Place:Port-au-Prince

From HandWiki

Port-au-Prince (/ˌpɔːrt oʊ ˈprɪns/ PORT oh PRINSS; fr; Haitian Creole: Pòtoprens, ht) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894.[1] The metropolitan area is defined by the IHSI as including the communes of Port-au-Prince, Delmas, Cité Soleil, Tabarre, Carrefour, and Pétion-Ville.

The city of Port-au-Prince is on the Gulf of Gonâve: the bay on which the city lies, which acts as a natural harbor, has sustained economic activity since the civilizations of the Taíno. It was first incorporated under French colonial rule in 1749. The city's layout is similar to that of an amphitheater; commercial districts are near the water, while residential neighborhoods are located on the hills above. Its population is difficult to ascertain due to the rapid growth of slums in the hillsides above the city; however, recent estimates place the metropolitan area's population at around 3.7 million, nearly a third of the country's national population.[2] The city was catastrophically affected by a massive earthquake in 2010,[3] with large numbers of structures damaged or destroyed. Haiti's government estimated the death toll to be 230,000.[4] Gang violence is extensive, and kidnappings, massacres, and gang rapes are common occurrences, often with the complicity of police officers and politicians.[5]

Etymology

Port-au-Prince literally means "Prince's Port", but it is unclear which prince was the honoree. A theory is that the place is named after Le Prince, a ship captained by de Saint-André which arrived in the area in 1706. However, the islets in the bay had already been known as les îlets du Prince as early as 1680, predating the ship's arrival.[6] Furthermore, the port and the surrounding region continued to be known as Hôpital, named after the filibusters' hospital.[7]

French colonial commissioner Étienne Polverel named the city Port-Républicain on 23 September 1793 "in order that the inhabitants be kept continually in mind of the obligations which the French Revolution imposed on them". It was later renamed back to Port-au-Prince by Jacques I, Emperor of Haiti.[8]


History

Taino Period

The Port-au-Prince area was part of the Xaragua chiefdom with the capital city, Yaguana being in Léoganes. There were multiple Taino settlements in the area such as Bohoma and Guahaba. It is understood that most of the plain area was used as hunting grounds. The Bahoruco mountain range in the north-east of Port-au-Prince was the scene of a Taino rebellion led by Enriquillo resulting in a treaty with the Spanish.

Spanish colonization

Prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus, the island of Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taíno people, who arrived in approximately 2600 BC in large dugout canoes. They are believed to come primarily from what is now eastern Venezuela. By the time Columbus arrived in 1492 AD, the region was under the control of Bohechio, Taíno cacique (chief) Xaragua.[9] He, like his predecessors, feared settling too close to the coast; such settlements would have proven to be tempting targets for the Caribs, who lived on neighboring islands. Instead, the region served as a hunting ground. The population of the region was approximately 400,000 at the time, but the Taínos were gone within 30 years of the arrival of the Spaniards.[10]

With the arrival of the Spaniards, the Amerindians were forced to accept a protectorate, and Bohechio, childless at death, was succeeded by his sister, Anacaona, wife of the cacique Caonabo. The Spanish insisted on larger tributes.[11] Eventually, the Spanish colonial administration decided to rule directly, and in 1503, Nicolas Ovando, then governor, set about to put an end to the régime headed by Anacaona. He invited her and other tribal leaders to a feast, and when the Amerindians had drunk a good deal of wine (the Spaniards did not drink on that occasion), he ordered most of the guests killed. Anacaona was spared, only to be hanged publicly some time later. Through violence, introduced diseases and murders, the Spanish settlers decimated the native population.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".


