Carte de L’Isle de St. Domingue

Late 18th century map of the island of Hispaniola.

Christopher Columbus first made landfall on the shores of Hispaniola near Mole St. Nicholas, on the island’s northwest coast. The ensuing decades would bring a flood of European colonists interested in spiritual evangelism, the “civilizing mission” and, perhaps most of all, economic gain.

Sugar production was hugely profitable, as both local and imported African slave labor allowed for costs to be kept low. This map shows the island after it was officially partitioned between Spain and France into what would eventually become Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Basic topographic detail is provided along with natural features and numerous place names, concentrated most heavily along the coast. Also included are the islands of Turks and Caicos islands, as well as a portion of southeast Cuba.

Published by Rigobert Bonne in 1780 for inclusion in G.T. Raynal’s Histoire Philosophique et Politique Des Establissements et Du Commerce Des Europeens Dans Les Deux Indes.