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Nord-Ouest Nòdwès | |
|---|---|
 Nord-Ouest in Haiti | |
| Country |  Haiti |
| Capital | Port-de-Paix |
| Région | Le Grand-Nord |
| Symbole | 3 boats & 3 towers |
| Government | |
| • Type | Departmental Council |
| Area | |
| 2,102.88 km2 (811.93 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
| 728,807 | |
| • Density | 350/km2 (900/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 203,568 |
| • Rural | 525,239 |
| Time zone | UTC-05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-04:00 (EDT) |
| ISO 3166 code | HT-NO |
| HDI (2017) | 0.495[2] low ·3rd |
Nord-Ouest (French) orNòdwès (Haitian Creole; both meaning "North West") is one of the tendepartments of Haiti as well as the northernmost one. It has an area of 2,102.88 km2 (811.93 sq mi) and a population of 728,807 (2015 Census). Its capital isPort-de-Paix.
There is a proposal for the department to become 2 departments, Nord-Ouest and Bas-Nordouest (Mole-St-Nicolas) with the Horn-of-Artibonite.
The region of the Great North of Haiti was under the administration of theMarien casicazgo, the Taino-chiefGuacanaric was the one to have receivedChristopher Columbus on his first voyage toAyiti. Columbus explained how the Taino chief offers him safe harbor after one of his boats sunk. Columbus described the place has Paradise Valley or Valparaiso and named the islandLa Isla Espanola. This department specifically the town of Mole-Saint-Nicolas is believed to be the first place on the island to have received a Christian cross.
The Island ofTortuga was part of the Taino dominion under the name of Cahini.
TheSpaniards lost interest in the western part of the island leaving it vacant for French, Dutch and British pirates, and buccaneers, making Tortuga one of the biggestpirates hubs in the Caribbean. Under the French administration, the Nord-Ouest was part of the Ouest department and manyFrench Governors governed the island from Le Môle.
Early on the N-O departement was a strategic point forToussaint Louverture, one of the first diplomatic and pre-independencetreaty signed between the Indigènes and the British was signed by Toussaint and British OfficerMaitland and thus theIndigènes took controlled of the part ofSaint-Domingue that was under British rules.AfterNapoléon sent his troop to capture the Toussaint and put them under French slavery, the Haitian OfficerMaurepas under the order of Toussaint burned down the city of Port-de-Paix and went uphill to Les Trois Pavillons fort. Maurepas was later on captured by the French and they drowned him in the Bay ofCap-Haitian.
Francois Lamort Cappois and the 9thdemi-brigade freed the city of Port-de-Paix and later on the island of Tortuga on April 12, 1803.Le Mole officially became under Haitian control 10 days after theBattle of Vertières with the help of Vincent Pourcely colonel in the 9th demi-brigade.
Cappoix-Lamort commander of Port-de-Paix is a signatory of theHaitian Declaration of Independence.Francois Cappoix the brilliant and vaillaint Haitian officers was trapped byHenry 1st men and assassinated inLimonade. The department was in open rebellion with the Crown.Pétion in the West who needed ally after the rebellion ofRigaud in theSouth andGoman in theGrand'Anse, sent troops to support the N-O.Henry 1st crushed the rebellion and granted amnitice to the rebelled troops.
The town ofMôle Saint-Nicolas is located in the Nord-Ouest. Ever since Columbus landed here in 1492 and named the island Hispaniola, Môle St-Nicolas has been of interest to the colonials, including the British, Spanish, French, and the Americans due to its strategic location on the Windward Passage, just miles fromCuba.
TheMole-St-Nicolas affair was a diplomatic incident between the Haitians and the Americans because the Americans wanted a safe harbor to control the Winward Passage after the construction of the Panama Canal. The Haitian intellectualAnténor Firmin was remarkable in that affair.
Sometime during the 19th century, it was created out of theNord andOuestdepartments.[3]
The department is bordered to the north byCuba,Bahamas, andFlorida, and has direct access to theAtlantic through theTortuga Canal, on the west theWindward Passage, the southGulf of Gonave andArtibonite Department and the east andNorth Department.
At the western tip of the department, the Mole Peninsula protects the city of the same name.
With the exception ofTortuga Island (La Tortue) and the coastal area near Port-de-Paix, the northwest is mostly arid and barren. In fact, the department hasHaiti's second biggest satellite island under its administrative control, located less than 10 km offshore.
AtLes Palmiste on the eastern coast visit a pre-Columbian rock carving presumed to be of nativeTaino origin of a goddess atLa Grotte au Bassin exists.
Due to a lack of water management, the Trois-Rivières often flood the city of Port-de-Paix during the rainy season located on its east shore. On the west shore of the river, there is a lagoon.
Port-de-Paix, which was once a large exporter ofcoffee andbananas, now imports goods and produce fromMiami.TheBombardopolis Plateau is another area of sustainable potential for industry, tourism, ecological reserve, and agriculture. Salt production is a major industry in the area.
Tortuga island, once the biggest pirate base in the Caribbean is a popular tourist site and is represented frequently in films and movies based on piracy. Named for the smooth shape that reminded travelers of a turtle's shell, Tortuga's best beach is Pointe Saline at the western tip of the small island.
There are several ruined forts along the coast. On clear nights theGuantánamo Province ofCuba can be seen.This area is dry and offers little shade but has a beautiful shoreline.
Port-à-L'Écu is the point of interest in leisure tourism.
It is one of Haiti's dryest areas, the N-O still offers a unique scenery in Haitian tourist and ecological package. The Canal and the Tortuga island are more or less well preserved although they need to be reinforced. Although not having a major plain theTrois-Rivières (Three Rivers), the second longest river after Artibonite offers a productive watershed and valley.
The department has long been isolated from Port-au-Prince, gaining it the nickname of Far-West. TheRN5 now connects Gonayiv to Gros-Morne and Port-de-Paix. the RN6 from Ouanaminthes to Cap-Haitian is to be continued until Port-de-Paix.
Port-de-Paix is the second biggest port on the Haitian Atlantic coast.
Port-de-Paix has its own airport.
The mountains overlooking the city of Port-de-Paix have great potential for wind energy.
The N-O has two of Haiti's majorlakoun-Vodoun or Vodoun Yard such as lakoun Vilokan, probably the first lakoun in Ayiti since early Spanish colonial time, and lakoun-Grann-Sent-Àn in Anse-à-Foleur.
The Department of Nord-Ouest is subdivided into threearrondissements, which are further subdivided into tencommunes.
19°57′00″N72°50′00″W / 19.95°N 72.8333°W /19.95; -72.8333
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