Cap-Haïtien

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Cap-Haïtien Kapayisyen, Okap
Cap-Haïtien Location in Nord, Haiti
Coordinates: 19°45′N 72°12′W / 19.75°N 72.2°W / 19.75; -72.2
Country	Haiti
Department	Nord
Arrondissement	Cap-Haïtien
Government
- Mayor	Michel St Croix
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (7 August 2003)[1]
- Total	186,251
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)

Sister cities[2]
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Cap-Haïtien (Okap or Kapayisyen in Kréyòl) is a city of about 180,000 people on the north coast of Haiti. It is the capital of the Nord Department. Previously, as Cap-Français, it was an important city during the colonial period and, as Cap-Henri, was capital of the Kingdom of Northern Haiti under King Henri Christophe.

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 the city of the historic Haïtian town of Milot, which lies 12 miles to the southwest along a gravel road. Milot was Haïti's first site 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-Haitien International 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 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.

Tourism

Cap-Haïtien faces the North Atlantic ocean to its northwest, and its calm water and picturesque Caribbean beaches have made it a resort and vacation destination for Haïti's upper classes, comparable to Pétionville. Cap-Haïtien has, in general, also seen greater foreign tourist activity than much of Haiti, due to its isolation from political instability in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Cap-Haïtien is also unique for its French colonial architecture, which has been uniquely well preserved. After the Haitian Revolution, many craftsmen from Cap-Haïtien fled to French-controlled New Orleans, as a result, the two cities share many similarities in styles of architecture. Especially notable are the many gingerbread houses lining the city's older streets.

The well-preserved Cathedral Notre-Dame of Cap-Haitien.

Labadee

The walled Labadee 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.^[3] Attractions include a Haitian flea market, numerous beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, and the popular zip-line.^[4]

Vertières

Vertières 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 was killed underhim and his hat fell off but he kept on marching on the French while screaming "Annavan" which means "Let's go forward". As a result, the independent Republic of Haiti was proclaimed on 1 January 1804. 18 November has been widely celebrated since then as a Day of Army and Victory in Haiti.

View of the Citadelle Laferrière, in northern Haiti

Citadelle Laferrière

The Citadelle Laferrière or, Citadelle Henri Christophe, or simply the Citadelle, is a large mountaintop fortress located approximately 17 miles (27 km) south of the city of Cap-Haïtien and five miles (8 km) beyond 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 leader during the Haitian slave rebellion and subsequently King of Northern Haiti, after the country gained its independence from France at the beginning of the 19th century.

Television

• Télé Vénus
• Télé Paradis ^[5]
• Chaîne 6
• Chaîne 7
• Chaîne 11
• Télévision Nationale d'Haiti ^[6]

Education

École Normale Supérieure are Congregational church school member of Haiti schools. A union of 4 have been Present for a decade in Cap-Haitien. They are considered as higher education establishment outside the mainstream framework of the public school system.

• College Notre-Dame du Perpetuels Secours des Peres de Saite-Croix
• College Regina Assumpta des Soeurs de Sainte-Croix
• Ecole des Freres De L'instruction Chretienne
• Ecole Saint Joseph De Cluny des Soeurs Anne-Marie Javoue

Notable natives

Tyrone Edmond, Haitian-born model

Media

• Radyo Atlantik, 92.5 FM ^[7]

• Radio 4VEH (4VEF), 840 AM ^[8]

• Radio 4VEH, 94.7 FM ^[9]

• Radio 7 FM, 92.7 ^[10]

• Radio Cap-Haïtien

• Radio Citadelle

• Radio Étincelle

• Radio Gamma, 99.7 (Based in Fort Liberté) ^[11]

• Radio Lumiere, 98.1 FM ^[12]

• Radio Méga,103.7 FM

• Radio Sans-Souci FM, 106.9

• Radio VASCO, 93.7 FM ^[13]

• Radio Vénus FM

• Sans Souci FM, 106.9 ^[14]

• Voix de l’Ave Maria

• Voix du Nord

• Radio Paradis ^[15]

• Radio Nirvana, 97.3 FM ^[16]
• Radio Hispaniola

• Radio Passion Haïti ^[17]

Photo gallery

Front view of Sans-Souci Palace

Cap Haitien's City Council. (Not a hotel)

A Cruise ship at Labadee.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cap-Haitien

• Cap Haitien Haiti
• short article - Columbia encyclopedia
• The Louverture Project: Cap Haïtien - Article from Haitian history wiki.

Coordinates: 19°45′N 72°12′W / 19.75°N 72.2°W / 19.75; -72.2