Commune in the department of Nord, Haiti
Commune in Nord, Haiti
Cap-Haitien
(
French:
[kap
a.isj??]
;
Haitian Creole
:
Kap Ayisyen
; "Haitian Cape"), typically spelled
Cape Haitien
in English and often locally referred to as
Le Cap
,
Okap
or
Au Cap
, is a
commune
of about 274,000 people on the north coast of
Haiti
and capital of the
department
of
Nord
. Previously named
Cap?Francais
(Haitian Creole:
Kap-Franse
; initially
Cap-Francois
[4]
Haitian Creole:
Kap-Franswa
) and
Cap?Henri
(Haitian Creole:
Kap-Enri
) during the rule of
Henri I
, it was historically nicknamed the
Paris of the Antilles
, because of its wealth and sophistication, expressed through its architecture and artistic life.
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
It was an important city during the colonial period, serving as the capital of the French Colony of
Saint-Domingue
from the city's formal foundation in 1711 until 1770 when the capital was moved to
Port-au-Prince
. After the Haitian Revolution, it became the capital of the
Kingdom of Haiti
under King Henri I until 1820.
Cap-Haitien's long history of independent thought was formed in part by its relative distance from Port-au-Prince, the barrier of mountains between it and the southern part of the country, and a history of large African populations. These contributed to making it a legendary incubator of independent movements since slavery times. For instance, from February 5?29, 2004, the city was taken over by militants who opposed the rule of the Haitian president
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
. They eventually created enough political pressure to force him out of office and the country.
Cap-Haitien is near the historic Haitian town of
Milot
, which lies 19 kilometres (12 mi) to the southwest along a gravel road. Milot was Haiti's first capital under the self-proclaimed King
Henri Christophe
, who ascended to power in 1807, three years after Haiti had gained independence from France. He renamed Cap?Francais as Cap?Henri. Milot is the site of his
Sans-Souci Palace
, wrecked by the 1842 earthquake. The
Citadelle Laferriere
, a massive stone fortress bristling with cannons, atop a nearby mountain is eight kilometres (5 mi) away. On clear days, its silhouette is visible from Cap?Haitien.
The small
Cap-Haitien International Airport
, located on the southeast edge of the city, is served by several small domestic airlines. It was patrolled by
Chilean
UN
troops from the "O'Higgins Base" after the
2010 earthquake
. Several hundred UN personnel, including nearby units from
Nepal
and
Uruguay
, are assigned to the city during the 2010-2017 United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (
MINUSTAH
). The airport was the only functioning international airport in the country after the closure of the
Toussaint Louverture International Airport
in
Tabarre
due to gang violence in March 2024. Significant migration from the capital occurred during the
Haitian crisis
, putting strain on infrastructure and on the educational system.
[9]
The destruction in 2020 of Shada 2
[10]
(a slum with 1,500 homes in the southern part of the city) was credited with disrupting gang activity in the former capital.
[9]
History
[
edit
]
The island was occupied for thousands of years by cultures of
indigenous peoples
, who had migrated from present-day Central and South America. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers in the Caribbean began to colonize
Hispaniola
. They adopted the native
Taino
name
Guarico
for the area that is today known as "Cap?Haitien".
[11]
Due to the introduction of new infectious diseases, as well as poor treatment, the indigenous peoples population rapidly declined.
On the nearby coast
Columbus
founded his first community in the New World, the short-lived
La Navidad
. In 1975, researchers found near Cap?Haitien another of the first Spanish towns of Hispaniola: Puerto Real was founded in 1503. It was abandoned in 1578, and its ruins were not discovered until late in the twentieth century.
[12]
The French occupied roughly a third of the island of Hispaniola from the Spanish in the early eighteenth century. They established large
sugar cane
plantations
on the northern plains and imported tens of thousands of African slaves to work them. Cap?Francais became an important port city of the French colonial period and the colony's main commercial centre.
[5]
It served as the capital of the French colony of
Saint-Domingue
from the city's formal founding in 1711 until 1770, when the capital was moved to
Port-au-Prince
on the west coast of the island. After the slave revolution, this was the first capital of the Kingdom of Haiti under King Henri I, when the nation was split apart.
The central area of the city is between the Bay of Cap?Haitien to the east and nearby mountainsides, as well as the
Acul Bay
, to the west; these are increasingly dominated by flimsy urban slums. The streets are generally narrow and arranged in grids. As a legacy of the United States' occupation of Haiti from 1915 to 1934, Cap?Haitien's north?south streets were renamed as single letters (beginning with Rue A, a major avenue) and going to "Q", and its east?west streets with numbers from 1 to 26; the system is not followed outside the central city, where French names predominate. The historic city has numerous markets, churches, and low-rise apartment buildings (of three?four storeys), constructed primarily before and during the U.S. occupation. Much of the infrastructure is in need of repair. Many such buildings have balconies on the upper floors, which overlook the narrow streets below. With people eating outside on the balconies, there is an intimate communal atmosphere during dinner hours.
Economy
[
edit
]
Cap-Haitien is known as the nation's largest center of historic monuments and as such, it is a tourist destination. The bay, beaches and monuments have made it a resort and vacation destination for Haiti's upper classes, comparable to
Petion-Ville
. Cap?Haitien has also attracted more international tourists at times, as it has been isolated from the political instability in the south of the island.
It has a wealth of French colonial architecture, which has been well preserved. During and after the
Haitian Revolution
, many craftsmen from Cap?Haitien, who were
free people of color
, fled to French-controlled
New Orleans
as they were under attack by the mostly African slaves. As a result, the two cities share many similarities in styles of architecture. Especially notable are the
gingerbread houses
lining the city's older streets.
[
citation needed
]
Since 2021, there have been significant electrical outages in Cap Haitien, due in large part to a lack of fuel. Those who can afford it have invested in solar energy.
[13]
[14]
A power plant built in
Caracol
to provide electricity to the Industrial Park reaches as far as
Limonade
30 minutes from downtown Cap Haitien.
[14]
Tourism
[
edit
]
Labadie and other beaches
[
edit
]
The walled
Labadie
(or Labadee) beach resort compound is located ten kilometres (6 mi) to the city's northwest. It serves as a brief stopover for
Royal Caribbean International
(RCI) cruise ships. Major RCI cruise ships dock weekly at Labadie. It is a private resort leased by RCI, which has generated the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986. It employs 300 locals, allows another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and pays the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.
The resort is connected to Cap?Haitien by a mountainous, recently paved road. RCI has built a pier at Labadie, completed in late 2009, capable of servicing the luxury-class large ships.
[15]
Attractions include a Haitian market, numerous beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, and a
zip-line
.
[16]
Cormier Plage is another beach on the way to Labadie, and there are also water taxis from Labadie to other beaches, like Paradis beach. In addition, Belli Beach is a small sandy cove with boats and hotels. Labadie village can be visited from here.
[17]
Vertieres
[
edit
]
Vertieres is the site of the
Battle of Vertieres
, the last and defining battle of the
Haitian Revolution
. On November 18, 1803, the Haitian army led by
Jean-Jacques Dessalines
defeated a French colonial army led by the
Comte de Rochambeau
. The French withdrew their remaining 7,000 troops (many had died from yellow fever and other diseases), and in 1804, Dessalines' revolutionary government declared the independence of Haiti. The revolution had been underway, with some pauses, since the 1790s.
In this last battle for independence, rebel leader Capois La Mort survived all the French bullets that nearly killed him. His horse was killed under him, and his hat fell off, but he kept advancing on the French, yelling, "En avant!" (Go forward!) to his men. He has become renowned as a hero of the revolution. The 18 of November has been widely celebrated since then as a Day of Army and Victory in Haiti.
Citadelle Henry and Sans-Souci Palace
[
edit
]
The
Citadelle Laferriere
, also known as Citadelle Henry, or the Citadelle, is a large mountaintop
fortress
located approximately 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of the city of Cap?Haitien and eight kilometres (5 mi) beyond the town of
Milot
. It is the largest fortress in the Americas, and was listed by UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site
in 1982 along with the nearby
Sans-Souci Palace
. The Citadel was built by
Henry Christophe
, a leader during the Haitian slave rebellion and self-declared King of Northern Haiti, after the country gained its independence from France in 1804. Together with the remains of his
Sans-Souci Palace
, damaged in the 1842 earthquake, Citadelle Henry has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
[18]
Bois Caiman
[
edit
]
Bois Caiman
(
Haitian Creole
:
Bwa Kayiman
), three kilometres (2 mi) south of road RN 1, is the place where
Vodou
rites were performed under a tree at the beginning of the slave revolution. For decades,
maroons
had been terrorizing slaveholders on the northern plains by poisoning their food and water. Makandal is the legendary (and perhaps historical) figure associated with the growing resistance movement. By the 1750s, he had organized the maroons, as well as many people enslaved on plantations, into a secret army. Makandal was murdered (or disappeared) in 1758, but the resistance movement grew.
At Bois Caiman, a maroon leader named
Dutty Boukman
held the first mass antislavery meeting secretly on August 14, 1791. At this meeting, a Vodou ceremony was performed, and all those present swore to die rather than to endure the continuation of slavery on the island. Following the ritual led by Boukman and a
mambo
named
Cecile Fatiman
, the insurrection started on the night of August 22?23, 1791. Boukman was killed in an ambush soon after the revolution began. Jean-Francois was the next leader to follow Dutty Boukman in the uprising of the slaves, the Haitian equivalent of the
storming of the Bastille
in the French Revolution. Slaves burned the plantations and cane fields, and massacred French colonists across the northern plains. They also attacked Cap-Francais and some of the free people of color. Eventually the revolution gained the independence of Haiti from France and freedom for the slaves. The site of Dutty Boukman's ceremony is marked by a
ficus
tree. Adjoining it is a colonial well, which is credited with mystic powers.
Morne Rouge
[
edit
]
Morne Rouge is eight kilometres (5 mi) to the south of Cap. It is the site of the sugar plantation known as "Habitation Le Normand de Mezy", known for several slaves who led the rebellion against the French.
[19]
Disasters
[
edit
]
1842 Cap-Haitien earthquake
[
edit
]
On 7 May 1842, an
earthquake
destroyed most of the city and other towns in the north of Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic. Among the buildings destroyed or significantly damaged was the
Sans-Souci Palace
. Ten thousand people were killed in the
earthquake
.
[20]
Its magnitude is estimated as 8.1 on the Richter scale.
2010 Haiti earthquake
[
edit
]
In the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which destroyed port facilities in Port-au-Prince, the
Port international du Cap-Haitien
was used to deliver relief supplies by ship.
[21]
As the city's infrastructure suffered little damage, numerous businessmen and many residents have moved here from Port-au-Prince. The airport is patrolled by
Chilean
UN
troops since the 2010 earthquake, and several hundred UN personnel have been assigned to the city as part of the ongoing United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (
MINUSTAH
). They are working on recovery throughout the island.
After the earthquake, the port of
Labadee
was demolished and the pier enlarged and completely re-paved with concrete, which now allows larger cruise ships to dock, rather than
tendering
passengers to shore.
Cap-Haitien fuel tanker explosion
[
edit
]
On 14 December 2021, over 75 people were killed when a fuel
tank truck
overturned and later exploded in the Samari neighborhood of Cap-Haitien.
Transportation
[
edit
]
Airports
[
edit
]
Cap-Haitien is served by the
Cap-Haitien International Airport (CAP)
, Haiti's second busiest airport.
[22]
It was a hub for
Salsa d'Haiti
prior to its cessation in 2013.
American Airlines
operated international flights to CAP for a number of years, but canceled their last connection in July, 2020, after the
COVID-19 pandemic
significantly reduced passenger demand. American Airlines was the last major US flight operator to provide service to CAP and thereby Northern Haiti?in July, 2020, Cap-Haitien became only accessible by air travel through limited flights from
Port-au-Prince's
Toussaint Louverture International Airport
.
[23]
Spirit Airlines
, which had previously canceled their service due to political unrest and low demand in 2019, announced in October, 2020 that they would resume limited service to CAP in December of the same year.
[24]
Seaport
[
edit
]
The
Port international du Cap-Haitien
is Cap-Haitien's main
seaport
.
USAID
financed $24 million of works to renovate the port beginning in May 2024.
[25]
Roads
[
edit
]
The
Route Nationale#1
connects Cap-Haitien with the Haitian capital city Port-au-Prince via the cities of
Saint-Marc
and
Gonaives
.
The
Route Nationale#3
also connects Cap-Haitien with Port-au-Prince via the
Central Plateau
and the cities of
Mirebalais
and
Hinche
.
Cap-Haitien has one of the best grid systems in Haiti with its north?south streets were renamed as single letters (beginning with Rue A, a major avenue), and its east?west streets with numbers.
The
Boulevard du Cap-Haitian
(also called the Boulevard Carenage) is Cap?Haitien's main
boulevard
that runs along the Atlantic Ocean in the northern part of the city.
Public transportation
[
edit
]
Cap-Haitien is served by
tap tap
and local taxis or motorcycles.
Health
[
edit
]
Cap Haitien is served by the teaching hospital:
Hopital Universitaire Justinien
.
Education
[
edit
]
A union of four Catholic Church private schools have been present for two decades in Cap?Haitien. They have higher-level grades, equivalent to the lycees that feed the Ecoles Normale Superieure in France. They have high standards of academic excellence, selectivity in
admissions
, and generally their students come from the social and economic elite. Also, the lycee Philippe Guerrier that was built in 1844 by the Haitian President, Philippe Guerrier, has been a fountain of knowledge for more than a century.
- College Notre-Dame du Perpetuel Secours des Peres de Sainte-Croix
- College Regina Assumpta des Sœurs de Sainte-Croix
- Ecole des Freres de l'instruction Chretienne
- Ecole Saint Joseph de Cluny des Sœurs Anne-Marie Javoue
- Lycee Philippe Guerrier built by the Haitian President, Philippe Guerrier in 1844.
Universities
[
edit
]
Cap Haitien is home to the Cap-Haitien Faculty of Law, Economics and, Management; the Public University of the North in Cap Haitien (UPNCH). The new
Universite Roi Henry Christophe
is nearby in
Limonade
.
Sport
[
edit
]
Cap Haitien has the
Parc Saint-Victor
home of three major league teams:
Football Inter Club Association
,
AS Capoise
, and
Real du Cap
.
Communal sections
[
edit
]
The commune consists of three
communal sections
, namely:
- Bande du Nord
, urban (part of the commune of Cap-Haitien) and rural
- Haut du Cap
, urban (part of the commune of Cap-Haitien) and rural
- Petit Anse
, urban (commune of Petit Anse) and rural
Notable natives
[
edit
]
- Pierre Nord Alexis
(1820 ? 1910),
President of Haiti
, 1902-1908.
- Tancrede Auguste
(1856 ? 1913), the 20th
President of Haiti
, 1912-1913.
- Etienne Chavannes
(born 1939) 1939), a Haitian painter of crowd scenes
- Tyrone Edmond
, Haitian-born model.
- Fred Joseph Jr, Haitian-born philanthropist. Founder and president of Help Us Save Us Non-Profit Organization.
[26]
- Yolette Levy
(1938-2018), Haitian-born Canadian politician and activist
- Lewis Page Mercier
(1820?1875), Haitian educator and educator
- Alfred Auguste Nemours
(1883?1955), military historian and diplomat
- Philome Obin
(1892?1986), artist and painter
- Leonel Saint-Preux
(born 1985), footballer, played 41 games for
Haiti
- Ulrick Pierre-Louis, founder of orchestre Septentrional
- Bruny Surin
(born 1967), track and field runner, Olympic medallist, lives in Canada
- Mike Bellot, Haitian entrepreneur
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
-
Hotel de Ville
(City Hall), site of the City Council, Cap-Haitien.
-
A cruise ship at Labadie.
Television
[
edit
]
- Tele Venus Ch 5
- Tele Paradis Ch 16
[27]
- Chaine 6
- Chaine 7
- Chaine 11
- Tele Capoise Ch 8
- Tele Africa Ch 12
[28]
- HMTV Ch 20
- Tele Union Ch 22
- Tele Apocalypse Ch 24
- Television Nationale d'Haiti Ch 4
[29]
Radio stations
[
edit
]
- Bon Dejeuner! Radio
, an internet radio station in
Haiti
, broadcasting from
Cap-Haitien
.
- Radyo Atlantik, 92.5 FM
[30]
- Radio 4VEH (4VEF), 840 AM
[31]
- Radio 4VEH, 94.7 FM
[31]
- Radio 7 FM, 92.7 FM
[32]
- Radio Cap-Haitien
- Radio Citadelle, 91.1 FM
- Radio Etincelle
- Radio Gamma, 99.7 (based in Fort-Liberte)
[33]
- Radio Lumiere
, 98.1 FM
[34]
- Radio Mega, 103.7 FM
- Radio Sans-Souci FM, 106.9 FM
- Radio VASCO, 93.7 FM
[35]
- Radio Venus FM, 104.3 FM
- Sans Souci FM, 106.9
[36]
- Voix de l'Ave Maria, 98.5 FM
- Voix du Nord, 90.3 FM
- Radio Intermix, 93.1 FM: La Reference Radio en Haiti # 1
- Radio Paradis
[37]
- Radio Nirvana, 97.3 FM
[38]
- Radio Hispaniola
- Radio Maxima, 98.1.FM
[39]
- Radio Voix de l'ile, 94.5 FM
[40]
- Radio Digital, 101.3 FM
[41]
- Radio Oxygene, 103.3 FM
[42]
- Radio Passion, 101.7 FM Haiti
[43]
- Radio City Inter Haiti
- La Radio de l'education
- Radio Multivers FM Cap haitien
- Toujours plus hauts
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Institut Haitien de Statistique et d'Informatique
(IHSI)
- ^
Sister Cities International
Archived
September 21, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Portland's Sister Cities - Portland, ME"
.
portlandmaine.gov
.
- ^
Clammer, Paul, ed. (2012).
Haiti
. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 177.
ISBN
978-1-84162-415-0
.
- ^
a
b
Knight, Franklin W.; Liss, Peggy K. (1991).
Atlantic Port Cities: Economy, Culture, and Society in the Atlantic World, 1650?1850
. Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 91.
ISBN
9780870496578
.
- ^
King, Stewart R. (2001).
Blue Coat or Powdered Wig: Free People of Color in Pre?revolutionary Saint Domingue
. University of Georgia Press. p. 23.
ISBN
9780820342351
.
- ^
Kuss, Malena (2007).
Music in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Encyclopedic History
. University of Texas Press. p. 254.
ISBN
9780292784987
.
- ^
Clammer, Paul; Grosberg, Michael; Porup, Jens (2008).
Dominican Republic & Haiti
. Country Guide Series. Lonely Planet. p.
331
.
ISBN
978-1-74104-292-4
.
- ^
a
b
Coto, Dnica (2024-04-20).
"Haiti's former capital seeks to revive its hey-day as gang violence consumes Port-au-Prince"
.
Independent
.
- ^
Maxineau, Gerard (2020-06-17).
"Demolition de Shada 2 au Cap-Haitien, bastion du gang ≪ Ajivit ≫"
.
Le Nouvelliste
.
- ^
Mackenzie, Charles (1830).
Notes on Haiti: Made During a Residence in that Republic
. Vol. 1. p. 152.
- ^
Florida Museum of Natural History,
Puerto Real
.
- ^
peralta, Eyder (2024-04-18).
"A portrait of Haitians trying to survive without a government"
.
