The original Indian inhabitants were either absorbed or eliminated within the first 100 years of the Spanish conquest. Haitians are the largest minority group. Primary education is free and compulsory for all children between 7 and 14 years of age. Other important export crops are cocoa and coffee. Although the government is attempting to expand industry, most industrial products must be imported, largely from the United States.
Tourism is challenging agriculture as the more important economic sector.
The island was inhabited by Arawak and Carib Indians when Christopher Columbus discovered it on December 5 in 1492. Upon Columbus arrival, it became the site of the first Spanish settlements in the New World. Columbus lived here for many years, and it is believed that his remains are in the cathedral in Santo Domingo. Other New World colonies proved more profitable to the Spanish, however, and Santo Domingo, as the entire colony was called, was neglected. The French began to settle the western end of Hispaniola.