Hispaniola

|align="center" colspan="2"|<big class="fn org">**Hispaniola**</big>|
| --- | --- |
|align="center" colspan="2"|<small>Topographic map of Hispaniola</small>|
|**Location**|<span class="label">Caribbean Sea</span>|
|**Archipelago**|Antilles|
|**Area**||
|**Highest point**|Pico Duarte (3,087 m)|
|**President**|Jovenel Moise|
|**Capital city**|Port-au-Prince (703,023)|
|**President**|Luis Abinader|
|**Capital city**|Santo Domingo (790,191)|
|**Population**|15,222,428|
|**Density**|263|
**Hispaniola** is an island in the Caribbean Sea. It is the second largest island (after Cuba) of the West Indies, east of Cuba and west of Puerto Rico. It is the most populous island of the West Indies.

The Republic of Haiti occupies the western three-eighths, the Dominican Republic the rest. Hispaniola is one of two Caribbean islands in which there are two countries; the other is Saint Martin.

### Pre-Columbian history

When Columbus arrived to America, some groups of native people, coming from northern South America, had lived in the Caribbean Islands since a very long time. That movement from South America to the Caribbean islands was not continuous but it happened in several waves during almost twelve centuries.

Archeological studies suggests that those people from South America came to the Caribbean islands during four periods.

The first period began around 5000 B.C. For most Caribbean islands, this period ended around 2000 years ago except in Cuba and Hispaniola where there were some small populations in western Cuba and southwestern Hispaniola when the Europeans arrived to these islands. They were called **Ciboney** or **Siboney** by the Taínos, meaning "man that lives among rocks" (_Ciba_ means stone and _eyeri_ man).

The second group was the **Igneri**, the first Arawak Indians to come to the Caribbean Islands. They displaced the Ciboney people and, later, they were displaced by another group of Arawak Indians, the Taínos. **Taínos** occupied all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico) and they developed a culture different from the culture of the Arawaks of South America. They were the first people that the Spanish met in the Americas.

The fourth and last group was the **Carib**. The Carib were also Arawaks but with a different language. Even if they used to go to Puerto Rico and the Hispaniola to fight against the Taínos, they lived only in the Lesser Antilles when Columbus got to America.

At the moment when the Spanish came to the Hispaniola, most of the island was occupied by Taínos; only in the western tip of the Southern Peninsula (in modern Haiti), there were some small groups of Ciboney In the northeastern part of the island (Samaná Peninsula and north of the Northern mountain range), there was a group called **Ciguayos**, and sometimes **Macorix**, with the same culture of the Taínos but a different language. It seems that they were Carib that took the Taíno culture. They were the first Indians that fought against the Europeans.

### Discovery, conquest and colony

Christopher Columbus arrived to the island on December 5, 1492, naming it as ***La Española***, meaning _The Spanish Island_. When Peter Martyr d'Anghiera wrote in latin about this island, he wrote _Hispaniola_, meaning _Small Spain_; that was not correct. Because the book of Anghiera was translated into English very soon, the name **Hispaniola** is the most used in English-speaking countries and in scientific works.

For centuries, other names were used for the island. The most common were _Santo Domingo Island_ (the Dominican constitution still uses that name) and _Haiti_.

Hispaniola was the only island that Columbus visited in all his four travels to the Americas. He saw the island for the first time on December 5, 1492 but he stayed on his ship during the night; the next day, he went to land. The Spaniards spent the rest of December traveling along the north coast of Haiti; on December 12, Columbus took possession of the island in the name of the King and Queen of Spain and named the island as "La Española".

On Christmas Eve, December 24, the main ship ("Santa María") was badly damaged. The next day, Christmas Day, Columbus gave orders to use the wood of the ship to build a small fort on what is now Môle Saint-Nicolas, Haiti. That fort was named _La Navidad_ ("Navidad" means Christmas) and was the first European building on American soil. Columbus left 39 men there because there was not space in the other two ships for all the people.

From "La Navidad", they traveled east along the north coast of the island and in Samaná they had a small fight with some natives ("Ciguayos", not Taíno Indians) and named the bay as "Golfo de las Flechas" (Gulf of the Arrows), but now is called "Samaná Bay". From there, they went back to Spain.

