Haiti

THE REPUBLIC OF Haiti is located on the western part of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It has a land area of 10,714 sq. mi. (27,750 sq. km.), a population of 8,528,000 (2005 est.), and a population density of 758.1 people per sq. mi. (292.7 people per sq. km.). 20 percent of its land is arable, with a further 18 percent used for meadows and pasture. Haiti's farmland is divided into more than 500,000 farms, many of which are subsistence farms. Less than 4 percent of the country is still forested, a figure that is quickly declining because of the heavy demand for charcoal, and wood for construction.

Deforestation and flooding from global warming, and rising water levels have contributed to soil erosion, leading ...