The Central American country of Haiti is part of the western Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It occupies about one third of the island and the eastern two-thirds are occupied by the Dominican Republic. Haiti has the North Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea when Columbus discovered it in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island - Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. Haiti became the first black republic to declare its in