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Haiti is located in the West Indies and is made up by the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. This country is about the size of the state Maryland in the U.S. Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country made up of countless valleys, widespread plateaus, and small plains. Agriculture is the prime economic activity in Haiti. Subsistence crops include cassava, rice, sugarcane, sorghum, yams, corn, and plantains. Most Haitians own and farm small pieces of land throughout the country. The great population density has caused rural poverty and is also a major factor in the country's extensive deforestation, which has contributed to the scarcity of agricultural land. Haiti's biggest exports are light manufactures and coffee; other exports include oils, cocoa, mangoes, sugar, sisal, and bauxite. Haitians' exports are mainly agricultural goods and services: 66% of the population work in agriculture, 9% in industry and 25% in services, yet 28% of the profit comes from agriculture, 20% from industry and 52% from services (CIA, 2010). The United States is the country's primary trading partner. Industry in Haiti consists largely of light assembly of imported parts and the …show more content…
It is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under poverty and 54% in horrible poverty (CIA, 2010). This is partially due to the recent major (7.0 magnitude) earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12, 2010, affecting an estimated 3 million people and killing approximately 230,000 people, as well as leaving 1 million people displaced from their homes (Wikipedia, 2010). The horrifying economy results in prohibited migration, civil disputes, and illegal selling and handling of drugs, which are the major issues in Haiti (CIA,

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