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Rugged Beauty and Environmental Devastation 13

Quick Facts: The Geography of Haiti

Location: in the West Indies, on the west- ern third of the island of Hispaniola, which is between Puerto Rico and Cuba in the Caribbean Sea Area: (slightly smaller than Maryland) total: 10,714 square miles (27,750 sq km) land: 10,641 square miles (27,560 sq km) water : 73 square miles (190 sq km) Borders: Dominican Republic, 171 miles (275 km) Climate: tropical; semiarid where

mountains in the east cut off the trade winds Terrain: mostly rough and mountainous Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea—0 feet highest point: Chaine de la Selle—8,793 feet (2,680 meters) Natural hazards: hurricanes, floods, mud slides, occasional earthquakes

Source: Adapted from CIA World Factbook 2015.

Climate Because of its location near the equator, Haiti has a tropical climate—warm temperatures, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures in low- land areas range from 70°F to 95°F (21°C to 35°C), and even in the mountains it rarely drops below 50°F (10°C). Up to 80 inches (203 centimeters) of rain falls annually in the tropical forests of the northern mountains. The southern coast gets an average of about 40 inches (102 cm) of rain per year. As in the United States, July and August are the hottest months in Haiti. In the lowland areas, mountains prevent cool breezes from moderating temperatures during this time of year. The capital city, Port-au-Prince, is one of the hottest major cities in the world because the mountains that surround