Cuba is the largest country in the Caribbean and is located between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida.  It is mostly flat to rolling plains with rugged hills and mountains in the Southeast.  Cuba has an agricultural economy because of the vast plains.  Some of the environmental issues in Cuba include:  pollution to Havana Bay, overhunting of wildlife populations, and deforestation.  To combat these problems, Cuba has joined many environmental organizations.  Some of these include:  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, and Ship Pollution.    
    
     

Dominican Republic    

    
Dominican Republic is the eastern two-thirds of the island Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, just east of Haiti.  It is made up of rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed.  The Republic’s main industries are tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, and tobacco.  Some of the environmental issues facing the country are water shortages, soil eroding in to the sea that causes damage to the coral reefs, and deforestation.  To help combat these problems, Dominican Republic has joined the following international agreements:  Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, and Ozone Layer Protection.    
    
    

Link:    

Nuclear Waste Shipment to Japan    
http://www.greenpeace.org/~comms/98/nuclear/transport/dominicanstatement.html    
This site details the passage of a ship containing nuclear waste through the Mona Channel, in the Dominican Republic    
    
    

Haiti    
    

 Haiti is located in the Caribbean.  It is the western one-third of the Island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, just west of the Dominican Republic.  It is made up of mostly rough mountains.  About 75% of the population lives in poverty.  The economy is based on small-scale subsistence farming.  Because of this there is extensive deforestation (much of the remaining land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel), soil erosion, and inadequate supplies of potable water.  To help combat this Haiti has joined many environmental organizations, such as:  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, and Marine Life Conservation.    
    
    

Links:    

Address by Mark L. Scheider, Haiti and Governmental Restoration:  Building a Sustainable Society    
http://www.info.usaid.gov/press/spe_test/speeches/speech.24.html    
This site explains Haiti’s will to improve its environment.  Haiti is a very small, densely populated country.  Because of the over crowdedness, sixty percent of the land is cultivated and only thirty percent of the land can sustain cultivation.    

Philly’s Toxic Waste in Haiti    
http://www.earthsystems.org/list/seac-region13/0189.html    
This online email site details the horrible reality of contamination in Haiti.  Philadelphia has dumped more than 4,000 tons of toxic ash from its municipal incinerator in Gonaives.  The people of this town want it gone!    
    

Sources:    

Dominican Republic Physical Map    
http://www.hispaniola.com/DR/Guides/DRmaps/DRphysical2.html    

The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection    
http://sunsite.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/Maps/americas/Haiti_sm97.gif    

CIA Factbook.  “Cuba.”  Online.  Available.    
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/cu.html    

CIA Factbook.  “Dominican Republic.”  Online.  Available.    
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/dr.html    

CIA Factbook.  “Haiti.”  Online.  Available.    
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ha.html    

Disaster Relief    
http://www.disasterrelief.org/Disasters/970818cubamap/