Hispaniola
Topographic map of Hispaniola
Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea
Archipelago	Antilles
Area	76,480 km² (29,529 sq mi)
Highest point	Pico Duarte 3,098 m (10,164 ft)
Administration
Dominican Republic
Largest city	Santo Domingo
Haiti
Largest city	Port-au-Prince
Demographics
Population	18,466,497 (as of 2005 est. For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the Pico Duarte is the highest peak in all the Caribbean islands, and for that matter the tallest mountain in all of the Americas outside of the great western Cordilleras The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: PortAuPrinceTapTapjpg|right|thumb|270px|A taptap (shared taxi in central Port-au-Prince )
Density	241. 5/km²

Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} It is located directly within the hurricane belt. The hurricane belt is an area in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, which is prone to Hurricanes during the The Republic of Haiti occupies the western third and the Dominican Republic the eastern two-thirds of the island. Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with Christopher Columbus arrived in Hispaniola on December 5, 1492, and on his second voyage in 1493 founded the first Spanish colony in the New World on it. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia.

Contents 1 Names of the island 2 History 3 Geography 4 Ecology 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Names of the island

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo and Bartolomé de las Casas documented that the island was called Haití ("Mountainous Land") by the Taíno inhabitants. Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (August 1478 - 1557 was a Spanish Historian and Writer. Bartolomé de las Casas, OP ( August 24 1484 &ndash July 17 1566) was a 16th century Spanish Dominican The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. Peter Martyr d'Anghiera added another name, Quizqueia (now "Quisqueya"). Peter Martyr d'Anghiera (in Italian, Pietro Martire d'Anghiera; in Spanish Pedro Mártir De Anghiera, Latin, Petrus Martyr ^[1] The term "Quizqueia" had been used only by d'Anghiera and the word has been verified to not have an Arawak structure. The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in

Even if Haití is a Taíno name used by the three historians, it seems that it was not the Taíno name of the island. Haití was the Taíno name of a region in northeastern Dominican Republic (now known as Los Haitises). In the oldest map of the island, made by Andrés de Morales, that region is named Montes de Haití ("Haiti Mountains"). Las Casas wrote that the whole island took the name from that region;^[2] d'Anghiera said that the name of one part was given to the whole island. ^[1].

The three historians wrote always Haití because at that time they didn't use the letter "J" (just like Haina - Jaina), and the last "i" was stressed. ^[2]. It is not correct to use Ayiti; that is a modern word taken from the Haitian Creole language. Haitian Creole language ( kreyòl ayisyen) often called simply Creole or Kreyòl ( pronounced) is a language spoken in Haiti

When Columbus took possession of the island, he named it as La Española, meaning "The Spanish (Island)". When d'Anghiera wrote in Latin about this island, he translated the name as Hispaniola, a new word. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Because Anghiera's literary work was translated into English and French in a short period of time, the name "Hispaniola" is the most frequently used term in English-speaking countries regarding the island in scientific and cartographic works. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

The terms Saint-Domingue and Santo Domingo are sometimes still applied when referring to the whole island when both names factually refer to their respective countries.

country	population (2005 est. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology )	area (km²)	area (%)	density (pop. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume per km²)
Haiti	8,706,497	27,750	36. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: 3	313. 7
Dominican Republic	9,760,000	48,730	63. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with 7	200. 3

History

See also: History of the Dominican Republic

See also: History of Haiti

Christopher Columbus arrived on the island during his first voyage to America in 1492. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles. The recorded history of Haiti began on December 5, 1492 when the European navigator Christopher Columbus happened upon a large island in Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America During his arrival he founded the settlement of La Navidad on the north coast of present day Haiti. La Navidad was a settlement that Christopher Colombus and his men established in present day Haiti in 1492 from the remains of the Spanish Ship the Santa María Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: On his return the subsequent year, following the disbandment of La Navidad, Columbus quickly founded a second settlement farther east in present day Dominican Republic, La Isabela, which became the first permanent European settlement in the Americas. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with La Isabela in the Dominican Republic is considered the first formal European settlement in the New World

