Île à Vache
Encyclopedia
Île à Vache is a small island lying off the south-west peninsula of Haiti
near the town of Les Cayes
. Administratively it is part of the Sud Department
. It is about 8 miles (12.9 km) long, 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, with an area of 20 square miles (51.8 km²). The western end of the island is up to 150 metres (492.1 ft) high and rolling with several small swamp
s in the valleys; while the eastern section is swampy, and has a lagoon
with one of the largest mangrove
forests in Haiti. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in Haiti and it has some of the best island scenery in the Caribbean
. The population of the island is somewhere between 10,000-15,000 inhabitants. There are two tourist resorts on the island, the Port Morgan and Abaka Bay.
as part of Hispaniola
, the first landing site of Christopher Columbus
in 1492, and for the next two centuries it was known by its Spanish name, Isla Vaca.
Port Morgan is named for the pirate captain Henry Morgan
(c.1635–1688) for whom the little island served as a frequent base of operations. Morgan planned and staged many of his largest raids from Isla Vaca and in 1676 he narrowly survived a costly shipwreck on its shore: Morgan's ship Jamaica Merchant sank with a full complement of cannon which the pirate had been bringing to bolster his presence at Port Royal
.
In 1697 the island of Hispaniola was formally divided between Spain and France in the Treaty of Ryswick
which ended the Nine Years War. France assumed control of the western half of the island, Haiti, and Isla Vaca took on its current name, Île à Vache.
In 1863, during the American Civil War
, the island's owner Bernard Kock offered to resettle freed black slaves from the United States
. Despite support from President Abraham Lincoln
, funding never materialized, and the first attempt to set up the colony failed in a matter of months.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
near the town of Les Cayes
Les Cayes
Les Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
. Administratively it is part of the Sud Department
Sud Department
Sud is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It has an area of and a population of 745,000 . Its capital is Les Cayes. A large part of the population of Haitians in this department is of mixed race, mulattoes along with other mixtures such as Arabs and East Indians...
. It is about 8 miles (12.9 km) long, 2 miles (3.2 km) wide, with an area of 20 square miles (51.8 km²). The western end of the island is up to 150 metres (492.1 ft) high and rolling with several small swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s in the valleys; while the eastern section is swampy, and has a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
with one of the largest mangrove
Mangrove
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...
forests in Haiti. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in Haiti and it has some of the best island scenery in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. The population of the island is somewhere between 10,000-15,000 inhabitants. There are two tourist resorts on the island, the Port Morgan and Abaka Bay.
History
Île à Vache was originally claimed by the Spanish EmpireSpanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
as part of 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...
, the first landing site of Christopher Columbus
Christopher 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...
in 1492, and for the next two centuries it was known by its Spanish name, Isla Vaca.
Port Morgan is named for the pirate captain Henry Morgan
Henry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
(c.1635–1688) for whom the little island served as a frequent base of operations. Morgan planned and staged many of his largest raids from Isla Vaca and in 1676 he narrowly survived a costly shipwreck on its shore: Morgan's ship Jamaica Merchant sank with a full complement of cannon which the pirate had been bringing to bolster his presence at Port Royal
Port Royal
Port Royal was a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century...
.
In 1697 the island of Hispaniola was formally divided between Spain and France in the Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
which ended the Nine Years War. France assumed control of the western half of the island, Haiti, and Isla Vaca took on its current name, Île à Vache.
In 1863, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the island's owner Bernard Kock offered to resettle freed black slaves from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Despite support from President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, funding never materialized, and the first attempt to set up the colony failed in a matter of months.
External links
- http://1804librarymuseum.org/
- Hope for Haiti: Education and grassroots development in rural Haiti
- http://www.kakokfoundation.org/ileavache.htm
- http://www.ile-a-vache.com/
- Numismondo - Bernard Kock Paper Money