Hispaniola, << `hihs` puhn YOH luh, >> is the second largest Caribbean island. It lies between Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. The Republic of Haiti occupies the western third of Hispaniola, and the Dominican Republic covers the eastern two-thirds of the island. The island is about 400 miles (640 kilometers) long and 150 miles (240 kilometers) wide. Hispaniola has an area of about 29,500 square miles (76,500 square kilometers). Christopher Columbus arrived at Hispaniola in 1492 and called it La Isla Espanola (the Spanish Island). Later it was called Santo Domingo.
Hispaniola has a population of about 13 million. More than half the people are farmers. The chief crops are coffee, cacao (chocolate seeds), and sugar cane. Other important economic activities are food processing, manufacturing, mining, and tourism.
