Haiti's potential

One thing to consider when it comes to geography, is that this is more than just pointing to places on a map. It is also about economies, politics, history, climate, and a broad range of subjects. And now we go into the subject at hand.....

Haiti. When many people think of the island nation of Haiti, this is what many people think of. Images that come to the mind are desperate poverty, government coups, and the 2010 earthquake. Little thought is given to Haiti's potential as a nation. It was once the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere. However, that wealth was built from the slave economy. Once a colony of France, it became the first Black republic in the world. It was the first nation founded from a slave rebellion. It it currently the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. However, there is potential for Haiti.

Below is a map of Haiti's economic activity:

                                                                                             

As one can see, Haiti is a major producer of coffee, as well as having resources of sugar cane and cotton. Reserves of copper are found in the northern section of the nation. With sugar cane production, there is potential for Haiti, not only to be a major sugar producer, but a producer of alternative fuels. Brazil has made ethanol from sugar cane. Being a producer of sugar, Haiti has that same potential.[2] There is room to grow the sugar cane industry.

It has been speculated that Haiti has vast reserves of oil, that have not been drilled. If this is the case, this will be of a major benefit to Haiti. This could bring large amounts of revenue to the nation of Haiti.[1]

 Haiti has a strategic location, with Jamaica and The Bahamas nearby. Haiti is directly due south of Venezuela(approximately 525 miles from Jacmel, Haiti to Maracaibo,Venezuela as the crow flies). The location would make it a great place for shipping via sea.

The sunny climate of Haiti lends itself to solar energy. In fact, Haiti has opened the world's largest solar-powered hospital.[3] With this in mind, there is more room for the solar energy industry to grow.

Haiti's geography is what lent its name. Haiti comes from the Arawak word. Ayiti, meaning land of  high mountains. This is a mountainous nation. This is also a nation where there are beaches, such as Labadie Beach. With beaches and mountains, there is still the potential to build the tourism industry over time. 

Haiti has gone through so much, and still goes through many things today. However, Haiti still has some potential, given its geography.

Sources:

1)http://www.defend.ht/money/articles/economy/3767-haiti-six-oil-exploration-permits-awarded-behind-closed-doors

2)http://news.stluciastar.com/is-sugarcane-ethanol-haiti%E2%80%99s-salvation/

3)http://www.designboom.com/architecture/worlds-largest-solar-powered-hospital-opens-in-haiti/

Geography and Crime: Drug Trade

1981. A state with 1,522 murders, giving the state of murder rate of 15 murders per 100,000. It's most famous city with 243 murders, translating to a murder rate of 70 murders per 100,000. Another state with 960 murders, translating to a murder rate of 17.2 murders per 100,000, the highest for any state that year. The largest city of said state has a murder rate of 52.1 murders per 100,000 and 201 murders total. This scenario could be St. Louis,MO or Chicago,IL.

However, the scenario being spoken of is Miami,FL and Atlanta,GA respectively. It really was 1981, and Miami and Atlanta did have very high murder rates during this time. The 1980s saw murder rates rise all over American cities. From New York City, to Los Angeles, from Houston, to Milwaukee, murder rates were on the rise. Why is this? Well, the drug epidemic was raging in this nation. It started in the early 80s with cocaine, and then in 1984, crack hit the streets. This is the sociological side of it.

This is the geographic side of it. Miami was dubbed the murder capital of the USA in 1981, with a murder rate of 65.5 murders per 100,000. This should not come as a surprise, if one considers Miami's geographic position. There were other issues in Miami at the time. However, this entry is about the drug trade and how geography can play a role.

This is how it worked. The drugs would come up from Colombia, and they would pass through the Caribbean, stopping in places like The Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, and Jamaica. Miami was like the southern maritime terminus for vessels shipping cocaine into the USA. Once those drugs hit Miami, I-75 was a major shipping lane on land. I-75 goes to Atlanta. Not much of a coincidence that the murder rates were so high for both Miami and Atlanta, and why both Georgia and Florida had such high murder rates. I-75 goes into the smaller towns and cities of Georgia and Florida, such as Tallahassee, Macon, and Griffin. With the drug trade, violence comes with it. One theory to consider is this. Because Miami and Atlanta were major distribution centers for drugs, there would be alot of violence involved because of competition over turf, or murder for other reasons.

Lets expand on this. The murder rate during the 1970s in Jamaica was around 10 murders per 100,000. Between the 1970s and 2003, that murder rate skyrocketed. In 2003, Jamaica recorded a murder rate of 32 murders per 100,000. Jamaica's geographic position put it in the middle of a major drug trade route. And with the drug trade came violence.

In fact, if one looks at the nations with the highest murder rates in 2010, such as Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, and Venezuela, these places are along major drug trading routes. Gangs fighting over turf often commit acts of violence.

In short, geography can play a role in crime, and it happens all over the world.














http://mondediplo.com/maps/drugs
http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/murder.html
http://www.miamiasis.com/paradise-lost/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,922693,00.html
http://www.cicad.oas.org/Main/Template.asp?File=/reduccion_oferta/grupoexpertos/ge_maritimo_eng.asp
http://www.disastercenter.com/georgia/crime/2726.htm
http://www.disastercenter.com/florida/crime/1840.htm
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/gacrime.htm
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/flcrime.htm
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-08-22/news/8802180409_1_miami-boys-crack-cocaine-cocaine-network/2