In 1493, Columbus found, when he returned in his second trip, that "La Navidad" was destroyed by the Indians and all Spaniards killed. Then he went to the east, founding the first European city in the American continent, near the present city of Puerto Plata; he named the city "La Isabela" in honor of Queen Isabella of Castile. The first Catholic mass in America was celebrated at La Isabela on January 6, 1494. From La Isabela, Columbus sent groups of persons to explore and take control of the island.

Because La Isabela was an unhealthy site, Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher, established a new city, _La Nueva Isabela_ (The New Isabela) on the south coast of the island, on the left side of the Ozama river. Because a hurricane destroyed the city, it was built again but on the right side of the river and with the new name of Santo Domingo. It is the oldest permanent European city in the Americas.

The Taíno population of the island decreased very fast because a combination of new diseases, like smallpox, and abuses by the Spaniards. Even if some black slaves were brought from Spain since 1501, the colony began to import African slaves when the colony began to grow sugar cane, around 1516, to produce sugar.

Spain kept conquering new regions of the Americas and, for the Spanish people, those new regions were more interesting because there was more gold; the population of the island grew very slowly. By the early 17th century, the island and its smaller neighbors (above all, the Tortuga island) became places often visited by Caribbean pirates. In 1606, the king of Spain gave the order that all inhabitants of Hispaniola had to move close to the city of Santo Domingo, to avoid interaction with pirates and Protestant people. This resulted in French, British and Dutch pirates establishing bases on the abandoned north and west coasts of the island.

In 1665, the presence of French people on the island had the official approval of the French king Louis XIV and he named Bertrand d'Ogeron as the governor of the western part of Hispaniola (in French, Saint-Domingue). By the Treaty of Ryswick, Spain gave the western third of the island to France and kept the eastern part. The development of the French "Saint-Domingue" was very fast, both in wealth and population, and it became the richest colony in the Caribbean. The eastern, Spanish colony of "Santo Domingo" remained poor and with a very low population.

## Geography

The island of Hispaniola has an area of . There are two countries: the Republic of Haiti is in the western part of the island and the Dominican Republic in the eastern part. These two countries are separated by an artificial border, except in the northern and southern extremes where they are separated by the rivers Dajabón and Pedernales, respectively.

|width="35%"|**Country**|width="25%"|**Population** <small>(July 2007 est.)</small>|width="25%"|**Area** (km²)|width="15%"|**Density** (per km²)|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Haiti|align="right"|9,893,934|align="center"|27,750|align="center"|357||
|Dominican Republic|align="right"|10,219,630|align="center"|48,730|align="center"|210||
|align="center"|**Total**|align="right"|**20,113,564**|align="center"|**76,480**|align="center"|**263**|

The island is separated from Cuba by the Windward Passage (81 km from Punta Maisí in Cuba to Cape Saint-Nicolas in Haiti), from Jamaica by the Jamaica Channel ( from Point Morante in Jamaica to Cape Irois in Haiti) and from Puerto Rico by the Mona Channel, as  from Punta Higüero in Puerto Rico to Punta de Agua in the Dominican Republic.

The maximun length, east to west, is  from Cape Engaño to Cape Irois. The maximum width, north to south, is  from Cape Isabela to Cape Beata. The highest point of the island, and of the Caribbean is Duarte Peak (_Pico Duarte_) in the Dominican Republic with ; the lowest point is in the Enriquillo Lake, which is about  under sea level.

