Why Haiti Is So Dangerous And The Dominican Republic Is Thriving 

I’m Dominican and to all the haters here, we’re obviously not Switzerland but we are still very well off compared to most developing nations. One thing we dont do is go backwards. We might not be “first world” but we’re definitely heading there in a few decades. Edit: 4.3k likes 👍 Awesome 😎 Good News: DRs doing fine Bad News: Haiti has gotten worse

As an airline pilot, I used to fly the Caribbean and landed in both Haiti and DR. From the air the border between the two is so dramatic that you have to rub your eyes to make sure they are working. There is not a single tree in Haiti except around the hotels etc. The rest of the country has been stripped of all growth for firewood. The border is like a green wall on the DR side and a desert on the Haiti side. It looks like it had an A-bomb test site.

I'm Dominican and I was born very close to the Haitian border. My grandfather was a capataz in a batey (a sugar mill/processing plant) and he raised my father among Haitian workers and their families, to the point my father could speak Patois without an accent. He was both close enough to the Haitian community to love them dearly but not to romanticize them, or what I call real love. One of his favorite topics until he passed away (coincidentally the day before the Haiti earthquake in 2010), was that by having the only known successful slave revolution in the world, and the ensuing crushing French reparations that lasted for centuries and made sure that Haiti would stay crushed, Haitians became proud but distrustful of European influences. The revolution also didn't abolish slavery as much as it morphed it (both class exploitation and the horrible practice of the restavek persist until this day) The Haitian revolution just changed the color of the despots at the top. After Haitians invaded and were kicked out of the DR, there is a manifest destiny on their part that the "whole island is Haiti", and that is obviously something Dominicans hate. Us Dominicans are our own people, beautifully mixed and proud, with a different language, religion and culture. While the Dominican Republic, for all its historical trips and slips, embraced progress and democracy, the Haitian vanguard was killed off or silenced while the despots took turns. So yes, Trujillo was the worst dictator in Latin American history (a tall order) but he at least surrounded himself with intellectuals and progressives who created a civil society that, unintended by Trujillo, moved the country toward democracy after his death. Progress and education take generations to take root, and with every passing decade, the Dominican Republic increased its literacy rate, its commerce, trade agreements and most importantly, love for the environment. Haiti did not, as has continued to lag. This disparity breeds a lot of resentment in poor Haitians. I wish I had a magic pill for Haiti, there are many lovely people there, but the truth is that it will take generations to fix Haiti. Unfortunately, the only way I see Haiti improving is through foreign intervention. And with resources that have already been depleted by Haitian barons and their enablers in the US and Europe, there isn't much left to entice foreign powers to want to attempt it. The international community cannot expect the Dominican Republic to carry the corpse of a dying Haiti.

Watching this from Districto Nacional in Dominican Republic, my heart goes out to my brothers and sisters on the West of our border. I pray for the stabilization of Haiti and the people's living conditions🙏

When you mentioned that Haiti received help from all over the world after the 2010 earthquake, you failed to mention the Dominican Republic. We used almost ALL of that year's budget only in help to Haiti, because we knew that if we didn't help them there, they would all come to our side.

I personally know some “doctors without Borders,“ that went to Haiti to help out, and we’re promptly kidnapped, and one was tortured.

One of the problems Haiti faced after independence was that the rulers tried to reinstate the French sugar plantation system, rather than diversifying their economy, and even tried to impose that system on the Dominican area when they conquered it, which is one of many reasons the Dominicans rebelled to kick the hated Haitians out.

