The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern side of Hispaniola,
which is part of the group of islands known as the Greater
Antilles. One of the distinguishing features of Haiti is that it
is a small, densely populated (266.5 persons/km2) and
predominantly rural country. Map of Haiti (Source: CIA, The
World Factbook) In 1998, about 75% of the population lived under
the poverty line. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the
agricultural sector, which consists mainly of small-scale
subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the
economically active force. The January 2010 earthquake and the
multiple hurricanes of late 2008 exacerbated Haiti’s position as
the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and one of
the poorest in the world. Per capita GDP is under $2 per day,
and comparative social and economic indicators continue to
decline. Haiti ranks 146th of 177 countries in the UN's Human
Development Index,. Its major environmental issues include: -
extensive deforestation (much of the remaining