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Cap-Haïtien
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Cap-Haïtien (Okap or Kapayisyen in Kréyòl) is a city of about 130,000 people on the north coast of Haiti. It is the capital of the Nord department. Founded during French colonial rule, the city was originally named Cap-Français. It adopted its present name following the country's independence in 1804.
The central area of the city is located between the Bay of Cap-Haïtien to the east, and nearby mountainsides to the west, which are increasingly dominated by flimsy urban slums. The streets are generally narrow and arranged in grids.
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Encyclopedia
Cap-Haïtien (Okap or Kapayisyen in Kréyòl) is a city of about 130,000 people on the north coast of Haiti. It is the capital of the Nord department. Founded during French colonial rule, the city was originally named Cap-Français. It adopted its present name following the country's independence in 1804.
The central area of the city is located between the Bay of Cap-Haïtien to the east, and nearby mountainsides to the west, which are increasingly dominated by flimsy urban slums. The streets are generally narrow and arranged in grids. As a legacy of the U.S. occupation of Haïti from 1915–1934, Cap-Haïtien's north-south streets were renamed as single letters (beginning with Rue A, a major avenue), and its east-west streets with numbers. This system breaks down outside of the central city, which is itself dominated by numerous markets, churches, and low-rise apartment buildings (3-4 floors each) constructed primarily before and during the U.S. occupation. Many such buildings have balconies on the upper floors which overlook the narrow streets below, creating an intimate communal atmosphere during the Haitian dinner hours.
Cap-Haïtien is also the nearest sizeable city to the historic Haïtian town of Milot, which lies 12 miles to the southeast along a gravel road. Milot was Haïti's former capital under the self-proclaimed King Henri Christophe, who ascended to power in 1807, three years after Haïti had gained independence from France, renaming the city as Cap-Henri. As a result, Milot hosts the ruins of the Sans-Souci Palace, wrecked by a 19th-century earthquake, as well as the Citadelle Laferrière, a massive stone fortress bristling with cannons. The Citadelle is located five miles from Milot, atop a nearby mountain. On clear days, its silhouette is visible from Cap-Haitien.
The small Cap-Haïtien airport, located on the southeast edge of the city, is currently served by several small domestic airlines, and is patrolled by Chilean UN troops. International service to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is provided five days per week by Lynx Air International. The city hosts several hundred UN personnel as part of the ongoing United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Cap-Haïtien's distance from Haïti's capital, Port-au-Prince, combined with the dire condition of Haïti's transportation infrastructure, has often made Cap-Haïtien an incubator for revolutionary or anti-government figures. In February 2004, the city was taken over by militants opposed to the rule of Haïtian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, presaging Aristide's eventual exile from power.
Resort
Due to its proximity to wide Caribbean beaches to its northwest, Cap-Haïtien has traditionally been a resort and vacation destination for Haïti's upper classes comparable to that of Pétionville.Cap Haitien has 2 nice and reasonably central hotels to which you can escape if you wish: the “colonial” Roi Christophe(a 3 star hotel) and the Mont Joli (a 5 star Hotel).Cap-Haïtien has enjoyed a higher levels increase in tourism in haiti due to the rather unstable political situation in the capital Port-au-Prince and Poverty in the other states.In general Cap-Haïtien is the most popular tourist destination in Haiti due to its good climate, natural setting,and historic grounds
Labadie
The walled Labadie beach resort compound is located six miles to the city's northwest, and has served as a brief stopover for Royal Caribbean cruise ships. Today, major Royal Caribbean Cruise ships, including the largest and most luxurious (Freedom of the Seas), dock weekly at Labadie.It is a private resort leased by Royal Caribbean International. Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.The resort is connected to Cap-Haïtien by a mountainous dirt and gravel road. RCI is building a pier at Labadee capable of servicing the Oasis class ships, which should be completed in late 2009.
Attractions include a Haitian flea market, numerous beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, and the popular zip-line.
Vertières
Vertières, located near Cap-Haitien, is the site of the Battle of Vertières - the
last and defining battle of the Haitian Revolution. On November 18, 1803, Haitian rebels led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines defeated a French colonial army led by the Comte de Rochambeau, leading to the independence of Haïti.
It is also the site that made Capois La Mort famous for his bravery. In the last battle for the Independence he survived all the french bullets that nearly killed him; his horse got caught and his hat fell but he kept on marching on the french while screaming "Annavan" which means let's go forward.
Citadelle Laferrière
The Citadelle Laferrière or, Citadelle Henri Christophe, or simply the Citadelle is a large mountaintop fortress located in northern Haiti, approximately south of the city of Cap-Haïtien and five miles (8 km) uphill from the town of Milot. It is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere and was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1982—along with the nearby Sans-Souci Palace. The Citadel was built by Henri Christophe, a key leader during the Haitian slave rebellion, after Haiti gained independence from France at the beginning of the 19th century.
Media
- Radio 4VEH (4VEF), 840 AM
- Radio Gamma, 99.7 (Based in Fort Liberté)
- Radio Sans-Souci FM, 106.9
- Radio Nirvana, 97.3 FM
- Radio Hispaniola
Television
- Radio Télé Vénus
- Radio Télé Paradis
- Télévision Nationale d'Haiti
- Chaîne 6
- Chaîne 7
Major Schools
- Collège Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours (C.N.D.P.S)
- Collège Regina Asumpta (C.R.A)
- Frères de l'Instruction Chrétienne (F.I.C)
- Collège Saint-Joseph de Cluny
- Collège Martin Luther King (C.M.L.K)
- Collège Pratique Du Nord.(C.P.N)
- Centre de Formation Classique(C.F.C)
Photo Gallery
External links
- - Columbia encyclopedia
- : - Article from Haitian history wiki.
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