The island was inhabited by the Tainos, one of the indigenous Arawak peoples. The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in The Taino were at first tolerant of Columbus and his crew, and helped him to construct Fort Navidad on what is now Môle Saint-Nicolas, Haiti, in December 1492. Môle Saint-Nicolas ( Mòlsennikola or Omòl in Haitian Creole) is a town in the Republic of Haiti. Events in December Union Day of Romania (1 December World AIDS Day ( December 1) National Day of European colonization of the island began earnestly the following year, when 1,300 men arrived from Spain under the watch of Bartolomeo Columbus. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Bartholomew Columbus ( Spanish: Bartolomé Colón; Italian: Bartolomeo Colombo; c In 1496 the town of Nueva Isabela was founded. After being destroyed by a hurricane, it was rebuilt on the opposite side of the Ozama River and called Santo Domingo. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the It is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Americas. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America The Taino population of the island was rapidly decimated, owing to a combination of disease and harsh treatment by Spanish overlords. The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. In 1501, the colony began to import African slaves, believing them more capable of performing physical labor. Slavery is a social-economic system under which certain persons — known as slaves — are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to perform labour or services

As Spain conquered new regions on the mainland of the Americas, its interest in Hispaniola waned, and the colony's population grew slowly. By the early 17th century, the island and its smaller neighbors (notably Tortuga) became regular stopping points for Caribbean pirates. Tortuga may refer to a Spanish word meaning Tortoise the name of several islands La Tortuga Island in The great era of Piracy in the Caribbean began in the 1560s and died out in the 1720s as the Nation-states of Western Europe with colonies in In 1606, the king of Spain ordered all inhabitants of Hispaniola to move close to Santo Domingo, to avoid interaction with pirates. A king is a male Monarch, or a Head of state, who may or may not depending on the style of government of a nation exercise monarchal powers over a territory usually Rather than secure the island, however, this resulted in French, English and Dutch pirates establishing bases on the now-abandoned north and west coasts of the island.

In 1665, French colonization of the island was officially recognized by King Louis XIV. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent The French colony was given the name Saint-Domingue. Saint-Domingue was a French Colony on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola from 1659 to 1804 when it became the independent nation of In the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain formally ceded the western third of the island to France. The Treaty of Ryswick was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick (now known as Rijswijk) in the Dutch Republic. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Saint-Domingue quickly came to overshadow the east in both wealth and population. Wealth derives from the old English word "weal" which means "well-being In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Nicknamed the "Pearl of the Antilles," it became the richest and most prosperous colony in the West Indies, and became the most important port in the New World for goods and products flowing to and from Europe.

Geography

Hispaniola is the second-largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba), with an area of 76,480 km². The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The island of Cuba lies 80 km to the northwest across the Windward Passage; to the southwest lies Jamaica, separated by the Jamaica Channel. The Windward Passage is a Strait in the Caribbean Sea, between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. The Jamaica Channel is a Strait separating the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. Puerto Rico lies east of Hispaniola across the Mona Passage. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The Mona Passage is a Strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the north. The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and The Turks and Caicos Islands ( TCI) (ˈtɜːks ænd ˈkeɪkəs are a British Overseas Territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies

Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico are collectively known as the Greater Antilles. The Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. The Greater Antilles are made up of continental rock, as distinct from the Lesser Antilles, which are mostly young volcanic or coral islands. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the

The island has five major mountain ranges: The Central Range, known in the Dominican Republic as the Cordillera Central, spans the central part of the island, extending from the south coast of the Dominican Republic into northwestern Haiti, where it is known as the Massif du Nord. This mountain range boasts the highest peak in the Antilles, Pico Duarte at 3,087 meters (10,128 ft) above sea level. Pico Duarte is the highest peak in all the Caribbean islands, and for that matter the tallest mountain in all of the Americas outside of the great western Cordilleras Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface The Cordillera Septentrional runs parallel to the Central Range across the northern end of the Dominican Republic, extending into the Atlantic Ocean as the Samaná Peninsula. Samaná Province Santa Bárbara de Samaná (Samaná City Samaná Mountain Range (Sierra de Samaná The Cordillera Central and Cordillera Septentrional are separated by the lowlands of the Cibao Valley and the Atlantic coastal plains, which extend westward into Haiti as the Plaine du Nord (Northern Plain). Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao" is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country The lowest of the ranges is the Cordillera Oriental, in the eastern part of the country.

