Guano - Haiti Observer Blog

The island of Haiti has been at the mercy of U.S. interests since the mid-1800s. In a greedy move, it appropriated the island of La Navase, just off the coast of Hispaniola. This action violated Haiti's 1801 Constitution that declares La Navase as one of its possessions.

The takeover of La Navase occurred in 1857 after U.S. Congress enacted Guano Islands Act in 1856. Because La Navase contains large deposits of guano over most of its terrain, any U.S. citizen could take possession of it. Guano, at that time, was a highly-prized fertilizer made from bird droppings.

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