Nord-Est Department
Nord-Est borders the Dominican Republic at the Massacre River (1937: 12,000-35,000 killed), thriving on cross-border trade that vanishes when the DR closes the border—edge effects incarnate.
Nord-Est exists as Haiti's interface with the Dominican Republic. Its capital, Fort-Liberté, sits near the border, and the department's economy revolves around cross-border trade, formal and informal. When the Dominican Republic closed the border in 2023-2024 due to canal disputes, Nord-Est felt the immediate impact—goods stop flowing, incomes vanish, and border towns contract.
The Massacre River marks part of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, named for the 1937 Parsley Massacre when Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo ordered the killing of Haitians living near the border—estimated 12,000 to 35,000 deaths. The river's name is a geographic reminder that borders are enforced with violence, and Nord-Est has always existed in that tension zone.
Cross-border dynamics create edge effects: species at boundaries between ecosystems exploit resources from both sides. Haitian merchants buy Dominican goods, resell them in Haiti. Dominican companies employ cheap Haitian labor. Smuggling routes move everything from fuel to rice to people. Nord-Est thrives or starves based on whether that border is open or closed.
By 2025, Nord-Est remains relatively stable compared to Port-au-Prince or Artibonite, but the department's dependency on Dominican trade makes it vulnerable to geopolitics beyond Haiti's control. The Dominican Republic's economy is ten times larger; when it closes the border, Nord-Est suffers and the DR barely notices.
By 2026, Nord-Est will continue its role as Haiti's eastern edge—prospering when the border is porous, starving when it's closed. The department is a living example of edge effects in human geography.