NPR
.
- ^
a
b
Jameson Francisque (2022-06-09).
"La ville du Cap-Haitien plongee dans le noir depuis six mois"
.
Ayibo Post
.
- ^
"Labadie"
. Expedia.com
. Retrieved
2007-08-02
.
- ^
"Labadie"
.
The Washington Post
. 2007-01-21
. Retrieved
2007-08-02
.
- ^
Cameron, p. 406
- ^
"Citadelle Henry"
, UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- ^
Cameron, p. 409
- ^
Prepetit, Claude (9 October 2008),
"Tremblements de terre en Haiti, mythe ou realite ?"
(PDF)
,
Le Matin
, vol. 33082
[
permanent dead link
]
, quoting
Moreau de Saint-Mery, Mederic Louis Elie
,
Description topographique, physique, civile, politique et historique de la partie francaise de l'Ile Saint Domingue
and
J. M. Jan, bishop of Cap-Haitien (1972),
Documentation religieuse
, Editions Henri Deschamps
.
"Cap-Haitian Earthquake of May 7, 1842"
. Archived from the original on 2011-12-21
. Retrieved
2011-09-28
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
Thompson, Ginger; Cave, Damien (16 January 2010).
"Officials Strain to Distribute Aid to Haiti as Violence Rises - NYTimes.com"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Haiti renames airport for Hugo Chavez"
.
The Big Story
. Archived from
the original
on 15 July 2015
. Retrieved
6 June
2015
.
- ^
Charles, Jacqueline (July 1, 2020).
"American Airlines reduces service to Haiti, cancels Miami-Cap-Haitien route"
.
Miami Herald
.
- ^
Inc, Spirit Airlines (2020-10-01).
"Spirit Airlines to Restore Flights to Cap-Haitien, Re-Activate Region's Only Nonstop Service to U.S."
GlobeNewswire News Room
(Press release)
. Retrieved
2020-11-19
.
- ^
Senat, Jean Daniel (2024-04-12).
"Vers la rehabilitation du port international du Cap-Haitien"
.
Le Nouvelliste
(in French).
- ^
Help Us Save Us
- ^
"Radio Tele Pardadis"
.
www.radioteleparadis.com
.
- ^
"Home"
.
radioteleafrica.com
.
- ^
Index of /
Archived
February 17, 2015, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"AtLanTikHaiti.com"
.
www.atlantikhaiti.com
.
- ^
a
b
"Radio 4VEH - La Voix Evangelique d'Haiti"
.
www.radio4veh.org
. Archived from
the original
on 2008-05-15
. Retrieved
2008-06-10
.
- ^
"Tele7 - Portada"
.
www.tele7.com
.
- ^
Radio Gamma fm, 99.7 MHz - Bienvenue
Archived
December 4, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Radio Lumiere - Home"
.
www.radiolumiere.org
.
- ^
"Radio Vasco"
. Archived from
the original
on 2008-05-17
. Retrieved
2008-06-10
.
- ^
Sans Souci FM
Archived
2008-06-19 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Radio Tele Pardadis"
.
www.radioteleparadis.com
.
- ^
"Welcome radionirvanafm.com - BlueHost.com"
.
www.radionirvanafm.com
.
- ^
[1]
"Radio Maxima 98.1 Fm"
. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014
. Retrieved
January 15,
2014
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ^
[2]
"Lavpoix de l'ile"
. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014
. Retrieved
January 15,
2014
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ^
Noel, Jackendy R.
"Radio Tele Digital 101.3 FM Haiti, Musique, Actualites, Interview, Infos, Foot-ball, Education, Culture"
.
radioteledigital.fr.ht
.
- ^
[3]
"Radio Oxygene Cap-Haitien - ACCEUIL"
. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014
. Retrieved
January 15,
2014
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ^
"Radio Passion Haiti :: Sport Haiti, Actualites Haiti, Economie Haiti, Sante Haiti, Meteo Haiti, Politique Haiti, Culture Haiti"
.
References
[
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]
External links
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]
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