Haiti (Discovering the Caribbean: History, Politics, and Culture)

Introduces Haiti, describing its history, politics, culture, and geography.

Named for an Amerindian word meaning high ground, the mountainous country of Haiti is the second-oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere (surpassed only by the United States). African slaves established the nation in 1804, after an uprising against the colony's French government. Located on the western third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries, as most of its 10.4 million inhabitants depend upon farming to feed themselves. This has resulted in an environmental crisis, as decades of clearing forests to uncover new farmland has led to widespread soil erosion, which in turn causes destructive flooding throughout the country. The government has been unable to manage Haiti's resources, and periodic political unrest continues to contribute to the country's troubles. There's a lot to discover about Haiti! Each title in this series contains color photos, maps, a chronology of events related to the country, recipes, list of festivals, ideas for projects and reports, and back matter including: an index, further reading lists for books and internet resources, and a series glossary. Mason Crests editorial team has placed Key Icons to Look for throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are then used in the prose throughout that chapter, and are emboldened, so that the reader is able to reference back to the definitions- building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content