AES Corporation illegally dumped 100 million pounds of toxic coal as on a pristine beach in the Dominican Republic. After acute health problems came horrible birth defects, Complaint alleges.

The Islands

The lure of the islands known as the West Indies that dot the Caribbean Sea draws tourists from around the world who bask in the tropical climate. The diverse people who inhabit those islands rely on agriculture, manufacturing and trade, as well as tourism.

Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Caribbean Islands were colonized by European powers, primarily the Spanish, British, French and Dutch. Native American peoples who inhabited the tropical islands were decimated by diseases and war. Many of the islands then developed colonial plantation economies based on the labor of slaves brought from Africa.

While most of the islands are independent now, some like Puerto Rico have became U.S. commonwealths. However, much of the area remains poor and underdeveloped for a variety of reasons, including dictatorships, lack of education and corruption.

While the climate of the region is tropical, rainfall varies depending on elevation. Some of the islands boast sizable mountain ranges while others are comparatively flat.

The trade winds tend to blow consistently from the east but the Caribbean is also subject to devastating hurricanes.

Map of the Islands

The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, the island where Columbus first landed, covers 18,815 square miles on the Island of Hispanola, which it shares with Haiti. It is the second largest Caribbean nation after Cuba and has a population of about 10 million.

While it remained under Spanish dominance for three centuries, the Dominican Republic was also conquered by the French. It won independence in 1838 and Spanish remains the primary language. The U.S. intervened in the Dominican Republic in the early 1900s after a period of civil war. U.S. Marines landed in 1916 and the country was occupied until 1924. Then, after the Dominican Republic endured years of dictatorship, the U.S. intervened again to prevent communists from taking control of the country in the 1960s. While the Dominican Republic now has a democratically elected government, corruption reputedly remains a concern. Other problems include high unemployment and a notoriously poor electric grid that leads to frequent blackouts.

With its mild temperatures, the Caribbean's highest mountain and largest lake, the Dominican Republic attracts vacationers looking for natural beauty. In addition to tourism, many Dominicans are employed in agriculture and mining. Remittances from those living abroad, largely in the U.S., are also a major source of the country's income. Ninety percent of Dominicans are of African origin and the country is largely Roman Catholic.

The Samana Peninsula, in the northeast of the country, is known for its white sand beaches and sparkling blue waters that draw tourists. Residents are also employed in agriculture and fishing. Off-shore coral reefs abound with fish. An international airport is located in Arroyo Barril, a municipal district of the city of Santa Barbara de Samana.

The port of Manzillo, also known as "Pepillo Salcedo", in the northwest section of the country was built in the 1950s by the Dominican Fruit Co. to export bananas and other fruits. It is separated from Haiti by the Rio Massacre.

Haiti

Haiti, a much poorer 10,700-square-mile country that shares Hispanola with the Dominican Republic, is on the western third of the island.

Largely French and Creole speaking, the Haitian territory was ceded to the French by the Spanish in 1697 in the Treaty of Ryswick. A slave-based plantation economy was set up by the French with sugar, coffee and indigo its main crops.

In 1804 the slaves revolted, setting the stage for years of civil strife.

The U.S. occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934, bringing stability. But from 1957 to 1986 the Duvalier family ruled as dictators causing many Haitians to flee to the U.S. and Canada.

Haiti currently has a democratically elected government but is under the watch of a United Nations mission sent to stabilize it in 2004. Haiti remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

Many of its 8.7 million residents are desperately poor and a large portion of the population remains illiterate. Much ecological damage has been done through deforestation as trees were logged to produced charcoal. About 66 percent of the people engage in small scale farming to survive. Exports include mangoes and coffee.

Webmaster's Note: While the current Complaint identifies Samana and Manzanillo as sites where AES dumped 160 million pounds of toxic coal ash waste it is believed that tons of the material were also dumped on beaches in Haiti.

Puerto Rico

Known as "La Isla de Encanto" or "Island of Enchantment," Puerto Rico, with a population of about four million, is a self-governing commonwealth under the protection of the United States.

East of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands, the 3,515-square-mile island chain enjoys a mild tropical climate and a thriving tourist industry.

Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, its first governor was the explorer Ponce de Leon and it remained a Spanish colony for centuries. The primary Puerto Rican island is mountainous and subject to earthquakes. A large quake in 1981 led to a tsunami.

The U.S. invaded Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Spain then ceded Puerto Rico to the U.S., along with Guam, Cuba and the Philippines. Puerto Rican residents became U.S. citizens in 1917 and although the elect their local officials and governor, are not represented in Congress. Earlier this year, the United Nations called on the United States to allow Puerto Rico to exercise their right of self-determination. While Puerto Ricans have voted three times to remain a commonwealth, instead of seeking independence or to become a U.S. state.

Spanish-speaking and largely Catholic, Puerto Rico is one of the more prosperous areas of the Caribbean, however many Puerto Ricans have emigrated to the U.S. seeking wider economic opportunities. English is also an official language and taught in the schools. The commonwealth, which has pharmaceutical and petrochemical factories, has lost some manufacturing jobs in recent years to countries where wages are lower.

Guayama, settled by the Spanish in 1736, in the southern coastal region, has a population of more than 44,000. The name, Guayama, based on a Native American word means either "Great Place" or "Our Path" and was the site of two battles were fought in Guayama during the Spanish-American War. The town boasts a beautiful neo-romantic church, Iglesia San Antonio de Padua, that dates from 1827 and a new art center. It is the home of a famous poet, Luis Palles Matos. Villagers make their living from fishing, farming and the tourist trade.