The Dominican Republic–Haiti border is an

international border Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...

between the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and the

Republic of Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

on the island of

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...

. Extending from the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

in the south to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

in the north, the border was agreed upon in the 1929 Dominican–Haitian border treaty. The island was first formally divided in 1697 as part of the

Peace of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included the Dutc ...

, under which

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

ceded to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

the western portion it had seized by force earlier in the century. In 1621, England made an unsuccessful attempt to take over both sides of the island. In the early 20th century, the United States occupied both countries, and made numerous changes to the border. The Dominican Republic comprises approximately the eastern two-thirds of the island and the Republic of Haiti the western third.

Description

The border starts in the north at the Boca del Río Dajabón where the

Dajabón River The Dajabón River (also called Massacre River) (; ) is a river which forms the northernmost part of the international border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Etymology The river was named by the Arawak-speaking indigenous inhabitants ...

(Rivière du Massacre) enters Manzanillo Bay, immediately west of the Dominican town of Pepillo Salcedo. The border then follows this river for a brief period southwards, before continuing southwards via a series of straight lines through the Laguna de Saladillo, rejoining the same river between

Dajabón Dajabón is a municipality and capital of the Dajabón province in the Dominican Republic, which is located on the northwestern Dominican Republic frontier with Haiti. It is a market town with a population of about 26,000, north of the Cordillera ...

(DR) and

Ouanaminthe Ouanaminthe (; or ; ) is a List of communes of Haiti, commune or town located in the Nord-Est (department), Nord-Est Departments of Haiti, department of Haiti. It lies along the Dajabón River, Massacre River, which forms part of the Dominican Re ...

(Haiti). The border then again follows the river southwards, where it is alternatively called the Río Capatillo/Bernar (Rivière de Capotille/Bernard), down to the Dominican village of Vara de Vaca. The border then proceeds overland to the west, turning sharply south-eastwards upon reaching the Libón River. It continues along the river down to the DR-45 road and then follows this road southwards for some distance through the mountains down to the

Artibonite River The Artibonite River ( French: ''Fleuve Artibonite''; Spanish: '' Río Artibonito''; Haitian Creole: ''Latibonit'') is the longest river in Haiti, and the longest on the island of Hispaniola. It is also the second-longest river in the Caribbean, b ...

. The border then follows the Artibonite to the south-west down to the confluence with the Macasía River, following this river eastwards. The border then proceeds overland south-eastwards and south via various straight-line segments, also briefly utilising the Rivière Carrizal. It then turns west in the vicinity of Granada, and then turns south-east to run parallel with the

Étang Saumâtre Étang Saumâtre (), (English: ''brackish pond'') is the largest lake in Haiti It is also known as Lake Azuéi (''Lac Azuéi''); its Taíno name was ''Yainagua''. Unlike its hypersaline neighbor, Étang Saumâtre is a brackish water lake. It lie ...

lake, briefly cutting through it at one point. The border curves around the south-east corner of the lake before proceeding overland via straight lines to the south-east and then south-west, then utilising the Río Bonito southwards for a period, before eventually reaching the Pedernales river. It then follows this river southwards out to the

History

The division of the island of Hispaniola dates to the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Spanish colonized the eastern part of the island and the French colonized the western part of the island. After decades of hostilities, mutual acknowledgement by France and Spain of their respective colonies,

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

and

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

, was accomplished by way of the

in 1697.Clammer, Paul, (2016) ''Bradt Travel Guide – Haiti'', p.11 A more precise boundary was drawn in 1777 via the Treaty of Aranjuez. The distinction between the two parts of the island was accentuated by differing settlement patterns in the two colonies. Whereas the Spanish developed a settler-based society with limited slavery, the French forcibly settled thousands of African slaves in Saint Domingue, with the slave population coming to dominate demographically. In 1791 the Haitian slaves launched the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

, gaining independence from France in 1804 as the

First Empire of Haiti The First Empire of Haiti, officially known as the Empire of Haiti (; ), was an elective monarchy in North America. Haiti was controlled by France before declaring independence on 1 January 1804. The Governor-General of Haiti, Jean-Jacques Des ...

.Clammer, Paul, (2016) ''Bradt Travel Guide – Haiti'', p. 209 In 1821 the Dominicans declared independence from Spain; however Haiti then invaded and

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

the colony. The Dominicans fought

a war ''A War'' () is a 2015 Danish war drama film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm, and starring Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny and Søren Malling. It tells the story of a Danish military company in Afghanistan that is fighting the Taliban while t ...

against the Haitians and gained independence in 1844, with the border being restored. The poor relations between the two states were hampered by disputes over sections of the border, which was not finally delimited until 1929. A subsequent commission set about conducting on-the-ground demarcation, however there were continuing disputes over certain sections of the boundary. These were allocated via a treaty signed on 27 February 1935, with a final border treaty being signed on 9 March 1936. Despite this, Dominican dictator

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( ; ; 24 October 1891 – 30 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (; "the boss"), was a Dominican military officer and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until Rafael Trujillo#Assassination, ...

subsequently launched a wave of anti-Haitian violence in 1937, culminating in the

Parsley massacre The Parsley massacre (Spanish: ''el corte'' "the cutting"; Creole: ''kout kouto-a'' "the stabbing") (; ; ) was a mass killing of Haitians living in illegal settlements and occupied land in the Dominican Republic's northwestern frontier and in cert ...