Mindboggling. I have been a frequent visitor to the Dominican Republic. I literally forget its on same island with Haiti. 😔

I once watched a Jacques Cousteau episode on Haiti where they dove all around the island and there wasn't a fish in sight. The people killed everything by using cyanide to catch fish and wire fish traps without ropes or markers because someone else would raid them, no size limits or any conservation at all. They also cut down all their trees for charcoal leaving the land wide open to erosion, he had an aerial shot of all the mud running off the shore into the ocean smothering the reefs. Probably the most poorly governed country in the world

I went to Punta Cana and I fell in love with the beautiful people, beaches, and food. So many great memories ❤

My father was an Optometrist who sold his private practice when he was on the younger side of life. He went to work for an Opthamologist and did refractions (eye examinations) for this Opthamologist. The Opthamologist went to Haiti every year and took his staff with him. He performed free eye surgery to the Haitian people and the rest of the staff performed their normal duties for free as well. Even back then, 1970's-1990's I remember hearing how poor these people were. This Doctor, was the real deal. He was a kind and generous man, incredibly smart and talented. He followed and acted on his beliefs to help these poor people stricken in poverty.

Haiti isn’t deforested because of the French. A tree can grow quite tall in 30 years. It’s been 200 years since France left. Trees can grow back. The US was quite deforested because they used wood for ship building and wood for heating and even power trains before coal was common. Today the US has more forests than ever since we use less wood and don’t need newspapers. Haiti has no wood because the common people cut down trees for fuel. If they had a power plant they wouldn’t need to do that. However most Haitians have no reliable electricity or gas.

My family is Dominican and I visit DR every year. While I was in the Navy, I got a chance to go to Haiti and it was insane how poor everyone was. Like, they literally had nothing at all and it was so sad. In my head, I figured they couldn’t be much different than DR but unfortunately, it was worse than I could have ever imagined. Much love to my Haitian brothers.

I realize that this is a channel that focuses specifically on geography, but one must recognize that it’s also the people that make a place what it is, not just geography. The stark contrast between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is a perfect illustration of this. Human beings are not just equally interchangeable units; they have different values, habits, strengths, and weaknesses. This is not only apparent on an individual basis, but also across cultures.

Wow I’m Dominican Thank you for doing this video, I learned something new and also you are right… we knew there was a big difference but this video explains it well.

Wow! I've never been to Haiti, but visited the Dominican Republic briefly. I have nothing but kind things to say about all the people I met and interacted with, everyone was so friendly and kind.

I'm Puerto Rican and my Ist time visiting the Dominican Republic reminded me so much of my Borinquen that I would consider moving there permanately

I’m Dominican in my 40 years, Haiti has never been able to forge ahead. My heart aches for the Haitian people, but their governments have destroyed the country.

Dominican Republic is wonderful and people there are super welcoming.

I'm Dutch and after my retirement on 1-1-11 I moved with my Dominican wife to her country. We live in the 2nd city Santiago de los Caballeros (1 million inhabitants). I can find here all the facilities, I had in Europe and in ~1 hour by Jeepeta we can be at the beach. The only thing we miss is our family, her sons and sisters live in Belgium and my family in the Netherlands. I like it here, partly because my wife's cooking is a creative mix of European and Dominican food. I feel safe, because all windows and doors of the house have metal bars, just like in a jail, but now intended to keep the criminals out. Like in all big cities, you have to avoid certain areas at night. But you can go downtown to a restaurant or bar or you can go to a local bar or carwash for a Presidente (beer) and for dancing the bachata.

I visited the Dominican Republic about 25 years ago and loved it. People were friendly and the area I was at was very nice. A friend of mine did some missionary type work to help the Haitians after the earthquake. He was on the island when it hit in 2010. One of the things he did for a local church was purchase a used Jeep in the USA for $7,000 and shipped to Haiti. Once it arrived at the Haitian port they refused to release it to the church until another large sun of money was paid to corrupt port workers. He ended up paying it but was upset because he had planned to send over another Jeep after a few months but due to the corruption at the Haitian port he couldn’t afford too. So the people most out on much needed transportation. Pretty sad that there is so much corruption in the world.

This was a very good video covering the two nations' disparity. I was in the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1990s and for 3 years my ship participated in repatriating thousands of Haitians who were seeking asylum in the U.S. Their country was collapsing for the umptenth time. It was, in a nutshell, a terrible situation for those people. I recall once when we were leaving a port call in Porta Plata, Dominican Republic (Dom Rep) and going back into the Windward Pass that I was on deck as we went from Dom Rep to Haiti. I noticed a VERY definite demarcation line between the two countries. There was lush forest on the Dom Rep side and literally nothing green on the Haitian side. Incredible to say the least. BTW, I have a BA in Geography and appreciate your channel.