The Sierra de Neiba rises in the southwest of the Dominican Republic, and continues northwest into Haiti, parallel to the Cordillera Central, as the Montagnes Noires, Chaîne des Matheux and the Montagnes du Trou d'Eau. The Plateau Central lies between the Massif du Nord and the Montagnes Noires, and the Plaine de l'Artibonite lies between the Montagnes Noires and the Chaîne des Matheux, opening westward toward the Gulf of Gonâve. Gulf of Gonâve (Golfe de la Gonâve is a large gulf along the western coast of Haiti, at.

The southern range begins in the southwestern most Dominican Republic as the Sierra de Bahoruco, and extends west into Haiti as the Massif de la Selle and the Massif de la Hotte, which form the mountainous spine of Haiti's southern peninsula. Pic de la Selle is the highest peak in the southern range and the second highest peak in the Antilles and consequently the highest point in Haiti, at 2,680 meters (8,793 ft) above sea level. Pic la Selle ( Kreyòl: Pik Lasel) also called Morne La Selle, is the highest peak in Haiti and the fourth highest in all the Caribbean A depression runs parallel to the southern range, between the southern range and the Chaîne des Matheux-Sierra de Neiba. It is known as the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac in Haiti, and Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince lies at its western end. The Cul-de-Sac Depression is a lowland on the island of Hispaniola. PortAuPrinceTapTapjpg|right|thumb|270px|A taptap (shared taxi in central Port-au-Prince The depression is home to a chain of salty lakes, including Lake Azuei in Haiti and Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic. Étang Saumâtre (also known as Lake Azuei) Haiti's largest Lake, is located at in southeastern Haiti, bordering the Dominican Republic. Lake Enriquillo is a lake in the Dominican Republic, it is one of only a few saltwater Lakes in the world inhabited by crocodiles Lake Enriquillo

Ecology

The climate of Hispaniola is generally humid and tropical. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean Relative humidity. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 The island has four distinct ecoregions. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " The Hispaniolan moist forests ecoregion covers approximately 50% of the island, especially the northern and eastern portions, predominantly in the lowlands but extending up to 2100 meters elevation. The Hispaniolan dry forests ecoregion occupies approximately 20% of the island, lying in the rain shadow of the mountains in the southern and western portion of the island and in the Cibao valley in the center-north of the island. For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow (TV series. Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao" is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country The Hispaniolan pine forests occupy the mountainous 15% of the island, above 850 meters elevation. The Hispaniolan pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest Ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The Enriquillo wetlands are a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion that surround a chain of lakes and lagoons that includes Lake Enriquillo, Rincón Lagoon, and Lake Caballero in the Dominican Republic and Lake Azuei and Trou Caïman in Haiti. Flooded grasslands and savannas are a Biome, generally located at subtropical and tropical latitudes where which are flooded seasonally or year-round Lake Enriquillo is a lake in the Dominican Republic, it is one of only a few saltwater Lakes in the world inhabited by crocodiles Lake Enriquillo Étang Saumâtre (also known as Lake Azuei) Haiti's largest Lake, is located at in southeastern Haiti, bordering the Dominican Republic. Trou Caïman (literally " Caiman's Hole" in French) sometimes called Eau Gallée by locals is a saltwater Lake in Haiti

See also

• Geography of Haiti
• Geography of the Dominican Republic

References

External links

• Google maps

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic