The Tiburon Peninsula (french: Péninsule de Tiburon), or The Xaragua Peninsula, simply "the Tiburon" (''le Tiburon''), is a region of

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

encompassing most of Haiti's southern coast. It starts roughly at the southernmost point of the Haiti-

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

border and extends westward near

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, forming a large

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Joh ...

. Three of Haiti's ten

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

are located entirely within the region. They are the departments of Grand'Anse, Nippes and

Sud Sud or SUD may refer to: Places * Sud (Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg constituency), a constituency in Luxembourg * Sud (department), an administrative subdivision of Haiti * Sud Department (Ivory Coast), defunct administrative subdivision of I ...

Etymology

The word
Tiburon
and Xaragua are linked to the Taino natives who were the region's first inhabitants. The region is often referred to as the Great South, le Grand-Sud (french), or Nansid (Haitian).

Administrative Division

The Tiburon is 1 of the 4 regions of Haiti, administrated through 4 departments and 1 arrondissement. Half of Sud-Est is also located within the Tiburon Peninsula. A large part of Ouest department is also located in the region, with the capital,

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defin ...

serving as the line of demarcation between central Haiti and the south. * Nippes Department * Grand'Anse department * Sud Department *

Sud-Est Department Sud-Est (French) or Sidès (Haitian Creole; both meaning "South East") is one of the ten departments of Haiti located in southern Haiti. It has an area of 2,034.10 km2 and a population of 632,601 (2015). Its capital is Jacmel. History Tai ...

* Léoganes Arrondissement

Geography

The region is the southern and westernmost point of Haiti. It is bordered by the Gulf of Gonave to the north and the Caribbean sea to the south making it the region with the longest coastline.

Geology

The region is crossed from west to east by the Enriquillo-Plantain-Garden fault line, one of the longest fault lines in the country and responsible for the

2010 Earthquake Earthquakes in 2010 resulted in nearly 165,000 fatalities. Most of these were due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which caused an estimated 160,000 deaths, making it the 11th deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Other deadly quakes occurred i ...

in Léoganne and the 2021 Earthquake in Cayes-Jérémi.

Mountain Ranges

Two main mountain ranges form the region, the Massif de la Hotte reaching its highest point in Pic Macaya, and the Massif de la Selle the highest point in the country in Pic La Selle.

Coastal Line

The region has the longest coastline in Haiti. Along the coast, multiple bays follow each other in series forming lush green plains and valleys.

Island

The Xaragua counts multiple islands, cays, and reefs, some inhabited seasonally by local fishermen. * Isle-à-Vaches and its cays * Les Cayemites and its cays * The Flamands Islands * The Baradères Peninsula and its cays *

La Navase Navassa Island (; ht, Lanavaz; french: l'île de la Navasse, sometimes ) is a small uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. Located northeast of Jamaica, south of Cuba, and west of Jérémie on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti, it is subje ...

* Rochelois reefs

River

Multiple rivers flow from the mountains to the coast * Monance * Nippes * Grand'Anse * Voldrogue * Ravine du Sud * Cavaillon * Bainet * Jacmel

Hurricane

This region is often affected by hurricanes.

Demography

Due to its isolation and the large presence of mountains instead of plain, unlike the Marien and Artibonite. The population of this region has always been more diverse with a high concentration of white and mixed-race.

Economy

Agriculture

The Cayes region is the biggest plain in the region. Many farmers grow '' vetivè'' making Haiti the first producer of essential oils. Jérémi is known for its production vivrière, making it the hub of roots-vegetables.

Fishing

Many families in the region fish for local consumption.

Tourism

Due to its coastline, Xaragua is reputated for some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. Lack of investment there are no resorts but a multitude of family own hotels that accommodate local and international tourists.

Forts

Like much of the country this region has a large collection of forts * Marfranc * Platons * Ogé * Oliviers * Oranger

Mining

The town of Miragoanes has long been exploited by Reynold Co. for bauxite and aluminum. Studies have shown the presence of iridium in the Jacmel area although no exploitation licenses have been issued.

References

Landforms of Haiti Peninsulas of North America Grand'Anse (department) Nippes Sud (department) Sud-Est (department) {{Haiti-stub