### Islands

There are many smaller islands around the Hispaniola. The largest are:
1. **Gonâve** (French, _Île de la Gonâve_), in the Gulf of Gonâve. It is part of Haiti and has an area of 743 km². Its Taíno name was _Guanabo_.
1. **Tortuga** (French, _Île de la Tortue_), close to the northern coast of Haiti, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of Haiti and has an area of . Its Taíno name was _Baynei_. It is very famous because many pirates lived here.
1. **Saona**, close to the southeastern coast of the Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Dominican Republic and has an area of . Its Taíno name was _Iai_  or _Adamanay_. Columbus named this island as Savona after the Italian city of the same name but the use during years has eliminated the letter _v_.
1. **Île à Vache**, also called **Île-à-Vaches**, close to the soutwestern coast of Hispaniola. It is part of Haiti and has an area of . Its Taíno name was _Iabaque_.
1. **Beata**, in the southern coast of the Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Dominican Republic and has an area of . Nobody knows its Taíno name. Columbus named this island as _Madama Beata_.
1. **Cayemites**, two islands, Petite Cayemite and Grand Cayemite, in the Gulf of Gonâve. They are part of Haiti with a total area of 45 km². The Taíno name was _Cahaimi_.
1. **Catalina**, very close to the southeastern coast of the Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Dominican Republic and has an area of 9.6 km². Its Taíno name was _Iabanea_ but some writers, including poets, say that it was called _Toeya_ or _Toella_. It was discovered by Columbus who named it as **Santa Catalina**.
1. **Navassa** (French, _La Navasse_), in the Jamaica Channel with 5.2 km². It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The island is also claimed by Haiti.

### Mountains and valleys

The Hispaniola is an island with many mountains, and the highest peaks of the West Indies are here. The chains of mountains show a direction northwest-southeast, except in the Southern peninsula (in Haiti) where they have a direction west-east. The mountains are separated by valleys with the same general direction.

From north to south, the mountain ranges and valleys are:
- Cordillera Septentrional (in English, "Northern Range"). It is a Dominican chain, with extensions to the northwest, the Tortuga Island, and to the southeast, the Samaná Peninsula (with its _Sierra de Samaná_). Its highest mountain is Diego de Ocampo, close to Santiago, with 1,249 m.
- The _Plaine du Nord_ (Haiti) and Cibao Valley (Dominican Republic) is the largest, and perhaps the most important, valley of the island. This long valley stretches from North Haiti to Samaná Bay.
- The _Massif du Nord_ (Haiti, with the _Gros Morne_, 1.198 m) and _Cordillera Central_ (Dominican Republic, also called _Sierra de Cibao_) with the highest mountains of the West Indies: Duarte Peak, 3,087 m, and others above 3,000 m. Near the center of the island, this range divides itself in two branches: _Cordillera Oriental_ or _Sierra del Seibo_, separated from the main chain by a depression and with a west-east direction, and a second branch with a north-south direction called _Sierra de Ocoa_.
- The _Plateau Central_ (Haiti), San Juan Valley and Plain of Azua (Dominican Republic), are big valleys with elevation from 0 to 600 m.
- The _Bombardopolis Plateau_ (640 m), _Montagnes de Terre Neuve_ (1,100 m, _Morne Goreille_), _Montagnes Noires_ (1,700 m, _Pic Bonhomme_). All this chains are in Haiti and form one group of mountains.
- Artibonite Plain and Valley, in Haiti, between those mountains mentioned above and below.
- _Chaîne des Matheux_ (_Morne Delpech_, 1,600 m) and the _Montagnes du Trou d'Eau_ (_Morne Ma Pipe_, 1,510 m) form one group that get together with the previous group of mountains to form, in the Dominican Republic, the _Sierra de Neiba_, with Mount Neiba the highest mountain with 2,279 m. An extension to the southeast of _Sierra de Neiba_ is the _Sierra Martín García_ (_Loma Busú_, 1,350 m).
- The _Cul-de-Sac_ (Haiti) or _Hoya de Enriquillo_ (Dominican Republic), is a remarkable valley, with a west-east direction, of low elevation (on average 50 m with some points below sea level) and with two great salt lakes: _Êtang Saumatre_, in Haiti, and Enriquillo Lake, in the Dominican Republic.
- _Massif de la Hotte_ (_Pic Macaya_, 2,405 m) and _Massif de la Selle_ (_Pic_ or _Morne La Selle_, 2,680 m, the highest Haitian mountain) are in the Southern Peninsula. The _Massif de la Selle_ is called _Sierra de Bahoruco_ in the Dominican Republic. The Gonâve Island (_Morne La Pierre_, 776 m) belongs, in geological terms, to the _Massif de la Selle_. This southern group of mountains have a geology very different to the rest of the island.
- _Llano Costero del Caribe_ (in English, "Caribbean Coastal Plain") is in the southeast of the island (and of the Dominican Republic). It is a large prairie east of Santo Domingo.

