Port-de-Paix (; or ; meaning "Port of Peace") is a commune and the capital of the Nord-Ouest department of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

on the Atlantic coast. It has a population of 462,000 (2015 IHSI estimate). Port-de-Paix used to be a large exporter of

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

s and

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

Geography

The city of Port-de-Paix located on a small coastal plain on the Atlantic coast of Haiti in the Tortuga Canal on the bank of Three-Rivers in an area marked by agricultural activities. The communes comprises: * I. The urban centre of Port-de-Paix *II. Baudin *III. Aubert *IV. Mahotière *V. Bas-des-Moustiques *VI. La Corne Port-de-Paix is also the chief town of an arrondissement of the same name. The arrondissement consists of five communes: Port-de-Paix, La Pointe des Palmistes, Bassin-Bleu, Chansolme and Tortuga.

History

Early history

During the Amerindian period this area was called "Xarama" by the Taïno people. The area around the town was given the name "Valparaíso" by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

after landing here in the late evening of December 6, 1492, and today still contains many attractive beaches and cave locations. A ferry operates between the town and Tortuga island, (La Tortue), called "Gusaeni Cahini" by the Taïnos, which is situated just across the water.

From 1600 to 1800

The town was founded in 1665 by French filibusters, driven from Tortuga by the English. In 1676 the capital of the French Colony of

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

was moved from Tortuga to Port-de-Paix, and it remained the seat of government until 1711 when the capital was moved to Cap-Français. In 1676, Padrejean escaped from slavery in the Port. In 1679 the town saw the first black slave revolt. The area saw great success during the 18th century but on February 27, 1903, the town was almost entirely destroyed by fire, and never attained its former status.FIRE DESTROYS PORT DE PAIX.; Haitian Maritime Town Burned on Thursday
/ref>

Liberation

In 1803, following the step of Maurepas, the general Francois ''Lamort'' Cappois and the 9th demi-brigade the French soldiers evacuated the city.

Transportation

Port-de-Paix is served by Port-de-Paix Airport. The RN5 connects the city to Gonaives in the Artibonite Department, the R117 connects ic to Limbé in the Guarico Department and the R151 connects it to Mole-St-Nicolas in proposed Quisqueya Department. The main streets are Stenio-Vincent, Capois, du Quai. A ferry connects the island of Tortuga to Port-de-Paix.

Notable people

Hurby Azor Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor (born 1965), also known as Fingerprints, is a Haitian musician and Hip hop music, hip-hop music producer. He is best known for discovering and producing the hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa and the rap duo Kid 'n Play. Early life ...

* Eliezer Cadet

Media

* Le Novateur *Kreyolofoni

Radio

* Radio Génération80 88.9fm *Radio Tele Arnold Fm 96.9 https://www.radiotelearnoldfm.com *Radio Toxic FM 91.3 *Radio Télé diffusion du Nord-Ouest (RTNO)92.5 & ch.6 *Radio Balade FM 102.3 MHz http://www.radiobalade.com *Radio Melodie Inter 98.3 http://www.radiomelodieinter.com *Radio New Star 104.1 *Radio Planète FM 100.7 *Radio Télé Universelle Plus (TRUP)103.5 FM & Ch.10 *Radio Voix Eglise Bethanie 94.3 FM *Radio Voix de la Paix 94.7 FM *Radio Harmonie Inter 101.5 Fm Stereo http://www.radioharmonieinter.com *Radio Couleur FM 93.9 FM Stereo *Radio Télé Ideal Plus 89.7 ch.40 *Radio Castro Inter 97.1 *Radio Excel Inter 106.7 *Radio Dary FM 97.5 *Radio Paismesbrebis 93.5 *Radio natal 96.7 *Radio Cosmos Inter 101.1 *Radio Perfection 105.7 *Radio Clean FM 95.1 *Radio capoix FM 106.3 *Radio Tele Port-de-Paix 88.3 *Radio magnitude fm 98.7 http://www.radiomagnitudefm.com *Radio expression FM 98.9 *Radio union plus 92.1 *Radio omega 91.9

References

{{Communes of Haiti Populated places in Nord-Ouest (department) Populated places established in 1665 Communes of Haiti 1665 establishments in the French colonial empire Port cities in the Caribbean