Possible Clues:

• Western half of Hispaniola
• The world's first independent black republic
• 1492 landfall
• Papa Doc's domain
• Caribbean island sharer
• Smash hit enthralling an island republic
• About one-third of Hispaniola, areawise
• Poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere
• West Indies country, capital Port-au-Prince
• Wyclef's birthplace