It never occurred to me that Cuba and Hispaniola are virtually identical. I didn’t know they were only separated by about 50 miles, either:
With President Barack Obama easing a five-decade-old embargo on Cuba, no nation in the Caribbean has more at risk than the Dominican Republic, the region’s biggest economy. Every U.S. tourist that visits a Cuban beach undermines the country’s position as the region’s top destination. Each time a Major League Baseball franchise holds out to sign a Cuban prospect means less cash for Dominican players, the largest single contingent of foreign-born players in the big leagues.
“The Cubans produce the same things that we produce,” said Arturo Martinez Moya, a former economist at the central bank who authored “Dominican Economic Growth: 1844-1950.” “Their development will be based on the same sectors as ours because we live on two identical islands.”
The island of Hispaniola, home to both the Dominican Republic and Haiti, is just 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the east coast of Cuba, separated by the Windward Passage. The former Spanish colonies both have populations of about 11 million people and a topography marked by mountain ranges, fertile lowlands and white-sand beaches.
Of course, Cuba has a Bay of Pigs. And a Bay of Guantanamo.
