Hispaniola is the Caribbean island home to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
Hispaniola is divided politically between the Dominican Republic in the east and Haiti in the west. Santo Domingo lies on the island’s southern coast and was founded by Bartholomew Columbus in 1496, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded cities in the Americas.
The island was called Hispaniola by Christopher Columbus after his 1492 voyage. It is the second-largest island in the Caribbean, after Cuba, and is part of the Greater Antilles.
A common mix-up is confusing Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Hispaniola is the geographic island; the Dominican Republic occupies only part of it. Haiti occupies the western section.