Carib and Arawak Indians lived on the island of Hispaniola when Columbus landed in 1492. The oldest settlement by Europeans in the Western hemisphere is Santo Domingo. Columbus' ashes are believed to be in an elaborate tomb in its ancient cathedral. Most of the island was ceded to France in 1795. The island was under the rule of the French, Spanish, and Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitian leader, at various times in its history. The U.S. Marines occupied the country from 1916 to 1924, when a constitutionally elected government was established. The country's stability has been very poor since then with leaders changing often. Finally in 1966 Balaguer won the election but there were charges of fraud in the election. The islands main cash crop, sugar, has been affected by continued depressed world prices. @
