View source for Port-au-Prince

{{Short description|Capital of Haiti}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Port-au-Prince
| official_name      = 
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = {{nativename|ht|Pòtoprens}}
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]] and [[List of communes of Haiti|Commune]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border            = infobox
| perrow            = 1/2/2
| total_width       = 280
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Ouest Department, Haiti - panoramio (5).jpg
| caption1          = Overlooking Port-au-Prince
|image2=MUPANAH 2018 - Roof.jpg
|caption2=[[MUPANAH]]
| image3           = Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple - Pierre.jpg
| caption3          = [[Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple]]
| image4            = Equestrian statue of Jean-Jacques Dessalines in Port-au-Prince (close).jpg
| caption4          = [[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]]
| image5            = Cour-de-cassation-haiti-actunews7.jpg
| caption5          = [[Supreme Court of Haiti]]
}}
| image_caption      = 
| image_shield       = Armes de la Ville de Port-au-Prince.svg
| seal_alt           = 
| nicknames           = L’Hôpital<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web
|url= https://www.britannica.com/place/Port-au-Prince|title=Britannica - Port-au-Prince City Information}}</ref><br/>"The Hospital"
| motto = {{force singular}} {{lang|fr|Je luis pour tous}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00010663/00001/3x |title=Exposition Internationale, 1949–1950 – Bi-Centenaire de Port-au-Prince 1749–1949 (official catalog of the exhibition, printed in 200 copies) |publisher=University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries |access-date=1 March 2017 |language=fr |archive-date=21 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221200130/https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00010663/00001/3x |url-status=live }}</ref><br />"I shine for all"
| pushpin_map        = Haiti#North America
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| coordinates        = {{coord|18|32|10|N|72|20|47|W|region:HT|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = [[Haiti]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Departments of Haiti|Department]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Ouest (department)|Ouest]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Administrative divisions of Haiti|Région]]
| subdivision_name2  = Gônave-Azuei
| subdivision_type3  = [[Arrondissements of Haiti|Arrondissement]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Port-au-Prince Arrondissement|Capitale-Nationale]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Port-au-Prince|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Lucsonne Janvier
| leader_title1      = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1749
| established_title2 = Colonial Seat<br><small> ([[Saint-Domingue]]) </small>
| established_date2  = 1770
| established_title3 = Capital of Haiti
| established_date3  = 1804
| founder            = Charles Burnier, Marquis of Larnage
| named_for          = "Le Prince" Ship
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 36.04
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_metro_km2     = 158.50
| elevation_m        = 6
| population_footnotes = 
| population_as_of   = 2022 est.<ref name=IHSI>{{cite web|url=http://www.ihsi.ht/pdf/projection/Estimat_PopTotal_18ans_Menag2015.pdf|title=Mars 2015 Population Totale, Population de 18 Ans et Plus Menages et Densites Estimes En 2015|publisher=Institut Haïtien de Statistique et d’Informatique (IHSI)|access-date=19 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106110552/http://www.ihsi.ht/pdf/projection/Estimat_PopTotal_18ans_Menag2015.pdf|archive-date=6 November 2015}}</ref>
| population_total   = 1,200,000
| population_rank    = [[List of North American cities by population|23rd]] in North America<br />[[List of cities in Haiti|1st]] in Haiti
| population_density_km2 = 27,395
| population_metro   = 3133000<ref>{{cite web | title=Port-au-Prince, Haiti Metro Area Population (1950-2025) &#124; MacroTrends | url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/cities/21133/port-au-prince/population }}</ref>
| population_density_metro_km2 = 16,523
| population_urban   = 2914190<ref>{{cite web | title=Port-au-Prince, Haiti Population (2025) - Population Stat | url=https://populationstat.com/haiti/port-au-prince }}</ref>
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = ''Port-au-Princien(s)'' (masc.), ''Port-au-Princienne(s)'' (fem.) ([[English language|en]]) and ([[French language|fr]])
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time|EST]]
| utc_offset         = -05:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -04:00
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal code]]
| postal_code        = HT6110
| area_code          = 21
| website            = {{URL|http://www.portauprince.ht}}
| footnotes          = 
| blank_name         = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank_info         = 0.582<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{cite web
|url= https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/HTI/|title=Sub-national HDI – Subnational HDI – Global Data Lab}}</ref><br/> {{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of departments of Haiti by Human Development Index|1st]]
}}
{{Sister cities
|boxname=Sister cities

