Beata Island
Encyclopedia
Beata Island is a small island
on the Caribbean Sea
, located 7 km southwest from cape Beata, the southernmost point of the island Hispaniola
. Some 12 km SW of it lies the smaller Alto Velo Island
. It is part of the Dominican Republic
and is roughly triangle-shaped and fairly flat, with an approximate area of 27 km².
' second voyage
, was apparently frequently inhabited by Taíno
natives, a testament of which are several very large piles of conch (Strombus gigas
), on which they regularly fed. Archaeologists have found remains of a Taíno settlement that may have been inhabited by as many as 800 inhabitants.
During the colonial era, Spaniards kept cattle on the island (which roamed ferally up into the late 1800s) to supply their ships on way to the mainland of the continent. Its strategic position and provisions made Beata the scene of several skirmishes in which Spanish vessels were attacked by pirates and corsairs based and sailing from Tortue Island.
In the 1870s a government concession allowed some private entrepreneurs to mine salt pans
on the Northern coast, from which salt was extracted up to the 1960s.
swamps on parts of the North shore, sandy coves and beaches on the West coast. Most of the interior of the island is covered by various subtypes of xeric semi-deciduous
limestone forests. Geologically, the island is basically made out of limestone, the erosion of which causes very jagged surfaces on exposed rocks (called diente de perro or dogtooth), and several sinkholes and cenote
s. Beata Island is currently unhabitated, save for short stays by fishermen from the mainland.
and Alsophis anomalus. Numerous species of shorebirds, both migratory and resident, frequent the island.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
on the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, located 7 km southwest from cape Beata, the southernmost point of the island Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. Some 12 km SW of it lies the smaller Alto Velo Island
Alto Velo Island
Alto Velo Island is an island located atop a crest, about 152 metres above sea level. One of the tips of the underwater mountain range of the Beata Island runs throughout the...
. It is part of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and is roughly triangle-shaped and fairly flat, with an approximate area of 27 km².
History
The island, discovered by Europeans in 1494 during ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
' second voyage
Voyages of Christopher Columbus
In the early modern period, the voyages of Columbus initiated European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great significance in world history. Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an admiral for Castile, a country that later founded modern Spain...
, was apparently frequently inhabited by Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
natives, a testament of which are several very large piles of conch (Strombus gigas
Strombus gigas
Lobatus gigas, commonly known as the queen conch, is a species of large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family of true conchs, the Strombidae...
), on which they regularly fed. Archaeologists have found remains of a Taíno settlement that may have been inhabited by as many as 800 inhabitants.
During the colonial era, Spaniards kept cattle on the island (which roamed ferally up into the late 1800s) to supply their ships on way to the mainland of the continent. Its strategic position and provisions made Beata the scene of several skirmishes in which Spanish vessels were attacked by pirates and corsairs based and sailing from Tortue Island.
In the 1870s a government concession allowed some private entrepreneurs to mine salt pans
Salt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...
on the Northern coast, from which salt was extracted up to the 1960s.
Geography
The landscape is somewhat varied, with mangroveMangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
swamps on parts of the North shore, sandy coves and beaches on the West coast. Most of the interior of the island is covered by various subtypes of xeric semi-deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
limestone forests. Geologically, the island is basically made out of limestone, the erosion of which causes very jagged surfaces on exposed rocks (called diente de perro or dogtooth), and several sinkholes and cenote
Cenote
A cenote is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole, characteristic of Mexico and Central America, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath...
s. Beata Island is currently unhabitated, save for short stays by fishermen from the mainland.
Fauna
Fauna of the island includes several notable species of land birds, like Microligea palustris and Columba leucocephala, and reptiles like the Rhinoceros iguanaRhinoceros Iguana
The Rhinoceros Iguana is a threatened species of lizard in the family Iguanidae that is primarily found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They vary in length from 61 to 137 cm and skin colors range from a steely gray to a dark green...
and Alsophis anomalus. Numerous species of shorebirds, both migratory and resident, frequent the island.