Editing Hispaniola (section)

==Geography==
{{see also|Geography of Haiti|Geography of the Dominican Republic|Islands of Haiti|Navassa Island|Caribbean bioregion}}
[[File:Hispaniola lrg.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Topographic map]]

Hispaniola is the second-largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba), with an area of {{convert|76192|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}, {{convert|48440|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominican-republic/|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=cia.gov|date=November 18, 2021}}</ref> of which is under the sovereignty of the Dominican Republic occupying the eastern portion and {{convert|27750|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}<ref name="cia.gov"/> under the sovereignty of Haiti occupying the western portion.

The island of [[Cuba]] lies {{convert|80|km|mi|sp=us}} to the west across the Windward Passage; to the southwest lie [[Jamaica]], separated by the [[Jamaica Channel]], the [[Cayman Islands]] and [[Navassa Island]]; {{convert|190|km|mi|abbr=on}} . [[Puerto Rico]] lies {{convert|130|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Hispaniola across the [[Mona Passage]]. [[The Bahamas]] and [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] lie to the north. Its westernmost point is known as Cap Carcasse. Cuba, Cayman Islands, Navassa Island, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico are collectively known as the [[Greater Antilles]]. Hispaniola is also a part of the [[Antilles]] and the [[West Indies]].

The island has five major ranges of mountains: The Central Range, known in the Dominican Republic as the [[Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic|Cordillera Central]], spans the central part of the island, extending from the south coast of the Dominican Republic into northwestern Haiti, where it is known as the Massif du Nord. This mountain range boasts the highest peak in the Antilles, [[Pico Duarte]] at {{convert|3101|m|ft|sp=us}} above [[sea level]].<ref name=ojala>{{cite news |title=El Pico Duarte es apenas 4 metros más alto que La Pelona |url=https://ojala.do/ciencia-y-tecnologia/el-pico-duarte-es-apenas-4-metros-mas-alto-que-la-pelona |access-date=26 July 2022 |publisher=ojala.do |date=2021 |language=es}}</ref> The [[Cordillera Septentrional]] runs parallel to the Central Range across the northern end of the Dominican Republic, extending into the Atlantic Ocean as the [[Samaná Peninsula]]. The Cordillera Central and Cordillera Septentrional are separated by the lowlands of the [[Cibao|Cibao Valley]] and the Atlantic coastal plains, which extend westward into Haiti as the Plaine du Nord (Northern Plain). The lowest of the ranges is the Cordillera Oriental, in the eastern part of the country.<ref name="Bowin">{{cite book|last1=Bowin|first1=Carl|editor1-last=Nairn|editor1-first=Alan|editor2-last=Stehli|editor2-first=Francis|title=The Geology of Hispaniola, in The Ocean Basins and Margins|date=1975|publisher=Springer Science+Business Media, LLC|location=New York|isbn=9781468485370|page=503}}</ref>

The Sierra de Neiba rises in the southwest of the Dominican Republic, and continues northwest into Haiti, parallel to the Cordillera Central, as the Montagnes Noires, Chaîne des Matheux and the Montagnes du Trou d'Eau. The Plateau Central lies between the [[Massif du Nord]] and the [[Montagnes Noires, Haiti|Montagnes Noires]], and the Plaine de l'Artibonite lies between the Montagnes Noires and the Chaîne des Matheux, opening westward toward the [[Gulf of Gonâve]], the largest gulf of the Antilles.<ref name=Bowin/>

The southern range begins in the southwesternmost Dominican Republic as the [[Baoruco Mountain Range|Sierra de Bahoruco]], and extends west into Haiti as the [[Massif de la Selle]] and the [[Massif de la Hotte]], which form the mountainous spine of Haiti's southern peninsula. [[Pic la Selle|Pic de la Selle]] is the highest peak in the southern range, the third highest peak in the Antilles and consequently the highest point in Haiti, at {{convert|2680|m|ft|sp=us}} above sea level. A [[Depression (geology)|depression]] runs parallel to the southern range, between the southern range and the Chaîne des Matheux-Sierra de Neiba. It is known as the [[Plaine du Cul-de-Sac]] in Haiti, and Haiti's capital [[Port-au-Prince]] lies at its western end. The depression is home to a chain of [[salt lake]]s, including [[Etang Saumâtre|Lake Azuei]] in Haiti and [[Lake Enriquillo]] in the Dominican Republic.<ref name=Bowin/>

The island has four distinct [[ecoregion]]s. The [[Hispaniolan moist forests]] ecoregion covers approximately 50% of the island, especially the northern and eastern portions, predominantly in the lowlands but extending up to {{convert|2100|m|ft|sp=us}} elevation. The [[Hispaniolan dry forests]] ecoregion occupies approximately 20% of the island, lying in the [[rain shadow]] of the mountains in the southern and western portion of the island and in the [[Cibao]] valley in the center-north of the island. The [[Hispaniolan pine forests]] occupy the mountainous 15% of the island, above {{convert|850|m|ft}} elevation. The [[flooded grasslands and savannas]] ecoregion in the south central region of the island surrounds a chain of lakes and lagoons in which the most notable include that of [[Etang Saumatre|Lake Azuei]] and [[Trou Caïman]] in Haiti and the nearby [[Lake Enriquillo]] in the Dominican Republic,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0903|title=Caribbean: Island of Hispaniola {{!}} Ecoregions {{!}} WWF|website=World Wildlife Fund|access-date=2018-12-06}}</ref> which is not only the lowest point of the island, but also the lowest point for an island country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/highest-and-lowest-points-of-countries-of-the-world.html|title=Highest And Lowest Points Of Countries Of The World|date=May 20, 2021|website=WorldAtlas}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="200px" heights="145px>
File:Caribbean location map.svg|Caribbean locations
File:Caribbean maritime boundaries map.svg|Caribbean maritime boundaries
File:LocationAntilles.svg|Antilles
File:Caribbean general map.png|Caribbean general map and map of the [[Caribbean Sea]]
File:Samana-Laslovarga (105).jpg|Bay of [[Samana Province]] in the northeastern region of the Dominican Republic
File:Samana-Laslovarga (113).jpg|Bay of Samana Province in the northeastern region of the Dominican Republic
</gallery>

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map Caribbean present.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Köppen climate classification system|Köppen climate types]] of the Caribbean region, present (1980–2016)]]
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map Caribbean future.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Köppen climate classification system|Köppen climate types]] of the Caribbean region, future (2071–2100)]]
[[File:Dominican Republic Köppen.svg|thumb|Köppen climate types of the Dominican Republic]]
[[File:Haiti Köppen.svg|thumb|Köppen climate types of Haiti]]

Hispaniola's climate shows considerable variation due to its diverse mountainous topography, and is the most varied island of all the [[Antilles]].<ref name="areal">{{cite journal |last=Alpert |first=Leo |title=The Areal Distribution of Mean Annual Rainfall Over the Island of Hispaniola|doi=10.1175/1520-0493(1941)069<0201:TADOMA>2.0.CO;2|year=1941|volume=69|pages=201–204|journal=Monthly Weather Review|issue=7|bibcode=1941MWRv...69..201A |doi-access=free}}</ref> Except in the Northern Hemisphere summer season, the predominant winds over Hispaniola are the northeast [[trade winds]]. As in Jamaica and Cuba, these winds deposit their moisture on the northern mountains, and create a distinct [[rain shadow]] on the southern coast, where some areas receive as little as {{convert|400|mm|in|0}} of rainfall, and have [[semi-arid climate]]s. Annual rainfall under {{convert|600|mm|in|0}} also occurs on the southern coast of Haiti's northwest peninsula and in the central Azúa region of the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac. In these regions, moreover, there is generally little rainfall outside hurricane season from August to October, and droughts are by no means uncommon when hurricanes do not come.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Camberlin |first=Pierre |doi=10.3354/cr00856|url=http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/49/82/26/PDF/camberlin_CR_revised.pdf|title=More variable tropical climates have a slower demographic growth|year=2010|journal=Climate Research|volume=41|pages=157–167|bibcode=2010ClRes..41..157C |doi-access=free}}</ref>
On the northern coast, in contrast, rainfall may peak between December and February, though some rain falls in all months of the year. Annual amounts typically range from {{convert|1700|to|2000|mm|in|0}} on the northern coastal lowlands;<ref name="areal"/> there is probably much more in the [[Cordillera Septentrional]], though no data exist. The interior of Hispaniola, along with the southeastern coast centered around Santo Domingo, typically receives around {{convert|1400|mm|in|0}} per year, with a distinct season from May to October. Usually, this wet season has two peaks: one around May, the other around the hurricane season. In the interior highlands, rainfall is much greater, around {{convert|3100|mm|in}} per year, but with a similar pattern to that observed in the central lowlands.

