A Postcard from the West Indies: Dominican Republic

Postcard

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.

The Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba).

Christopher COLUMBUS explored and claimed the island on his first voyage in 1492; it became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland.

After three centuries of Spanish rule, with French and Haitian interludes, the country became independent in 1821.

Stamp

From a set of two stamps about saving energy (2006)