Hispaniola
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Hispaniola
(hĭs'pănyō`lə), Span. Española (ĕspänyō`lä), second largest island of the West Indies, 29,530 sq mi (76,483 sq km), between Cuba and Puerto Rico. HaitiHaiti, Fr. Haïti , officially Republic of Haiti, republic (2015 est. pop. 10,711,000), 10,700 sq mi (27,713 sq km), West Indies, on the western third of the island of Hispaniola.
..... Click the link for more information. occupies the western third of the island and the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
, republic (2015 est. pop. 10,528,000), 18,700 sq mi (48,442 sq km), West Indies, on the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The capital and largest city is Santo Domingo.
..... Click the link for more information. the remainder. Visited by Columbus in 1492, the island was called Española. The later French colony was called Saint-Domingue, after Santo Domingo, the Spanish colony in the eastern part of the island. The terrain, dominated by the Cordillera Central, is high and rugged; Pico Duarte (10,417 ft/3,175 m high) is the tallest peak. Extending far westward, like the claws of a crab, two mountain ranges form the scenic Gulf of Gonâve. The island's climate is subtropical, and agriculture (coffee, cocoa, sugarcane, and tobacco) flourishes in the abundant rainfall. In some areas of the island (in Haiti especially), increased population has caused significant deforestation for cultivation. Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, are the largest cities.
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Hispaniola
the second largest island in the Caribbean, in the Greater Antilles: divided politically into Haiti and the Dominican Republic; discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, who named it La Isla Española. Area: 18 703 sq. km (29 418 sq. miles)
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005