I've always wondered about the stark contrasts between the two nations sharing the island. Thank you for this thoughtful analysis.

Great video. Thank you.

Have you been to Haiti? I ask because when you said Haiti is drier than the DR I had to smirk. It probably does get less rain, but it's drier in the same way that a sponge is drier than a wash cloth. In my lengthy stays, the island gets daily rain. There is a season of less rain, but experientially, it gets plenty wet to be productive. What has done Haiti in is a lack of good agricultural practice. Soil never rests. Crop rotation is never practiced, and erosion from the denuded landscape on limited topsoil has robbed the nation of a future.

Japan has been ravaged by earthquakes and tsunami's for centuries. Its major cities were levelled by American bombing during World War II. Other than timber and rain, it has few natural resources. And yet it is highly advanced today, among the very first rank of nations. So you are going to have to dig a bit deeper to find a satisfactory explanation for why Haiti has been in a downward spiral for over 100 years. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "the problem is not in our stars but in ourselves." A Haitian living in Miami is lucky indeed.

This was a good video! Thank you 🙏

Awesome! Often wondered where the disconnect was. ThanX for this review. Gonna subscribe now!

Haiti's current deforestation is aggravated by the population making charcoal to sell as it is a primary fuel there. While it may have roots in Frances' resource export, the current situation is just another symptom of the desperation of the population.

This guy: Haiti was the richest French colony because of its agricultural exports. Also this guy: Haiti is poor because of geography.

Very well done. Thank you.

I would have liked to have learned more about geographical differences between the 2 areas. You showed the mountainous area, but part of what should be wet and lusher is on the Haitian side, and part of what should be the dryer area on the Dominican side. It be interesting to know how things have played out in those areas.

I am 13 years old and currently living in Haiti. I've always asked my parents this question and even they don't really know why I like your video and how you explained it so perfectly, thank you!

The right people can turn a desert into a paradise. The wrong people can turn a paradise into a desert. The former admit the mistakes they make along the way while the latter blame others for any mistakes they make.

Great content! Thank you.

Nicely explained; thank you.

About 15 years ago, my family and I went on a Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean, and we stopped in Haiti at Labadee, its private island stop. Even then, we could see armed men in the hills overlooking the private beach, and one of the first aide people there (I stepped on a sea urging) said that only the week before, his daughter was kidnapped while walking home from school with friends and he had to pay to get her back. He said that happens a lot because the gangs know which families are working and getting ok money and they kidnap those family members for a nominal fee. Crazy stuff.

As a haitian, thanmk you for this video! Compliments to the Dominican Republic on their success and wish them to grow more prosperous. I wish Haiti Cherie good luck to become a strong and prosperous state, and I do my share as a volunteer in tech education.

Jared Diamond also wrote in his book Colapse that another influence on Dominican Republic's prosperity seems to be related to a much more rigorous enviromental laws and surveillance.

Great video! Thanks!

The most amazing differences about these two countries is viewing them on google maps. You can actually see the border between these countries as Haiti appears to have been hit with locust while the Dominican Republic is largely green and lush with vegetation.

The Dominican Republic is wonderful. I was blessed with the opportunity to work there and I really miss it. Wonderful people, food, and beauty.

Thx for the heads up

thank you for this video I know more about these difference between two countries

I am an American who lived in the Dominican Republic for two years. I lived in the west side of Santo Domingo, Najayo (just outside San Cristóbal), Nisau, and San Juan. I met so many amazing Haitians and Dominicans. The DR is safe relative to Haiti, but it is far from safe relative to what a stereotypical American perceives as safe (there are certainly many Americans who might feel safer in the DR than their current situations or homes). It is a bit like living in Detroit. There are awesome areas but cross the wrong street and things change quickly. Rural areas are generally much safer but you would be shocked by what still goes on, especially at night or outside of town. Overall, I absolutely loved the DR and it’s people. Like every country/culture, there are bad apples, but overall they are a great people. I should also mention I never went anywhere any resort towns, my time was entirely spent in the south west.