The variations of temperature depend on altitude and are much less marked than rainfall variations in the island. Lowland Hispaniola is generally more hot and humid, with temperatures averaging {{convert|28|C|F}}. with high humidity during the daytime, and around {{convert|20|C|F}} at night. At higher altitudes, temperatures fall steadily, so that [[frost]]s occur during the dry season on the highest peaks, where maxima are no higher than {{convert|18|C|F}}.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="124px" class="center">
File:Hato mayor, dominican republic waterfall.jpg|Salto de Jalda in [[Hato Mayor Province|Hato Mayor]], Dominican Republic, the tallest waterfall in the Caribbean
File:View of Haitian Landscape hispaniola.jpg|[[Les Cayes]], [[Sud (department)|Sud]], Haiti
File:Constanza, valle nuevo, clima invierno..jpg|Frosted alpine forest in [[Constanza, Dominican Republic]]
File:Cabo Cabrón, (Rincón Beach) Samaná, DR.JPG|Tropical rainforest climate in [[Samaná Province|Samana]], Dominican Republic
File:Jaragua National Park (Road2).JPG|Semi-arid climate in [[Pedernales Province|Pedernales]], [[Hispaniolan dry forests]], Dominican Republic and Haiti
File:Dunas de Baní 1.jpg|Desert sand dunes of [[Baní]], Dominican Republic
File:Cordillera Central.jpg|[[Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic|Cordillera Central]] in the Dominican Republic has the highest elevation of the Caribbean
File:Lake Enriquillo.jpg|Lake Enriquillo, Dominican Republic
File:Lake Enriquillo sentinel-2.jpg|[[Lake Enriquillo]] is the biggest [[saltwater lake|saltwater]]—[[hypersaline lake]] in the [[Dominican Republic]]. It is located in [[Enriquillo wetlands]], and is the largest lake in both the Dominican Republic and Hispaniola, as well as the entire Caribbean. At 46-meters below sea level, it is the lowest point on the island or any island country.
File:Rio Yaque del Norte, looking south, July 2009 - panoramio.jpg|Yaque del Norte river, Dominican Republic
File:Lago de OviedoWW.jpg|Oviedo Lake in Pedernales, Dominican Republic
File:La ciudad desde la carretera - panoramio.jpg|[[Hispaniolan moist forests]], hills north of [[Santiago de los Caballeros]], Dominican Republic and Haiti
File:Hispaniolanpineforest.jpg|[[Hispaniolan pine forests]] as seen from [[Pico Duarte]], Dominican Republic and Haiti
File:Gfp-looking-at-the-horizon.jpg|[[Nord (Haitian department)]], [[La Belle Mère]], Haiti
</gallery>

===Fauna===
{{see also|The Birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic{{!}}''The Birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic''|List of amphibians of Hispaniola|List of mammals of the Dominican Republic|List of birds of the Dominican Republic|List of birds of Haiti|List of mammals of Haiti|Wildlife of Haiti|Environment of Haiti|List of birds of Hispaniola|List of amphibians of the Dominican Republic|List of amphibians of Haiti|Mammals of the Caribbean|List of mammals of North America|List of recently extinct mammals|List of prehistoric mammals|Pilosans of the Caribbean|List of rodents of the Caribbean|List of rodents of the Caribbean|Caribbean bioregion|Fauna and Flora International}}

There are many [[List of birds of Hispaniola|bird species in Hispaniola]], and [[List of amphibians of Hispaniola|the island's amphibian species]] are also diverse. There are many species endemic to the island including insects and other invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, birds and mammals (originally animals, native animals) and also (imported animals, introduced animals, not native animals or invasive species) like farm animals, transport animals, house animals, pets and more. The two endemic terrestrial mammals on the island are the [[Hispaniolan hutia]] (''Plagiodontia aedium'') and the [[Hispaniolan solenodon]] (''Solenodon paradoxus''). There are also many birds on the island, with six endemic genera (''[[Calyptophilus]]'', ''[[Palmchat|Dulus]]'', ''[[Nesoctites]]'', ''[[Phaenicophilus]]'', ''[[Xenoligea]]'' and ''[[Microligea]]''). More than half of the original distribution of its ecoregions has been lost due to habitat destruction impacting the local fauna and some of the original animals either threat, threatened with extinction or totally extinct, because of climate change or because they have been hunted by humans or their habitats have been felled or changed for some reasons or have become some of the animals have been threatened by (introduced animals, not native animals or invasive species) or there are fighting for space to survive and perhaps some animals that feed on the same plants or animals or just something like that.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0305|title=The island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean|website=World Wildlife Fund|access-date=October 4, 2018|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Flora===
{{see also|List of national parks of the Dominican Republic|Environment of Haiti|Flora of the Dominican Republic|List of palms native to the Caribbean|List of near threatened plants|List of Agave species{{!}}List of ''Agave'' species|List of trees of the Caribbean|List of critically endangered plants|List of IUCN Red List vulnerable plants|List of endangered plants|List of recently extinct plants|List of plants that are extinct in the wild|List of recently extinct plants}}
[[File:Haiti deforestation.jpg|thumbnail|Satellite image depicting the border between [[Haiti]] (left) and the [[Dominican Republic]] (right)]]

