A portion of the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, the western third of the island called Haiti, was once the wealthiest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Despite many natural resources, a rich cultural history and legacy this land of beautiful mountains and warm, loving people, is currently known for its extreme poverty and crime. The opposite two-thirds of the island, the Dominican Republic, is currently one of the hemisphere’s fastest growing economies. Cruise ships which once anchored regularly at both countries no longer do so. We shall explore this divided land, how and why this happened, what might be occurring, and if anything is happening to alter the status quo.