Saona Island () is a tropical island located off off the south-east coast in Dominican Republic's La Altagracia province. It is a government-protected nature reserve and is part of Cotubanamá National Park.
Etymology
Granberry and Vescelius (2004) suggest a
Macorix language etymology for the name
Saona, comparing it with
sa-ona 'full of bats' in the purportedly related
Warao language of the
Orinoco Delta.
(2025). 081735123X, University of Alabama Press. 081735123X
However, it is widely accepted that Christopher Columbus named it after the Italian city of
Savona.
History
Saona has pre-Columbian
and
found at Cueva de Cotubanamá.
The island was known as "Adamanay" by the indigenous
Taino.
The island was baptized "Saona" by Christopher Columbus, who landed on it in May 1494
during his second voyage to the
Americas. Columbus named Michele da Cuneo the first governor of the island.
The name was meant "... to honor Michele da Cuneo, Columbus' friend from Savona."
By 1500, the Tainos on the island provided
Santo Domingo with most of its
cassava.
The island is the site of a series of dating back to the early Spanish control of the island. At least three vessels wrecked on the island due to storm, or piracy.Robert F. Marx (1987). 048625514X, Dover Publications. 048625514X
Saona did not have permanent inhabitants until 1944, when the first buildings were constructed on the island.
Geography
Saona Island is located off the coast of peninsula that comprises the mainland section of the Cotubanamá National Park.
The island itself is and is surrounded by the
Caribbean Sea, with
, and a number of
coral reef ecosystems with a wide marine diversity.
The island itself is covered in white sand.
The northern coast of the island is more rugged, while the southern and western coasts hold the best open beaches on the island.
The island has multiple lagoons including the larger Secucho lagoon located inland and the Canto de la Playa and Las Flamencos lagoons on the southern part of the island.
Flora and fauna
Of the 539 registered species of endemic flora within the Cotubanamá National Park, most of them are found in the diversity of ecosystems on Saona including wild bushes and
, semi-humid and salted forests. Four species of neotropical mangrove are present along the Catuano Channel - red, white, black, and button mangle.
The island also has large
Palm tree forests and lowland
rainforest.
112 species of birds are found on the island,
Saona is the Dominican Republic's most important site for sea turtle nesting.
Municipalities
There are two permanent settlements, the towns of Mano Juan and Catuano. Mano Juan is the only inhabited village on the island. Catuano is the site of a naval base.
The island is powered entirely by renewable energy produced by a solar power plant that provides electricity to the 600 residents of the island.
Economy
Saona Island is one of the key tourist locations in the Dominican Republic with over 1 million visitors per year.
It is the most visited protected area in the Dominican Republic, capturing 45% of the visits to protected areas in 2019.
A secondary economy is based around film production. Films such as (2003) and The Blue Lagoon have been filmed in part on Saona Island.
See also
-
List of islands of the Dominican Republic
External links