### Rivers and lakes

The sources of the longest rivers of Hispaniola are in the mountains of the _Cordillera Central_ (Dominican Republic) - _Massif du Nord_ (Haiti).

The 10 longest rivers of the island are:
1. _Artibonite_. It is the longest river of the island and of Haiti. It is 321 km long (68 km in the Dominican Republic, 253 km in Haiti). Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows into the Gulf of Gonâve. Its watershed has an area of 9,013 km² (2,614 km² in the Dominican Republic, the rest in Haiti).
1. _Yaque del Norte_. With 296 km, it is the second longest river of the island but the longest of the Dominican Republic. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the Atlantic Ocean. Its watershed has an area of 7,044 km².
1. _Yuna_. It is 209 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the east into Samaná Bay. Its watershed has an area of 5,498 km².
1. _Yaque del Sur_. It is 183 km long and its sources are in the Cordillera Central. It flows to the south into the Caribbean Sea. Its watershed has an area of 4,972 km².
1. _Trois Rivières_ (Three Rivers). It is 150 km long and its sources are in the Massif du Nord and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
1. _Ozama_. It is 148 km long. Its sources are in Sierra de Yamasá (a branch of the Cordillera Central). It flows into the Caribbean Sea. Its watershed has an area of 2,685 km².
1. _Camú_. It is 137 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows into the Yuna River. Its watershed has an area of 2,655 km².
1. _Nizao_. It is 133 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the south into the Caribbean Sea. Its watershed has an area of 974 km².
1. _San Juan_. It is 121 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the south into the Yaque del Sur River. Its watershed has an area of 2,005 km².
1. _Mao_. It is 105 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the north into the Yaque del Norte River. Its watershed has an area of 864 km².

The largest lake of the Hispaniola, and of the West Indies, is the _Lake Enriquillo_. It is in the _Hoya de Enriquillo_ with an area of 265 km². There are three small islands within the lake. It is around 40 meters below sea level and is a saline lake with a higher concentration of salt than the sea water.

The second largest lake, _Étang Saumâtre_ (also known as _Lake Azuei_), is close to Lake Enriquillo but in Haiti, in the _Cul-de-Sac_. It is also a saline lake with an area of around 170 km².

Others lakes are _Rincón_ (fresh water, area of 28.2 km²), _Oviedo_ (brackish water, area of 28 km²), _Redonda_ _Limón_, _Étang de Miragoâne_.

## Climate

Hispaniola has a tropical climate but modified by elevation and the _trade winds_ (winds that come from the northeast, from the Atlantic Ocean). At sea level, the average temperature is 25 °C, with small changes from one season to another. In the highest mountains, the temperature in winter can be as low as 0 °C.

There are two wet seasons: April-June and September-November. The most dry period is from December to March.

Rainfall varies greatly; eastern regions, like the Samaná Peninsula, get an average of over 2,000 mm in a year, but less than 500 mm fall in the southwest (Hoya de Enriquillo - Cul-de-Sac).

From June to November, hurricanes are frequent and can do much damage in the island.

## Population

Hispaniola has a total population, estimated for July 2013, of 20,113,564 inhabitants, for a density of 263 inhabitants per km².

In Haiti, 95% of the population belongs to the black ethnic group, and in the Dominican Republic it is about 70% of the population.

In the Dominican Republic, only Spanish is spoken (except for groups of immigrants) even if Haitian Creole is gaining importance because the massive immigration from Haiti. Both French and (Haitian) Creole are spoken in Haiti, and both are official languages.

In both countries, the main religion is Roman Catholicism. Protestant groups are important, more in Haiti (15% of the population) than in the Dominican Republic (5%).

The most important cities in the island are Santo Domingo (capital of Dominican Republic), Port-au-Prince (capital of Haiti), Santiago (Dominican Republic), Carrefour (Haiti).

## Other websites

- An old map of Hispaniola from 1639