Education

Port-au-Prince various educational institutions, ranging from small vocational schools to universities. Influential international schools in Port-au-Prince include Union School,[32] founded in 1919, and Quisqueya Christian School,[33] founded in 1974. Both schools offer an American-style pre-college education. French-speaking students can attend the Lycée Français (Lycée Alexandre Dumas), located in Bourdon. Another school is Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School north west of Port-au-Prince which opened its doors in 1980[34] which survived the 2010 Haiti earthquake[35] and its staff were cooperating in relief efforts and sharing space and support with neighbors.[36]

A clinic was run at the school by a medical team from the United States and Canada.[37] Its classes offered transition from Haitian Creole to the French language but also a secondary language in English.[38] [[University of Haiti|The [[[[State University of Haiti]]]]]] (Université d'État d'Haïti in French or UEH), is located within the capital along other universities such as the Quisqueya University and the Université des Caraïbes. There are many other institutions that observe the Haitian scholastic program. Many of them are religious academies led by foreign missionaries from France or Canada. These include Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague, École Sainte-Rose-de-Lima, École Saint-Jean-Marie Vianney, Institution du Sacré-Coeur, and Collège Anne-Marie Javouhey.

The Ministry of Education is also located in downtown Port-au-Prince at the Palace of Ministries, adjacent to the National Palace in the Champ de Mars plaza.

The Haitian Group of Research and Pedagogical Activities (GHRAP) has set up several community centers for basic education. UNESCO's office at Port-au-Prince has taken a number of initiates in upgrading the educational facilities in Port-au-Prince.

Crime

A 2012 independent study found that the murder rate in Port-au-Prince was 60.9 murders per 100,000 residents in February 2012.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". In the 22 months after the end of the President Aristide era in 2004, the murder rate for Port-au-Prince reached a high of 219 murders per 100,000 residents per year.[39]

High-crime zones in the Port-au-Prince area include Croix-des-Bouquets, Cité Soleil, Carrefour, Bel Air, Martissant, the port road (Boulevard La Saline), urban route Nationale 1, the airport road (Boulevard Toussaint-Louverture) and its adjoining connectors to the New ("American") Road via Route Nationale 1. This latter area in particular has been the scene of numerous robberies, carjackings, and murders.[40]

In the Bel Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, the murder rate reached 50 murders per 100,000 residents at the end of 2011, up from 19 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Lola Castro, Regional Director of the UN World Food Programme, described Port-au-Prince as "one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman."[41]

Transportation

Roads

All of the major transportation systems in Haiti are located near or run through the capital. The northern highway, Route Nationale #1 (National Highway One), originates in Port-au-Prince. The southern highway, Route Nationale #2, also runs through Port-au-Prince. Maintenance for these roads lapsed after the 1991 coup, prompting the World Bank to lend US$50 million designated for road repairs. The project was canceled in January 1999, however, after auditors revealed corruption. A third major highway, the Route Nationale #3, was built in successive sections up to the late 2010s, receiving support from the European Union.[42][43] It connects Port-au-Prince to the central plateau and Cap-Haïtien. As of 2020, this highway was described as highly used, but also as a focal point of armed robberies.[44]

Public transportation

Seaport

The seaport, Port international de Port-au-Prince, has more registered shipping than any of the over dozen ports in the country. The port's facilities include cranes, large berths, and warehouses, but these facilities are in universally poor shape. The port is underused,{{Citation needed|reason="underused" is pov, needing a strong outside citation|date= an Republic]].Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Airports

See also

  • Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone
  • Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24". – a ship from the Age of Sail

