In this essay I will argue that the 7.0 Mw Haiti earthquake (hence called "the Earthquake") of 2010 was so extensive in the destruction of both beings humans and human beings. physical resources because of the intersection of its history, environment, and Haiti's political systems. I will defend this claim by providing historical context for Haiti that dictated the nation's social, economic, and environmental landscape prior to the earthquake. Next, I will discuss how Haiti's colonial history has influenced its political systems for centuries, extending until the earthquake. Next, I will argue that political systems in Haiti's history have directly led to much of its environmental degradation. Finally, I will discuss how, although earthquakes are natural disasters, the state of Haiti's sociopolitical structure exacerbated the consequences of the earthquake. Haiti's past is full of conflict and extreme inequality. During Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the 'New World', in 1492, he landed on the island of Hispaniola, the island where Haiti would later be founded, then inhabited by the Taino people. Possession of Hispaniola was hotly contested by European colonial powers due to its location and vast territorial resources that could support consumer demand from European nations. In 1697, in response to declining Spanish geopolitical power and general interest in the Caribbean island, the western third of the island was ceded to the French, who named it Saint-Domingue (Diamond, 334). Under French rule, the western third of the island would for some time become the most profitable colony in the Americas due to a combination of environmental resource exploitation and harsh conditions of slavery. These conditions included animalistic appearance...... middle of paper ......udel Center)Vol. 31, No. 2, The Second Slavery: Mass Slavery, World-Economy, and Comparative Microhistories, Part I (2008) (pp. 121-144)Published by: Research Foundation of SUNY for and on behalf of the Fernand Braudel CenterStabile Article URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40241711Essays on the Political Economy of Rural AfricaRichard H. BatesPublished by: Cambridge University Press 1983(African Studies series; no. 38)Watkins, Tom (13 January 2010) Problems with Haiti Building Standards Outlined CNN, January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010United States Geographical Survey, PAGER, version 1, created 36 weeks, 2 days after earthquake http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/pager/events/us /2010rja6 /onepager.pdfBilham, Roger. Lessons from the Haiti earthquake. Nature 463, 878-879 (18 February 2010) | doi:10.1038/463878a; Published online February 17 2010