in which thousands of Haitians living in the DR were forced across the border or killed. Though relations since then have improved, the two countries remain deeply divided on demographic, political, racial, cultural and economic lines. Haiti's political situation is volatile, and the

economy of the Dominican Republic The economy of the Dominican Republic is the seventh largest in Latin America, and is the largest in the Caribbean and Central American region. The Dominican Republic is an upper-middle income developing country with important sectors includ ...

is ten times larger than that of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

, prompting many Haitians to move to the DR seeking better opportunities, where they are often the subject of discrimination. , over 500,000 Haitians live in the Dominican Republic, which has a population of about 11 million. According to human rights activists, mistreatment of Haitians has increased under DR president

Luis Abinader Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona (; born 12 July 1967) is a Dominicans, Dominican economist, businessman, and politician who has served as the 54th president of the Dominican Republic since 2020. He was the Modern Revolutionary Party candidate for ...

, who took office in August 2020. Observers said that a spike in deportations occurred in 2021, with more than 31,000 sent back to Haiti. Numerous anti-Haitian actions by the DR government were cited, including separation of children from their parents and deportation of pregnant women; racial profiling (Haitians are on average darker-skinned than Dominicans); suspension of Haitian student visas, requiring Haitian migrants to register their location, and prohibited companies from hiring migrants for more than 20% of their workforce.

Border wall

In February 2023, construction began on a border wall along of the border with Haiti. The concrete wall is 20-centimeter-thick, topped by a metal mesh, and contains fiber optics for communications, movement sensors, cameras, radar and drones, with 70 watchtowers and 41 access gates for patrolling. The $32 million project would, upon completion, be the second longest border wall in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, after the US-Mexico wall. Proposals for a wall came from several Dominican politicians, including Ramfis Trujillo, grandson of Dominican dictator

, and current president

, to reduce irregular migration and smuggling. Dominican officials claim the wall will slow the illegal drug trade and reduce the risk of gang violence in Haiti from spreading to the Dominican Republic. According to the government, the plan is supported by the majority of the Dominican population. The project is controversial, with claims that it will do little to reduce illegal migration, encourage bribery of Dominican Republic soldiers, and become a source of conflict. The wall is being built in Dominican Republic territory, allowing DR soldiers to patrol on both sides. This has become a source of tension, arising from claims that the area on the Haiti-facing side is a no-man's-land, or has been ceded to Haiti by virtue of the wall.

Water rights dispute and border closure

On September 15, 2023, a dispute over water rights in the

(also called Massacre River) led the Dominican Republic to close the border. Construction by Haitian workers was underway on a canal intended to irrigate approximately 7,400 acres in Haiti's Maribaroux plain. Dominican officials claimed the canal project violates a

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

treaty which states both countries may use the water but not alter the river's natural course. On October 11, the border was partially reopened to essential goods such as food and medicine, yet still closed for migrants. Abinader maintained the ban on issuing visas regardless of health, education, or work purposes. The

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

reported that the Dominican Republic had lost $21 million in its agricultural trade with Haiti due to its border closure. Haiti is the Dominican Republic's second-largest export destination, with an annual profit of $430 to $566 million. Despite the reopening on the Dominican side of the border, the canal has become a movement, sparking Haitians to boycott Dominican goods.Mayol, Virgilio. Cledo, Fritzner. Closure of Haiti Dominican Republic Border Impacts Food Security-Bilateral Trade and U.S Agricultural Imports. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 13 Oct. 2023 On October 30, 2023, the air border with Haiti was reopened.

Settlements near the border

Dominican Republic

* Pepillo Salcedo *

Pedro Santana Pedro Santana y Familias, 1st Marquess of Las Carreras (June 29, 1801June 14, 1864) was a Dominican soldier and politician who served three times as the president of the First Dominican Republic (1844–1861) and was the first governor-genera ...

Bánica San Francisco de Bánica, or simply Bánica, is a town and municipality in the northwest region of Dominican Republic in the Elías Piña Province, Elías Piña Provinces of the Dominican Republic, province. It is located on the Dominican Republic� ...

* Comendador *

Jimaní Jimaní is the capital and the second largest city of the Independencia Province of the Dominican Republic. It serves as one of the two main border crossings to Haiti (with Dajabón), with a duty-free open-air marketplace operating on the borde ...

* Pedernales

Haiti

* Nan Contrée * Capotille *

* Parc Dubois * Malpasse * Belladère *

Fonds-Verrettes Fonds-Verrettes (; ) is a commune in the Croix-des-Bouquets Arrondissement, in the Ouest department of Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, ...

* Banane * Anse-à-Pitres

Border crossings

There are four official crossing points and many more unofficial ones. The four official crossing points are: Malpasse-Jimaní, Ouanaminthe-Dajabón, Anse-à-Pitres-Pedernales and Belladère-Comendador.Clammer, Paul, (2016) ''Bradt Travel Guide – Haiti'', p.51-2

Gallery

File:Dominican Republic - Haiti border map part 1.jpg, Map of the border - north File:Dominican Republic - Haiti border map part 2.jpg, Map of the border - north central File:Dominican Republic - Haiti border map part 3.jpg, Map of the border - south central File:Dominican Republic - Haiti border map part 4.jpg, Map of the border - south

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dominican Republic-Haiti border Dominican Republic–Haiti relations International borders