Hispaniola

American  

[his-puhn-yoh-luh, ees-pahn-yaw-lah] / ˌhɪs pənˈyoʊ lə, ˌis pɑnˈyɔ lɑ /

noun

1. an island in the West Indies, comprising the republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 29,843 sq. mi. (77,293 sq. km).

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Hispaniola British  

/ ˌhɪspənˈjəʊlə, ispaˈɲola /

noun

1. Former name: Santo Domingo.  the second largest island in the Caribbean, in the Greater Antilles: divided politically into Haiti and the Dominican Republic; discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, who named it La Isla Española. Area: 18 703 sq km (29 418 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Much like in the U.S., immigration is a contentious topic in the Dominican Republic — the country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, which has seen an exodus of its people over the decade.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Another major hot spot stretches across parts of the North Atlantic near and east of Cuba, Hispaniola and Florida.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, is going even further, building a border wall between the two countries that share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

From New York Times • May 19, 2024

Henry remains locked out of his country, landing in Puerto Rico last week after being denied entry into the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2024

And that was when I remembered Jim Hawkins, climbing up the side of the Hispaniola to steal her, tearing down the Jolly Roger flag, sitting in the crosstrees and holding Israel Hands back.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt