Departments of Haiti facts for kids
Haiti is a country located in the Caribbean. It is divided into 10 main areas called départements (pronounced day-part-MOHN in French). These departments are like big regions or states that help organize the country.
How Haiti Got Its Departments
A long time ago, Haiti was a French colony known as Saint-Domingue. Back then, it was divided into three main parts: North, South, and West. Later, a famous leader named Toussaint Louverture changed these parts. He turned them into the departments that help manage Haiti today.
How Departments Are Organized
Each of Haiti's 10 departments is further divided into smaller sections. These smaller parts are called arrondissements (ah-rawn-dees-MOHN). There are 41 arrondissements in total. Below the arrondissements, there are even smaller areas called communes. Haiti has 133 communes.
List of Haiti's Departments
Here is a list of Haiti's departments, along with their capital cities, size, and population from 2003:
| # | Department | Capital | Area (km²) | Population (2003) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artibonite | Gonaïves | 4,895 | 1,070,397 |
| 2 | Centre | Hinche | 3,597 | 565,043 |
| 3 | Grand'Anse | Jérémie | 3,100 | 337,516 |
| 4 | Nippes | Miragoâne | 1,219 | 266,379 |
| 5 | Nord | Cap-Haïtien | 2,175 | 564,002 |
| 6 | Nord-Est | Fort-Liberté | 1,698 | 300,493 |
| 7 | Nord-Ouest | Port-de-Paix | 2,094 | 445,080 |
| 8 | Ouest | Port-au-Prince | 4,595 | 3,093,698 |
| 9 | Sud-Est | Jacmel | 2,077 | 449,585 |
| 10 | Sud | Les Cayes | 2,602 | 627,311 |