I visited DR twice on vacation. The last time was this past April. I have been to many of the Caribbean islands, DR is my second favorite after Jamaica.

Very interesting & clear! I’ve wondered about the vast difference before. Just subscribed.

Good information. That explained a lot for me

The people in Dominican Republic are the nicest people I have ever met. Unbelievable nice. 😃👍

I was an employer in South Florida for 26 years. Hundreds of Haitian people worked at my company. They all were able to escape the tyrannical regimes of Papa Doc & Baby Doc, who combined to ruin what was once a wonderful country. My Haitian friends had much in common with the Italians & the Irish who migrated to the USA 100 years earlier. Very family orientated and very enterprising. Such a shame that their homeland has been destroyed

Got it, super informative!

Amazing comparisons 😊

My son is a missionary pilot. He tells me there are many very wealthy people in Haiti. Obviously there are many in poverty, but there is a lot of money in Haiti.

Thanks for an excellent overview. I would add one more factor based on what I saw spending a summer on a Caribbean island. Every country has people born who'd make capable leaders. In healthy countries, those people remain and help it grown. That's the Dominican Republic. In unhealthy countries, those people become frustrated and leave for a country offering more opportunity. That's Haiti.

Thanks for a great explanation. I never knew any of this history.

great educational video. two 👍 👍 up

Things the guy making this video left out: When Haiti rebelled against France it killed 75,000 French people who were living there, such as in the 1804 massacre; many of the people killed were not French soldiers either. (To put that in perspective, 24,000 British were killed during the American Revolution, and most of those were soldiers). Also another thing to point out, the earthquake that hit in 2010 was only 7.0; Lisbon suffered an earthquake that was a 9.0 on the Richter scale in 1755 (pretty much destroying the city and killing a third of the people in the capital) and they rebuilt and recovered. (Chile got hit with a 9.5 magnitude earthquake in 1960, one of the largest in the entire world, and they recovered as well). Basically man-bun is making crap excuses for the Haitians, tired ones at that. Haiti is crappy because of the people who run it, accept no excuses.

My wife and I visited Hispanola in July 2009. We spent a week in Port-au-Prince and then a week in Santo Domingo. We took a bus between the two, andas others have said, the demarcation line is striking. This was a few months before the 2010 earthquake, and already, the Haitians were in a terrible state. My heart ached for them, but I never want to go back to that place.

appreciated the video

Great information

Very interesting. Rampant corruption is a very large part of Haiti's problem, too. The people there are impoverished even though we sent them so much money and food/water aid after that horrible earthquake. The supplies never were distributed to the masses.

So, there's no possibility that Jefferson's unwillingness to recognize Haiti was because of his close relationship with France - the country that Haiti revolted against? I mean, if you're negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, it could be an influence on diplomacy decisions. Also, why would anyone recognize a government that can't really govern. Haiti is the second oldest democracy in the western hemisphere, but has only had 2 peaceful transitions of its government in 200+ years. What is there to recognize?

really good. thanks

I wondered how these countries could be so different. Thank you.

I lived in Santo Domingo for exactly two years (1993-95) and enjoyed traveling around the country in my 4Runner. Balaguer was still in power then, but overall, daily life was pretty good. My apartment was across the street from the nicest and largest park in the city - with a small nightclub in a cave inside the park! I visited Port au Prince once, and that was enough! In the DR, scuba diving, boating, fishing, and hanging out with the locals, whether in SD, in the rural highlands or beach villages - everywhere I traveled, the people were extremely friendly and respectful. I still miss hanging out in Zona Colonia, De Nosotros empanadas, Rico's hot dogs, baked platanos, Presidente beer, and Barcelo! I even got a private tour all the way to the top of the Faro de Colon!

Wow Geoff your channel is really taking off. Congratulations.

Thanks, good job

really cool stuff here. Well done.

DR is awesome. The people, the culture, and the food are incredible. I went a couple of baseball games down there. It was great.

