Artibonite Department facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Artibonite |
|
| (Kréyòl): Latibonit | |
| Department | |
| Country |  Haiti |
|---|---|
| Capital | Gonaïves |
| - elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| - coordinates | 19°27′0″N 72°41′0″W / 19.45000°N 72.68333°W |
| Area | 4,895 km² (1,890 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,299,398 (2003) |
| Density | 265.5 /km² (688 /sq mi) |
| Subdivisions | 5 Arrondissements 15 Communes |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | DST (UTC-4) |
| Area code | +509 |
| ISO 3166-2 | HT-AR |
Artibonite is one of the ten main areas, called departments, in Haiti. It gets its name from the Artibonite River, which flows through the department from east to west. The capital city of Artibonite is Gonaïves.
An important event in Haiti's history happened in Gonaïves. Haiti's independence was announced there on January 1, 1804. This big moment took place in the Place d'Armes by Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
Contents
Exploring Artibonite's Geography
The Artibonite Department is the largest department in Haiti. It covers an area of 4,895 square kilometers.
Rivers and Mountains
The most important river here is the Artibonite River. Other rivers include the Ennery, de l'Estère, Montrouis, and Quinte.
You'll find several mountain ranges in Artibonite. They stretch from west to east. The main ones are the Chaine de Terre-Neuve and the Montagnes Noires. Montagnes Noires means "Black Mountains" in English. Part of the Chaine des Mattheux also runs through this area.
Neighboring Areas
Artibonite shares its borders with other departments. To the northwest, it meets the Nord-Ouest Department. The Nord Department is to the north and northeast. To the east, you'll find the Centre Department. The Ouest Department is to the south. To the west, Artibonite touches the Gulf of Gonâve.
People and Main Cities
In 2003, about 1,299,398 people lived in the Artibonite department. This included 625,690 men and 673,708 women. About 32.51% of these people lived in cities and towns.
The two biggest cities in Artibonite are Gonaïves, which is the capital, and Saint-Marc.
How Artibonite is Organized
The department is divided into smaller areas. These are called arrondissements, which are like districts. There are five of them. Each arrondissement is then divided into communes, which are like municipalities. There are 15 communes in total.
Here are the arrondissements and their communes:
- Dessalines
- Desdunes
- Dessalines
- Grande Saline
- Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite
- Gonaïves
- Ennery
- Estère
- Gonaïves
- Gros-Morne
- Anse Rouge
- Gros-Morne
- Terre-Neuve
- Marmelade
- Marmelade
- Saint Michel de l'Attalaye
- Saint-Marc
- La Chapelle
- Saint-Marc
- Verettes
Artibonite's Economy
The Artibonite department is very important for Haiti's food supply. Most of the rice grown in Haiti comes from this area. The rice fields are found along the valley of the Artibonite River.
Images for kids
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Dessalines Arrondissement
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Saint-Marc Arrondissement
See also
In Spanish: Departamento Artibonito para niños
