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Native name: Guanabo | |
|---|---|
 View of Gonâve Island from space | |
  La Gonâve Location within Haiti | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Gulf of Gonâve |
| Coordinates | 18°50′N73°05′W / 18.833°N 73.083°W /18.833; -73.083 |
| Area | 689.62 km2 (266.26 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 778 m (2552 ft) |
| Highest point | Morne La Pierre |
| Administration | |
Haiti | |
| Department | Ouest |
| Largest settlement | Anse-à-Galets (pop. 49,050) |
| Demographics | |
| Demonym | Gonâvians |
| Population | 87,077 (2015) |
| Pop. density | 126/km2 (326/sq mi) |
Pointe Fantasque Lighthouse   | |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | metal skeletal tower |
| Height | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Shape | square pyramidal tower with balcony and light[1][2] |
| Markings | white tower |
| Power source | solar power |
| Focal height | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Range | 9 nmi (17 km; 10 mi) |
| Characteristic | Q(6)+LFI W 15s |
Gonâve Island orZile Lagonav (French:Île de la Gonâve,pronounced[ɡɔ.nɑv]; alsoLa Gonâve) is an island ofHaiti located west-northwest ofPort-au-Prince in theGulf of Gonâve. It is the largest of theHispaniolan satellite islands. The island is anarrondissement (Arrondissement de La Gonâve) or Ouest-Insulaire in theOuest and includes thecommunes ofAnse-à-Galets andPointe-à-Raquette.[3]
No major French or Spanish settlement was built in La Gonâve. During the colonial period, the island was uninhabited by colonists, which led the indigenousTaínos to seek refuge there after early battles with theSpanish.[4] Runaway slaves in theFrench period, too, sometimes sought out the island for a place to hide from their owners on the mainland.[5]
The island has been officially under Haitian control sinceToussaint Louverture and theConstitution of 1801.
The Kingdom of La Gonâve was an informal, locally recognized system of leadership on La Gonâve. The island was governed by a matriarchal system of "societies" and queens, although they were never formally recognized by the Haitian government, they governed La Gonâve independent of Haiti. During theUnited States occupation of Haiti, In 1926, U.S. Marine SergeantFaustin E. Wirkus became involved in local affairs after he secured queenTi Memenne’s release from charges related to Vodou practice.
On the 18th of July 1926, Queen Ti Memenne proclaimed Wirkus “King Faustin II,” in a vodou ceremony near theHounfour in Anse-à-Galets, believing him to be the reincarnation of Emperor Faustin I. This perception was based on Wirkus sharing the emperor's first name and his kindness to Queen Ti Memenne. From 1926 to 1929, Ti Memenne and Wirkus reigned as co-rulers of La Gonâve. The arrangement ended when Wirkus was reassigned by the U.S. Marine Corps.
Queen Ti Memenne died some time after Wirkus left La Gonâve in 1929, and the government of Haiti assumed control of La Gonâve, which abruptly ended the monarchy.
In the mid-1980s, British singerCliff Richard wrote and recorded the song "La Gonave" for relief aid for the people of the island. It is included on his albumThe Rock Connection.
The island's docks were damaged by the2010 Haiti earthquake on 12 January. In the wake of the damage, supplies were airlifted in to the 550-metre (1,800 ft) dirt strip.[6]
In 2025, two men fromTexas were indicted on charges of conspiracy to murder, maim, or kidnap in a foreign country. Prosecutors claimed they were planning to recruit homeless people to help them take over Gonâve Island by force, so they could kill the men and use the women and children as sex slaves. The men had reportedly begun learningHaitian Creole in order to prepare.[7]
The island inhabitants have pushed the idea of independence from Haiti in order to achieve economic prosperity.[8]
The island sits in the middle of the Gulf of Gonave, south of St-Marc, north of Miragoanes, and west of Port-au-Prince. It forms the canal of St-Marc with the Cote des Arcadins and the Canal of the South and Miragoanes.
Made up of mostlylimestone, thereef-fringed island of Gonâve is 60 km (37 mi) long and 15 km (9 mi) wide and covers an area of 743 km2 (287 sq mi). The island is mostly barren and hilly with the highest point reaching 778 m (2,552 ft). The island receives between 800 mm (31 in) to 1,600 mm (63 in) of rain a year, higher elevations representing the latter figure.[9]
The barren, dry nature of the soil has long prevented agricultural development on the island and kept the population lower than it otherwise might have been.
La Gonâve arrondissement is divided into two communes:Anse-à-Galets andPointe-à-Raquette. These are further subdivided into eleven sections and two towns (villes). The towns are Anse-à-Galets and Pointe-à-Raquette, named after their respective communes. Anse-à-Galets is the largest settlement on the island with an estimated 2015 population of 52,662 of the island's total population of 87,077.[10][11]
| Anse-à-Galets | Pointe-à-Raquette |
|---|---|
| 1st Palma | 5th Gros Mangle |
| 2nd Petite Source | 6th La Source |
| 3rd Grande Source | 7th Grand Vide |
| 4th Grand Lagon | 8th Trou Louis |
| 10th Picmy (Pickmy) | 9th Pointe-à-Raquette |
| 11th Petite Anse |
In 2005, following a particularly drastic drought, the Mayor of Anse-à-Galets formed the Water Platform, composed of service groups working on the island. Current participants include the Mayors of Anse-à-Galets and Pointes a Racquette, the Deputy, Justice of the Peace, World Vision, Concern WorldWide, Sevis Kretyen,the Matènwa Community Learning Center, the Alleghany Weslyen Church, the Methodist Church,Haiti Outreach and many others. The Water Platform acts as a focal point for activities on the island, providing a coordination point for the multitude of groups working on La Gonâve.
The members of the Water Platform have been working to address the water needs of the island by capping springs, building rainwater catchment cisterns, building water systems and drilling wells. Dozens of rainwater catchment cisterns andwells have been drilled on the island as an effort to bring water relief to the residents of the island.
2002–2004 Guts Church funded construction of a school providing first through sixth grade education and construction of a medical clinic providing free medical, dental and vision services for Haitians.
As of 2007[update], there were two non-profit groups actively drilling water wells on the island: Haiti Outreach, which has financed and drilled water wells in 25 communities; and Guts Church inTulsa, Oklahoma. The Tougher Than Hell Motorcycle Rally, organized by Guts Church, has sponsored 10 water wells drilled on the island.
In 2010 Coordinated relief efforts after the 12 January earthquake. $250,000 was raised for this relief project. Medical supplies, building supplies, 150 tons of rice and beans and a backhoe were purchased. Aid was shipped to La Gonâve via a leased vessel and delivered directly to La Gonâve in early March 2010. The aid shipment fed 50,000 people for one month.
As of 2011[update] there are over 70 water wells fully functional on the island. The drilling of more wells on the island has been planned for the near future.[12]
On 8 September 1997, the passenger ferryLa Fierte Gonavienne (The Pride of Gonave) operating from La Gonâve to theMontrouis on the Haitian mainland sank with hundreds of passengers aboard.[13] It is unknown how many died; some estimate that about 290 people were killed.[14] Others think up to 250 with 60 surviving.[15] It is considered the worst disaster in Haitian maritime history sincetheNeptune accident in 1993.[16]
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| Pointe Fantasque Lighthouse | |