I spent 6 months in Haiti in 2004. Port Au Prince to be specific. Peace keeping mission with the Marines. "Operation secure tomorrow". Very dangerous place.

Dominican Republic is a beautiful place with friendly festive people

And that's a subscribe, sir. Thanks so very much for the breakdown.

I was shocked about the rainfall. I looked it up and while New Orleans, La. (another sugar-producing region) gets about 67" of rain a year, the wettest areas of Haiti get only 47 and other areas are even drier. That being said, though, it seems to certainly be a variety of factors that has caused Haiti's issues, not just climate. Political corruption and instability has brought down many nations.

The first university in the western hemisphere was built in the Dominican Republic along with others in Colombia, Peru, Mexico....almost 100 years before any other was built in the Americas...Culturally and academically they were more apt and ready to succeed...Not so in Haiti...What did the French built there? They made the mistake of sending way too many slaves surpassing their own people...French planters forced African slaves to produce sugar, coffee, and other cash crops for the global market. At the end the slaves had to rebel against their oppressors...They were more numerous...So that brought France problems...

Very informative 👍👌🙏

We all know why the differences are huge, only Haitians don't.

Haiti has a very good geográphical locación between large global markets, and access to the Sea with warm waters. Not landlocked, and not frozen waters. So it is just a question of missmanagement and social disorder

I feel for the country of Haiti. I was there for over 2 months working as a volunteer. The volunteering literally saps all of the good deeds you want to do over there. There are good people over there like any good people you will find in any country. It's just too much to do and no real progress gets done. There have been at least two UN commanders I remembered that committed suicide while on the island trying to be in charge on making things happen. The plight in Haiti affects people mentally that cannot be described by even so-called professionals. I can never go back to the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic as well).

I learn more from your videos then all the years in school.

With regards to why Saint Domingue had way more slaves vs Santo Domingo: the Spanish Royal Crown was also devoutly Catholic. Queen Isabela (Spanish for Elizabeth) believed all under God, slave, free, indigenous, African, European, nobleman, and commoner alike were equal under God and the Crown. So, even the treatment of the colonized and/or slaves were more closely monitored and held to a standard similar to Mosaic law. That wasn't always the case, of course, but there were enough political rivals in the colonies for such standards to be held to some extent. Matter of fact, it's the very reason Christopher Columbus was arrested by the Crown and sent to Spain: he was quite cruel towards the Tainos and was reported for his acts. That's saying something considering how some of the others on Hispaniola treated the colonized.

I live in Dominican Republic for 20 years The culture and carácter of Dominicanas has to be the most friendly people in the world We have a respectfully family ties which makes this union with families. Its very interesting for a country which is probally the most safe to invest in due to the legal system . When you see the likes of the biggest hotel chains here and still increasing their footprint in tourism . The big advantages are labour costs for employers. Comparing to Spain the cost of living is relatively low . Downside is traffic congestion in capital Santo Domingo . Apart of this there's metro,teleféricos rail systems, The other requirement is national rail connections to have a better infrastructure. The current government under Luis Abinader seems to be moving to the stages for more social issues solutions . As we border Haiti which is a country with massive social problems ,Crime being their most urgent solution. This social problem will take a long time to resolve .

As an individual that has spent the first 14 years of his life in Santo Domingo, I always felt that my explanations and comparations regarding the DR And Haiti weren't "up to par" with a well researched show like yours. So thank you for freeing me from that lifelong burden because starting today, whoever asks me to explain this topic again, they're ALL gonna get this video. Instead..!😂 BTW, the video was just as good (if not better than your other ones..!) Thank you..

I loved this video as I'm currently planning a trip to DR. I also put movies together from my international trips. Can you share with me your editing software you use?

