The Western World Daily Readings on Geography Chapter 73 Latin America and the Caribbean (LACAR) Economic Geography II

CHAPTER 73 Latin America and the Caribbean ( Economic Geography II Poverty in Haiti by Studio Noun Propel Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere and , in our terminology , thus of the Western World . Haiti shares the island of with the Dominican Republic . Although there are two countries on the same island , Haiti portion ( of the area of ) is strikingly poorer than the Dominican east . For 2020 Focus Economics ranks Haiti as the poorest country in the world and the only Western World country in the bottom ten . This ranking marks Haiti with a per capita of 923 . For a chart showing these bottom ten countries , go to In contrast , the per capita across the border in the Dominican Republic is 8050 ( 2018 ) about times higher than in Haiti . 354

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ( ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY II 355 On the Human Development Index ( 2018 ) Haiti ranks out of 189 countries . The next lowest in development in the um . Western World lists as the Solomon Islands , ranked at . Worldwide what are the characteristics and the causes of poverty ?

How well do they apply to Haiti ?

I What is correlated with poverty ?

Let us consider these factors ' landlocked , violent conflict , debt , disease , natural disasters , I 22 corruption , and inequality . Landlocked . This lack of ocean borders often a Haiti . Criterion for Cartography by Steve . poverty , but of course , Haiti is an island country , so this does not apply . The six countries ranking lowest on are landlocked countries in Africa . Haiti achieves poverty without the handicap of being landlocked . Conflict , violence , and war . An interesting concept is the Conflict Trap , a variation of the Poverty Trap . Violent conflict and poverty can be linked in a negative feedback loop where conflict Petit , Haiti . Photo by ( mud , A , on , leads to poverty which leads to conflict which leads to poverty , and so on . Violent conflict can cause a reversal of economic development , which in turn increases the likelihood of future violent conflict . Agreeing with the Conflict Trap , a country ranked at the bottom 10 on a global poverty scale is six times more likely to see violent civil conflict than a country at the top 10 . This makes sense historically and contemporarily here . Haiti was founded out of native poverty that led to violent revolution in . Haiti won its independence from France , but took on large debt in doing so . France forcefully demanded reparations for the loss of its slave colony , agreeing in 1825 and then revising payment lower in 1838 to 90 million francs ( the equivalent of 21 billion now ) Haiti paid off this debt in 1947 , but this historical debt burdened all of Haiti independent nationhood . In recent years , violence has been an issue . United Nations peacekeeping forces helped maintain order from . In 2019 , violent outbreaks in Haitian slums prompted the term anarchy in Reuters reporting . In the Global Peace Index for 2019 , Haiti ranks out of 163 countries . It may be that being an island State is helpful for peace , as Iceland ranks New Zealand this index however , Haiti is an island and ranks average in violence . There is no civil war in Haiti . Arguably , violence has some impact on poverty there .

356 JOEL QUAM AND SCOTT CAMPBELL Another example of a Poverty Trap involves disease . Sick people produce less income which means less money for medical care which means staying sick which again means less income and so on . Haiti ranks second in to the Bahamas in terms of the highest percentages of population that is moreover , Haiti scores third in in terms of total numbers of cases , after the much more populous Brazil and Mexico . Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti , there was a major cholera outbreak ( ironically , brought accidentally by United Nations peacekeepers ) Only by January 2020 , ten years later , was cholera eliminated from Haiti . Haiti ranks worst in in potable water Photo by on supply with 35 lacking basic drinking water . So , yes , the feedback loop of disease and poverty in Haiti is significant . Natural Disasters . Haiti and the island of lie on a tectonic plate boundary , positioning the island in the type of location that produces earthquakes . The 2010 earthquake causes massive property damage and catastrophic loss of life . The epicenter of the magnitude quake was only sixteen miles from , the national capital . As seen here , the National Palace was one of thousands of heavily damaged buildings . Haiti location is in the Atlantic Ocean hurricane belt . Significant hurricane damage occurred there in 2016 Hurricane Matthew , 2010 Hurricane Tomas , and 2008 Hurricanes Gustav , Hanna , and Ike . Earthquakes , along with hurricanes and associated flooding , regularly cause significant property damage and some loss of life in Haiti . Ruins ofthe Presidential Palace . Political Corruption . In 2008 , International , a Photo by . global coalition against corruption , ranked Haiti as the fourth most corrupt country in the world . Since then , Haiti has improved to best out of 180 countries in 2018 . For instance , the policy with Venezuela was intended to reduce the price of oil purchases for Haiti however , Haitian auditors have revealed that about billion of these savings are missing , thus not available for their intended use in social development . These sorts of things are not new , probably peaking under the regime of Claude . In the 2020 Index of Economic Freedom , Haiti ranked out of 180 in the world , in marking ahead of only Ecuador , Bolivia , Cuba , and Venezuela . Inequality . Haiti scored on the index for 2018 . In this statistic inequality , a rating of zero would be perfect equality , while a rating of 100 would have one person owning everything . This is highest inequality of 153 countries . Inequality often prompts dissatisfaction and sometimes violence .

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ( ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY II 357 There are a number of factors that affect poverty in countries worldwide . Haiti does not feature all of these factors , for it is not landlocked however , the other elements explained here do find resonance in Haiti . The socioeconomic factors are not independent of each other , but have that make poverty more complex and more intractable . The Haitian people suffer the consequences . Did You Know ?

by 51150 More ' Following the earthquake of 2010 , musicians recorded a new version of We are the World in order to bring attention to the dire needs of the people of Haiti . See the official music video on Youtube at ?

In the Peace Index , the United States ranks a dismal 128 . In terms of violence and poverty , note that South ranks 1615 out of 163 in the Peace Index , while ranking out of 189 in the Human Development Index . Civil war in and South clearly tallies with poverty there . CITED AND ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Hiller , Patrick . 2016 . Poverty A Contributing Factor to Civil War ?

Peace Science Digest . Peace Science Digest . April . Steven . 2020 . Poverty Levels in Haiti . College of GIS class . 2019 . The Poorest Countries in the World ( Economic Forecasts from the World Leading Economists . November 19 , Haiti Cholera Outbreak Stopped in Its Tracks . 2020 . UN News . January 24 , Chris . 2019 . Haiti Civil Unrest Reaches Chaotic , Disruptive Global Sisters Report . December , Andre , and Sarah Marsh . 2019 . Haitian Slums Descend into Anarchy as Crisis Sparks Worst Violence in Years . Reuters , December 10 , Pike , John . 2013 . Haiti . The History of Natural Disasters in Haiti , 2018 . February 22 , from Ireland . 2012 . Ruins of the Cathedral In the Centre of Port Au Prince . Creative Commons Attribution Generic .