For some years, I've been puzzled about the Island of Haiti. It is a very large island of two nations, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The people in the country of Haiti seems to always be in the deepest depths of poverty. I've met plenty of medical professionals who have volunteered to help out in Haiti. Not much is heard about the Dominican Republic. The latest National Geographic Magazine article I'm reading, in the January, 1931, issue, is titled, "Hispaniola Rediscovered," authored by Jacob Gayer. It has shed some light on my problem, giving a great deal of the history of the Dominican Republic up until 1931.
'Hispaniola' refers to the entire island called 'Haiti,' which in turn, is divided into the two countries. The island is in the Caribbean Sea, located between the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. The land area of Hispaniola is slightly smaller than the United States State of South Carolina. Hispaniola is approximately 400 miles from east to west.
"The international boundary which separates the two nations is not along a great natural barrier, for at places one may wade a stream that divides them. But if there were a Chinese Wall, with its top sprinkled with broken glass, it would not more effectively mark the passage from one country to the other than do the human barriers of alien races, languages, and traditions" (p. 80).
The nation of Haiti occupies the eastern part of the island while The Dominican Republic occupies the western part. French and African peoples settled Haiti while Spanish folk settled the eastern part. This article describes the history, geography, and citizens of the Dominican Republic.
Brief history: Christopher Columbus discovered this island in 1493. He established the town of Isabela, named after the Queen of Portugal, his patron. It was abandoned within 50 years. Columbus' remains were interred in the Santo Domingo Cathedral, as he wished. Santo Domingo is the capital city of the Dominican Republic; it was the first city to be started by 'white men in America" (p.88).
In 1558, the Spaniards created the University of St. Thomas Aquinas.
The geography of the Dominican Republic contains many extremes from hot, humid, and green to as dry as the New Mexico desert with mountains as high as 10,000 feet. There is "unbelievable variety in scenery and in plant and animal life" (p. 80).
The chief agricultural products in 1931 were cacao beans, from which we derive chocolate, sugar, and mahogany wood. There was more cacao production in the Dominican Republic at that time than elsewhere in the entire West Indies. Sugar cane was farmed on large plantations; one estate contained 58,000 acres. These plantations needed to import workers from other countries but not from Haiti. The agricultural land along the boundary between nations was specifically settled so the owners could prevent Haiti citizens from entering the country. The mountains also formed a natural barrier.
Throughout the past centuries, the country has been plagued with earthquakes, tornadoes, and pirates, as has the rest of the Caribbean Islands.
Politics: "Its exposed position as the key to the Caribbean in the formative days of American history made this land a coveted place in many dreams of empire, and France, Spain, and England used it as a pawn in their great game of world power" (p. 88).
The Dominican Republic culture was stable and was decisively Spanish. In 1931, the nation boasted of modern fire stations, electric power, water distribution, and roads. The "Voo-doo" culture of Haiti was practically non-existant in its neighbor.
The color photos displayed beautiful Spanish architecture and costumes. I'll look forward to learning more about the island of many differences!
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