Cap-Haïtien

Department

Cap- Haïtien is a port city on the north coast of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in Haiti with 111 094 inhabitants ( census 2003).

History

The city was founded in 1670 and was for about a century the capital of the French colony of Haiti, 1806-1820 Haitian capital of the northern state. Today, it is the economic center of the region and an important tourist resort.

The Haitian national hero François -Dominique Toussaint L' Ouverture was born in 1743 in the city.

On May 7, 1842, the city was destroyed by a very strong earthquake for the most part, there are up to 10,000 people have been killed.

Since 1861, the city is the seat of the Archdiocese of Cap- Haïtien.

Twinning

Cap- Haïtien is twinned with the U.S. city of Portland (Maine).

Sons and daughters of the town

• François -Dominique Toussaint L' Ouverture ( 1743-1803 to ), Haitian national hero of African origin, one of the first leaders of the Latin American independence movement
• Justin Elie (1883-1931), composer and pianist