Everyone knows that the borders which appear as solid lines
on maps separating one country from another do not actually exist that way on
the ground. The closest thing to it,
however, may be the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Both
countries share one Caribbean island (Hispaniola, so named by Columbus) and
both are decidedly mountainous and tropical. But if you fly across the island,
you will instantly see one terrible legacy of the Duvalier dictatorships in
Haiti. Whereas the Dominican side is heavily green with dense forests, the
Haiti side looks as if a giant razor has shaved off all the trees, leaving only
bare mountain and scrub. On the same mountain, one side will be forested, the
other denuded. This nakedness runs the length of the island,
delineating the border.
The Duvaliers cut and sold 97% of Haiti’s once-wondrous
forests, literally stripping the country to fill their private coffers. Though the Duvaliers no longer rule Haiti, the
naked mountains and eroded rocky farmlands stand as testament to the country they raped.