At 6:10 I recognized where this was I’m pretty sure that’s delmar I used to drive past there with my dad otw to our house in Delmar 55 haven’t been there in like 5 years and with the direction the country’s going I don’t think I will ever get the chance to

Yeah, you forgot to mention a teeny tiny apparently unimportant detail like the genocide of whites (the “Haitian Genocide”) ordered by Dessalines against the Europeans of Haiti, what would taint Haiti’s relationship with the whole West and would even influence how some people of the USA would see with suspicion and fear the freedom of slaves in the south of America. Regardless of the atrocities committed against black slaves, the killing of whites not only emptied the island of people who covered many professions important for the function of the country but instilled fear on potential people with certain knowledge to venture on such “pleasant environment”. So as a consequence of both internal and external factors, the island was destined to ruin. And by the way, even before the Haitian earthquake the country was already utterly corrupt and miserable as anyone old enough can attest; the catastrophe only deepened what would have been a disaster for any normal country. On a country as such, without any real local structure to facilitate any prospect of growth, any help, any money ends up in corruption any intervention on the country would be seen a re-colonization or whatever ideologically charged label. So Haiti is a patient in a coma who also has no legs, so the prospect is hard.

Dominican people are one of if not my fav people out there they are out going and friendly and very ambitious coming from a Cuban

Watched video 💯

Had a great experience in the one time I've been to DR. Enjoyed talking with locals and learning about the area.

It would be interesting for you to do a study on how the BORDER between these two nations is managed.

Im puertorrican and we call Dominicans our brothers even tho we’re always fighting for sports or music, we share so many cultural and behavioral aspects however not the same with haitians, this made me understood some questions that i never asked myself

I can only say I just came from DR a couple of weeks ago (part of the reason I clicked here) and had a pretty good time. Honestly didn't expect it to be doing as well as it is but Haiti... wow

I wish more people Learn about this, a lot of people blame Dominican Republic of Haiti situation

They may border each other and be on the same island but their ethnic composition is quite different. Dominican republic's population is majorly a mix of Europeans (spaniards), Native Carribean, Native American, as well as African. Whereas Haiti's is pretty much sub-saharan Africans transplanted onto the western part of the island bringing with them the cultural and genetic traits of the aforementioned region of Africa.

Been to Dominican multiple times for a winter getaway. Biggest takeaway for me is those in the service industry at most places look at your sideways when you try and give them a tip. Some look borderline annoyed when you try and tip them. Our resort guide flat out said many don’t want tips as they make a good salary and want to be treated as such, not given charity.

I’ve been to both countries and the difference is staggering. It breaks my heart to see what is happening to Haiti.

Another difference is the Duvaliers didn't work on getting electricity throughout the country. Haitians were told to cut down trees to make charcoal to cook with. This led to devastating consequences. When it rains, they have bad mudslides. And, since they seem to get hit by Hurricanes a lot, without trees, the earth from the mountains just runs, down in mud slides. You can see the line between Haiti and the, DR flying in based on the lack of trees on the Haitian side.

Because the Dominicans had a peaceful transition to the island paradise it now is with a functioning Civil Service, an unbroken experience with largely responsive government, etc. It's forests remain largely intact as the result of government policy controlling (or in some cases banning) forestry, particularly clear cut forestry. On the other hand, Haiti transitioned to "freedom", with a brutal slave revolt in which most Europeans, including women and children, were slaughtered. There simply was no basis for organizing a government at any level. Whatever privations the former slaves had been through, they were NOT naturally and suddenly endowed with cooperative organizational skills. The deforestation has largely been as a result of the Haitian peasants' habits of denuding the landscape for food and fuel and a continuous legacy of corruption and mismanagement. The outsiders' reluctance to do business with Haiti in both the present day AND historically,, is based on the fact there really is no "Haiti" to do business with, they are simply to disorganized and corrupt to bother with

hi, I hope you provide the footage of both countries, instead of just graphic. so I can really see the contrast of the people living there

This is great info because I was curious about why Haiti was in the situation they're in. I don't know if anyone else has asked this question but what are the differences between the two sides of the island as far as religion goes? I think that may have a huge effect on everything else.

Have been to both via the USCG. Walked around by myself in the DomRep, stopped at an outside coffee shop, too cool. Friends go there to vaca on the beaches. In Haitti, fear of kidnapping kept people on the ship. Although some traveled to do some construction. Work.