The island has four distinct [[ecoregion]]s. The [[Hispaniolan moist forests]] ecoregion covers approximately 50% of the island, especially the northern and eastern portions, predominantly in the lowlands but extending up to {{convert|2100|m|ft|sp=us}} elevation. The Hispaniolan dry forests ecoregion occupies approximately 20% of the island, lying in the [[rain shadow]] of the mountains in the southern and western portion of the island, and in the [[Cibao]] valley in the center-north of the island. The [[Hispaniolan pine forests]] occupy the mountainous 15% of the island, above {{convert|850|m|ft}} elevation. The [[flooded grasslands and savannas]] ecoregion in the south central region of the island surrounds a chain of lakes and lagoons, the most notable of which are [[Etang Saumatre]] and [[Trou Caïman]] in Haiti and the nearby [[Lake Enriquillo]] in the Dominican Republic.

In [[Haiti]], [[Deforestation in Haiti|deforestation]] has long been cited by scientists as a source of ecological crisis; the timber industry dates back to French colonial rule. Haiti has seen a dramatic reduction of forests due to the excessive and increasing use of [[charcoal]] as fuel for cooking. Various media outlets have suggested that the country has just 2% [[forest cover]], but this has not been substantiated by research.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/one-of-the-most-repeated-facts-about-deforestation-in-haiti-is-a-lie/ |title=One of the Most Repeated Facts about Haiti is a Lie |editor=O'Connor, M. R. |date=13 October 2016 |publisher=Vice News}}</ref>

Also extremely important are the rarely mentioned species of ''[[Pinguicula casabitoana]]'' (a carnivorous plant), ''[[Gonocalyx tetraptera]]'', ''[[Gesneria sylvicola]]'', ''[[Lyonia alaini]]'' and ''[[Myrcia saliana]]'', as well as palo de viento (''[[Didymopanax tremulus]]''), jaiqui (''[[Bumelia salicifolia]]''), pino criciolio (''[[Pino criciol]]''), sangre de pollo (''[[Mecranium amigdalinum]]'') and palo santo (''[[Alpinia speciosa]]'').
 
According to reports in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the flora in this naturally protected area consists of 621 species of vascular plants, of which 153 are highly endemic to Hispaniola. The most prominent endemic species of flora that abound in the area are ebano verde (green ebony), ''[[Magnolia pallescens]]'', a highly endangered hardwood.

Recent in-depth studies of satellite imagery and environmental analysis regarding forest classification conclude that Haiti actually has approximately 30% tree cover;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.envirosociety.org/2016/05/haiti-is-covered-with-trees/ |title=Haiti is Covered with Trees |website=EnviroSociety|date=May 19, 2016 |publisher=Tarter, Andrew|access-date=19 May 2016}}</ref> this is, nevertheless, a stark decrease from the country's 60% forest cover in 1925. The country has been significantly deforested over the last 50 years, resulting in the [[desertification]] of many portions of Haiti. Haiti's poor citizens use cooking fires often, and this is a major culprit behind the nation's loss of trees. Haitians use trees as fuel either by burning the wood directly, or by first turning it into charcoal in ovens. Seventy-one percent of all fuel consumed in Haiti is wood or charcoal.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Bright-Green/2010/0120/After-the-earthquake-Haiti-s-deforestation-needs-attention | title=After the earthquake: Haiti's deforestation needs attention | journal=Christian Science Monitor}}</ref> Haiti's government began establishing protected areas across the country in 1968. These 26 areas today represent nearly 7 per cent of the country's land and 1.5 per cent of its waters.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/haiti-communities-take-aim-deforestation | title=In Haiti, communities take aim at deforestation | date=June 3, 2021}}</ref>

In the Dominican Republic, the forest cover has increased. In 2003, the Dominican Republic's forest cover had been reduced to 32% of its land area, but by 2011, forest cover had increased to nearly 40%. The success of the Dominican forest growth is due to several Dominican government policies and private organizations for the purpose of reforesting, and a strong educational campaign that has resulted in increased awareness by the [[People of the Dominican Republic|Dominican people]] of the importance of forests for their welfare and other forms of life on the island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.funglode.org/notice/republica-dominicana-aumenta-su-cobertura-boscosa-a-39-7/|title=República Dominicana aumenta su cobertura boscosa a 39.7% - Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo|access-date=October 27, 2014|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405210925/http://www.funglode.org/notice/republica-dominicana-aumenta-su-cobertura-boscosa-a-39-7/|url-status=dead}}</ref>