (Eastern Time Zone) 6.1 on the Richter Scale 53km (35mi) WSW of Port-Au-Prince 9.9km (6.1mi)