Which countries make up the Caribbean island of Hispaniola?
Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is a major island in the Caribbean, comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is located between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east, directly within the hurricane belt. Hispaniola is perhaps most famous for marking the first European colonies in the New World, colonies founded by Christopher Columbus on his voyages in 1492 and 1493. It is the tenth most populous island in the world, and the 2nd most populous in the Americas. It is the 22nd largest island in the world. Contents [hide] * 1 Names of the island * 2 History * 3 Geography * 4 Ecology * 5 See also * 6 References * 7 External links [edit] Names of the island The island bears various Amerindian names that supposedly originated from the indigenous Taíno that once populated the island. Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo and Bartolomé de las Casas documented that the island was called Haití (“Mountainous Land”) by the Taíno inhabitants. Peter Martyr d’Anghiera added a