References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named IHSI
  2. ↑ "Urbanres.net". http://www.urbanres.net/docs/ToR-cityWidePlanning-Haiti_final.pdf. 
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ "Haiti Raises Earthquake's Death Toll to 230,000". Associated Press. 2010-02-09. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9790622. 
  5. ↑ "Haiti: Inside the capital city taken hostage by brutal gangs" , by Orla Guerin, The Independent, 5 December 2022 (retrieved same date).
  6. ↑ Janvier, Louis-Joseph (1883) (in fr). La république d'Haïti et ses visiteurs. Marpon et Flammarion. p. 66. https://books.google.com/books?id=tAsWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA66. "« Le nom de la ville [...] lui vient d'un vaisseau nommé le Prince, qui mouilla dans la baie en 1706. » [...] C'est inexact. [...] les îlets qui sont dans la rade de Port-au-Prince portaient authentiquement le nom d'Îlets du Prince dès 1680, c'est-à-dire 26 ans avant que le navire le Prince, commandé par M. de Saint-André, ne fût venu prendre named le Prince, which anchored in the bay in 1706.' [...] This is inaccurate. [...] The islets in the harbour of Port-au-Prince in fact had been named Îlets du Prince in 1680, which was 26 years before Mr. de Saint-André's ship le Prince even anchored in the harbour."" 
  7. ↑ Moreau de Saint-Méry, M. L.-É. (1876) (in fr). Description topographique, physique, civile, politique et historique de la partie française de l'île Saint-Dominge. 3. L. Guérin. p. 348. https://books.google.com/books?id=6c84AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA348. "la désignation du point où les flibustiers avaient formé un hôpital pour eux." 
    ≈ "The naming of the spot where filibusters had founded a hospital for themselves."
  8. ↑ Jacques Nicolas Léger, Haiti: Her History and Her Detractors (The Neale Pub. Co., 1907), page 66
  9. ↑ Accilien, Cécile; Adams, Jessica; Méléance, Elmide; Jean-Pierre, Ulrick (2006). Revolutionary freedoms: a history of survival, strength and imagination in Haiti. Coconut Creek, Florida: Caribbean Studies Press. pp. 19–23. ISBN 1-58432-293-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=O-p7qRKl_G0C&q=Bohechio+Haiti&pg=PA19. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  10. ↑ Gorry, Conner; Miller, Debra (1 October 2005). Caribbean Islands. Lonely Planet. pp. 245–246. ISBN 1-74104-055-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=JJObOeOb0wEC&q=port-au-prince+climate&pg=PA245. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  11. ↑ Wilson, Samuel M. (1990). Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus. University of Alabama Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-8173-0462-1. "The events of 1494 and early 1495 ultimately precipitated a collective and violent reaction from Indians in the western Vega. Colón took this as an opportunity to subjugate the island brutally and to establish a tribute system through which gold and food could be collected from the Indians in greater quantity." 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Michael R. Hall (2012). Historical Dictionary of Haiti. Scarecrow Press. pp. 210–211. ISBN 9780810875494. https://books.google.com/books?id=2mJB8hZzjxIC. Retrieved 2018-06-28. 
  13. ↑ "The Haitian Revolution". http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dgeggus/htnrevn.htm. 
  14. ↑ Madiou, Thomas (1847) (in French). Histoire d'Haïti, Tome I. pp. 186–188. https://books.google.com/books?id=vN4CAAAAYAAJ&q=Histoire+d'Haiti,+Volume+1+Par+Thomas+Madiou&pg=PA363. 
  15. ↑ "Haïti — séisme : les principaux bâtiments publics effondrés lors du séisme" (in fr). Haiti Press Network. 30 January 2010. http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=13327. 
  16. ↑ CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, 18 January 2010
  17. ↑ New York Times, "Devastation, Seen From a Ship" , Eric Lipton, 13 January 2010 (accessed 15 January 2010)
  18. ↑ Bhatt, Aishwarya (2010-01-13). "Presidential Palace Ruined in the Earthquake. Over 200,000 dead"
  19. ↑ Roig-Franzia, Manuel (2010-01-20). "Shattered city government in quake-ravaged Port-au-Prince in need of help itself". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011904614.html?hpid=topnews. 
  20. ↑ "Trapped Haitian Girl Dies Despite Rescue Effort". New York Times. Associated Press. 2010-01-14. https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/14/world/AP-CB-Haiti-Trapped-Alive.html. 
  21. ↑ "Hurricane Matthew makes landfall on impoverished Haiti". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/04/haitis-impoverished-villages-brace-matthew/91519806/. 
