The Dominican Republic and HaitiImagine yourself as a businessman traveling to the island of Hispaniola to check on the progress of production. You land in Santo Domingo to take a short commuter flight to Port-au-Prince. During the flight, you look out your window to admire the breathtaking views of the Sierra de Baoruco, with its lush forests. As the plane approaches the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, you notice that the land has been completely denuded of trees directly across the border, creating a clear demarcation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic . This physical border is only one indication of the obvious contrast between the two countries that share Hispaniola. According to the CIA World Factbook, in 2002 the Dominican Republic had a GDP per capita of $6,100, with 55% of the workforce in the service sector and 25% of the population below the poverty line. , while in Haiti, GDP per capita was only $1,700, with 66% of the workforce in the agricultural sector and 80% of the population below the poverty line. Likewise, the Dominican economy grew by 4.2%, while the Haitian economy shrank by 1.5%. Historical differences in the political nature of the two countries have determined the divergent directions each has taken, especially when considering the dictatorships of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic and the Duvalier family in Haiti. Government structures, corruption within those structures, and economic decisions have opened up both of these paths. Political Structure Dominican Front: "Men Behind the Curtain" The political structures of the Dominican Republic and Haiti have been closely linked through their interconnected histories and dictatorships, although.... ... middle of paper .... ..subpoint: Nation, State and Race on Hispaniola. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Moya Pons, Frank. The Dominican Republic: a national history. New Rochelle, New York: Hispaniola Books, 1995. Rotberg, Robert. “Haiti’s past mortgages its future.” Foreign Affairs 67.1 (Fall 1988): 93-109. Skidmore, Thomas and Peter Smith. Modern Latin America. 5th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Weinstein, Brian and Aaron Segal. Haiti: political failures, cultural successes. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1984. “World Factbook, The.” Central Intelligence Agency. November 21, 2003. Online.Internet. November 21, 2003; 4:30 p.m. EST. Available: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook.