Hispaniola
Hispaniola (/ˌhɪspənˈjoʊlə/, also UK: /-pænˈ-/) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the region's second largest in area, after the island of Cuba. The 76,192-square-kilometre (29,418 sq mi) island is divided into two separate nations: the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic (48,445 km2, 18,705 sq mi) to the east and the French/Haitian Creole-speaking Haiti (27,750 km2, 10,710 sq mi) to the west. The only other divided island in the Caribbean is Saint Martin, which is shared between France (Saint Martin) and the Netherlands (Sint Maarten).
View from the ISS, 2011 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Coordinates | 19°N 71°W |
| Archipelago | Greater Antilles |
| Major islands | Gonâve Saona |
| Area | 76,192 km2 (29,418 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 22nd |
| Coastline | 3,059 km (1900.8 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3,175 m (10417 ft) |
| Highest point | Pico Duarte |
| Administration | |
| Capital and largest city | Santo Domingo (pop. 2,201,941) |
| Area covered | 48,445 km2 (18,705 sq mi; 63.6%) |
| Capital and largest city | Port-au-Prince (pop. 1,234,742) |
| Area covered | 27,747 km2 (10,713 sq mi; 36.4%) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 22,278,000 (2020) (both countries combined) |
| Pop. density | 280.8/km2 (727.3/sq mi) |
Hispaniola is the site of one of the first European forts in the Americas, La Navidad (1492–1493), as well as the first settlement and proper town, La Isabela (1493–1500), and the first permanent settlement, the current capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo (est. 1498). These settlements were founded successively during each of Christopher Columbus's first three voyages.
The Spanish Empire controlled the entire island of Hispaniola from the 1490s until the 17th century, when French pirates began establishing bases on the western side of the island. The official name was La Española, meaning "The Spanish (Island)". It was also called Santo Domingo, after Saint Dominic.