  22. ↑ "Port-Au-Prince, Haiti". Climate & Temperature. http://www.haiti.climatemps.com/. 
  23. ↑ "Climate-data". Climate-data.org. https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/haiti/departement-de-l-ouest/port-au-prince-3571//. 
  24. ↑ "Biggest Cities Haiti". http://www.geonames.org/HT/largest-cities-in-haiti.html. 
  25. ↑ "Centre Hospitalier du Sacré-Cœur". http://wikimapia.org/13381534/Centre-Hospitalier-du-Sacre-Coeur-CDTI. 
  26. ↑ "Project Medishare For Haiti – Saving Lives, Rebuilding Hope | Project Medishare". http://projectmedishare.org/. 
  27. ↑ Torres, Jose A. (2010-07-18). "Lack of funds force hospital to shut down". http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100718/NEWS01/7180333/1006/Lack+of+funds+forces+hospital+to+shut+down. 
  28. ↑ Monson, Thomas. "3 new LDS temples to be built in Ivory Coast, Haiti and Thailand, President Monson says". http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865625790/3-new-LDS-temples-to-be-built-in-Ivory-Coast-Haiti-and-Thailand-President-Monson-says.html?pg=all. 
  29. ↑ Evans Braziel, Jana (2017). Riding with Death, Vodou Art and Urban Ecology in the Streets of Port-au-Prince. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 56. ISBN 9781496812759. 
  30. ↑ "Lucsonne Janvier est nommé à la tête de la Mairie de Port-au-Prince" (in fr). Haiti Standard. 8 July 2020. https://haitistandard.com/lucsonne-janvier-est-nomme-a-la-tete-de-la-mairie-de-port-au-prince/. 
  31. ↑ Arnault, Veron; Sanon, Yasmine (24 January 2023). "Des employés de la Mairie de Port-au-Prince réclament leur salaire" (in fr). Le National. https://www.lenational.org/post_article.php?pol=3090. 
  32. ↑ "Haiti, Port-au-Prince: Union School". Office of Overseas Schools. United States Department of State. 2007-10-26. https://2001-2009.state.gov/m/a/os/1550.htm. 
  33. ↑ "Quisqueya Christian School". Quisqueya Christian School. http://www.quisqueya.org. 
  34. ↑ "About The School". Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School. Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School. https://www.angelfire.com/ct/zunuzischool/#about. 
  35. ↑ Thimm, Hans J., ed (2010). "Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School". Facebook. http://www.group.php?v=wall&gid=155485740573. 
  36. ↑ "New Events and Updates". Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support; Anis Zunuzi School. Mona Foundation. 2009. http://www.monafoundation.org/news-events.htm. 
  37. ↑ "Amid wreckage in Haiti, new birth brings hope". Bahá'í World News Service (Bahá'i International Community). 5 February 2010. http://news.bahai.org/story/755. 
  38. ↑ "Development: A look at programs around the world; Americas; Agriculture and forestry;". Baháʼí News (682): 4. January 1987. ISSN 0195-9212. http://www.teachingandprojects.com/meansandmaterials.htm. 
  39. ↑ "Kolbe: Political and Social Marginalization Behind Increases in Crime", Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch , Center for Economic and Policy Research, 22 March 2012.
  40. ↑ "Haiti: Country-Specific Information". U.S. Department of State (4 December 2014). Accessed 12 April 2015. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain..
  41. ↑ "The world has the tools to end Haiti's crisis – it's time to use them | UN News" (in en). 2025-08-12. https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165635. 
  42. ↑ Duhau, Isabelle; Davoigneau, Jean (2018). "Cap-Haïtien versus Jacmel, essai sur la ville en Haïti". Études caribéennes (fr) 39-40. doi:10.4000/etudescaribeennes.12835. https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/12835. Retrieved 4 October 2025. 
  43. ↑ "Le Président de la République Jovenel Moïse et l'ambassadeur de l'Union européenne Vincent Degert visitent les chantiers de la Route Nationale 3 financés par l'Union européenne". 9 March 2018. https://www.eeas.europa.eu/node/41137_en. 
  44. ↑ Fontal, Louiny (20 March 2020). "La Route nationale numéro 3: un repaire des bandits". https://www.lemiroirinfo.ca/la-route-nationale-numero-3-un-repaire-des-bandits. 

Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Bibliography

Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".

Template:List of North American capitals Template:2010 Haiti earthquake Template:Communes of Haiti


Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter has terminated with signal "24".


Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Place:Port-au-Prince&oldid=4105624"