Isla Beata

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Isla Beata
Isla Beata beach
Isla Beata beach
Waters Caribbean Sea
Archipelago Greater Antilles
Geographical location 17 ° 34 '42 "  N , 71 ° 30' 42"  W Coordinates: 17 ° 34 '42 "  N , 71 ° 30' 42"  W
Isla Beata (Dominican Republic)
Isla Beata
length 9 km
width 4 km
surface 27 km²
Highest elevation 42  m
Residents uninhabited
Map from 1888
Map from 1888

Isla Beata is an uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea , south of the island of Hispaniola , part of the Greater Antilles . With an area of ​​27 km², it is the second largest island in the Dominican Republic after Isla Saona and belongs to the municipality of Pedernales in the province of the same name . The triangular-shaped and almost flat island is located about six kilometers southwest of Cabo Beata , the southernmost point of Hispaniola, and is separated from it by the Canal de la Beata . However, it does not yet represent the southernmost territory of the Dominican Republic, as the small island of Alto Velo lies 11.6 kilometers further to the southwest , across the Canal de Alto Velo .

The island was discovered in 1494 on Christopher Columbus ' second trip to Europe and was originally settled by Taíno . Cattle was raised on Isla Beata until the 19th century , mainly to supply Spanish ships with provisions on their way to and from the South American continent. From around 1870 until the 1960s, salt pans were operated on the north coast of the island . In the 1950s, the island served as a prison island for political dissidents under dictator Trujillo . The now uninhabited island is occasionally visited by fishermen. It is part of the Jaragua National Park , the largest protected area in the Caribbean , and is jointly managed by the army and the national park.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lonely Planet , p. 199

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