Cap-Haïtien
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cap-Haïtien (or Le Cap) (Okap or Kapayisyen in Kréyòl) is a city of about 111,094 people (2003 census) on the north coast of Haiti. It is the capital of Nord department. 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.
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. 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.
Combined with grinding poverty, the instability caused by several coups and rebellions since 1991 have sharply curtailed the number of visitors to Cap-Haïtien, especially those from outside of Haïti.
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.
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, and plans are in the making for additional stopovers in Fort-Liberté, and Jacmel. The resort is connected to Cap-Haïtien by a mountainous dirt and gravel road.
Vertieres Vertiers around Cap-Haitien was the place of the last and defining Battle of the Haitian Revolution. This last battle of Haitian Revolution on November 1803, lead to the independence of Haiti, was fought between Haitian reels lead by Jean-Jacques Dessalines and the Freanch colonial army under General Comte de Rochambeau. This desesive blow was major loss for France and it's colonial empire.
[edit] External links
- short article - Columbia encyclopedia
- The Louverture Project: Cap Haïtien - Article from Haitian history wiki.
da:Cap Haitien de:Cap-Haïtien es:Cap-Haïtien et:Cap-Haïtien fr:Cap-Haïtien id:Cap Haitien pl:Cap-Haïtien
More information is available on http://vizitehaiti.com/vizitehaiti/cityguide.asp Cap-Haitien remain one of the most beautiful city in Haiti. The city attracts alot of visitors to come back for more of the exciting momment.
