Hispaniola (Spanish La Española "the Spanish") is the second largest with an area of about 74,700 km² West Indies.
It takes up two thirds of the area Dominican Republic one, the western third is the state Haiti.
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Hispaniola is the second largest and at the same time most mountainous of all the Caribbean islands. The western half, about a third of the total area, is formed by the Republic of Haiti, the larger eastern half is the Dominican Republic.
Archaeological excavations suggest that as early as 5000 BC Ciboney Indians lived on the island. Around 500 AD, Taino Indians came here from South America via the Lesser Antilles Islands.
Discovered on December 5, 1492 Christoph Columbus the island after finding the Bahamas and Cuba. The mountain landscapes reminded the Spaniards of their homeland and so they gave the island the name Espanola, from which later the Latinized name La Hispaniola has been. It was called by the natives Quisqueya - "Mother of All Land". In 1494 the first settlements were established on the north coast: La Navidad and west of Puerto Plata the first capital, named after the Spanish Queen Isabella. Unhealthy climate and Indian raids forced them to give up. Founded on August 4, 1496 Bartholome Colon, a brother of Columbus, on the south coast Nueva Isabella, today's Santo Domingo and made it the seat of the viceroy.
Indian uprisings, under 1504 Cotubanama and 1540 under Enriquillo, could not prevent their enslavement and extermination. But already in 1525 the reserves of precious metals were exhausted. The further conquests and gold discoveries on the American mainland quickly made Hispaniola insignificant. In 1535 the viceroy's seat was moved to Ciudad de Mexico.
Pirate attacks prevented the island's economic development for the next 200 years. The main base of the pirates was in the northwest, opposite the island of Tortuga, today: Ile de la Tortue. The French who occupied the western part of the island were able to drive them out. Cap Francais, today's Cap Haitien, was one of the first French settlements.
The Treaty of Rijswik of 1697 forced Spain to cede this part of the island to France. This new French colony was named Saint Domingue.
With the help of colored slaves from West Africa, sugar cane was grown and it soon became the richest overseas property France owned. The new class of mulattos emerged from illegitimate relationships between French plantation owners and slaves. Towards the end of the 18th century there were hundreds of thousands of slaves in the western part of the island, about 30,000 whites and 25,000 subordinate mulattos.
In 1789, the French Revolution also led to major uprisings in the colony. The slaves demanded their human rights. In 1791 a three year “war” began, which ended with the abolition of slavery. Most of the French settlers then left the island. France appointed one of the leaders of the uprising, the slave Toussaint, as general. He achieved the return of the white plantation owners and at the same time humane working conditions. In 1801 he was appointed governor for life. Napoleon Bonaparte's troops captured him and brought him to France, where he died in 1803.
The successful liberation struggle was continued by Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Under his leadership, Bonaparte's troops were forced to surrender. On January 1, 1804, he proclaimed the colony's independence from France. The state of Haiti was established. In the following 40 years there were various battles and land occupations by the French, some with British support. In 1844 Spain declared independence, making the Dominican Republic the second independent state on this island.
