Northern part of Catalina Island, with La Romana Province in background |
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Catalina Island, Dominican Republic (Dominican Republic)
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| Geography | |
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| Area | 9.6 km2 (3.71 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 60 ft (18 m) |
| Country | |
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Dominican Republic
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| Province | La Romana |
| Largest city | Playa Punta Melilla (pop. 301) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 301 (as of 2009) |
Catalina Island or Isla Catalina is a tropical island located 1.5 miles from the mainland on the south-east corner of the Dominican Republic, near La Altagracia and La Romana. It is an occasional destination for cruise ships on Caribbean routes. In particular, Costa Cruises has a private beach on the island. Their ships anchor offshore and transport passengers to shore via tender.
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The island itself is only 9.6 square kilometers in size, and is a diverse preservation of eco-systems including sand dunes, mangroves, and reefs. Formed out of coral stone, the island contains three overlapping plateaus. The highest elevation on the island is only 60 feet above sea level. The seas around the Island are rich in wildlife, with many species of birds and tropical marine fish, and there are large areas where natural sandbars offshore bring the depth to just a few feet.
The island was baptized "Santa Catalina" by Christopher Columbus, who visited it in May, 1494.
On December 13, 2007, the shipwreck of a 17th century merchant vessel was found at a depth of three meters just off the island. It is possibly William Kidd's Quedagh Merchant, also known as the Cara Merchant, according to Kidd's original testimony during his trial prior to his hanging on May 23, 1701.