|city1=[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]], [[United States]]<ref name="Baton Rouge Morning Advocate (sec. A, p. 12)">{{cite web|author=Smiley Anders|date=26 July 1978|title=Visiting Haitian Mayor Seeking Builders for Housing Projects|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/image/v2%3A138F0D9908AC8D5F%40EANX-13B10DC3AB7B3700%402443716-13B0A6E766C38B70%4011-13B0A6E766C38B70%40?p=AMNEWS&hlterms=%22Visiting+Haitian%22|work=Baton Rouge Morning Advocate (sec. A, p. 12)}}</ref>
|country1=United States
|city2=[[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], [[North Carolina]], United States<ref name="Baton Rouge Morning Advocate (sec. A, p. 12)"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Emily Glaser|date=29 March 2017|title=Getting Down And Dirty With Two Of Charlotte's Freshest Garden Nonprofits|url=http://www.southcharlottelifestylepubs.com/2017/03/29/giving-back-with-gardens/|work=southcharlottelifestylepubs.com|access-date=2018-05-02|archive-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715192615/http://www.southcharlottelifestylepubs.com/2017/03/29/giving-back-with-gardens/|url-status=dead}}</ref>|country2=United States
|city3=[[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]], United States<ref name="sisters">{{cite web|url=http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Port-au-Prince,%20Haiti|title=Sister City International Listings|publisher=[[Sister Cities International]]|access-date=2 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913015737/http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Port-au-Prince,%20Haiti|archive-date=2014-09-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|country3=United States
|city4=[[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada<ref>{{cite web |url=https://charterforcompassion.org/sites/default/files/CharterSisterCities.pdf |title=International Campaign for Compassionate Cities |access-date=2014-09-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501141525/http://charterforcompassion.org/sites/default/files/CharterSisterCities.pdf |archive-date=2014-05-01 }}</ref>
|country4=Canada
}}
[[File:Commune of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.jpg|thumb|City of Port-au-Prince as viewed by [[NASA]]]]
[[File:Hispaniola Vinckeboons4.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of [[Hispaniola]] and [[Puerto Rico]], {{Circa|1639}}.]]

'''Port-au-Prince''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|ɔr|t|_|oʊ|_|ˈ|p|r|ɪ|n|s}} {{respell|PORT|_|oh|_|PRINSS}}; {{IPA|fr|pɔʁ o pʁɛ̃s|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Simon Villeneuve-Port-au-Prince.wav}}; {{langx|ht|Pòtoprens}}, {{IPA|ht|pɔtopɣɛ̃s|}}) is the [[Capital city|capital]] and [[List of cities in Haiti|most populous city]] of [[Haiti]]. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894.<ref name=IHSI/>  The metropolitan area is defined by the IHSI as including the [[Communes of Haiti|communes]] of Port-au-Prince, [[Delmas, Ouest|Delmas]], [[Cité Soleil]], [[Tabarre]], [[Carrefour, Ouest|Carrefour]], and [[Pétion-Ville]].

The city of Port-au-Prince is on the [[Gulf of Gonâve]]: the bay on which the city lies, which acts as a natural harbor, has sustained economic activity since the civilizations of the [[Taíno]]. It was first incorporated under [[Saint-Domingue|French colonial rule]] in 1749. The city's layout is similar to that of an [[amphitheater]]; commercial districts are near the water, while residential neighborhoods are located on the hills above. Its population is difficult to ascertain due to the rapid growth of [[slum]]s in the hillsides above the city; however, recent estimates place the metropolitan area's population at around 3.7 million, nearly a third of the country's national population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.urbanres.net/docs/ToR-cityWidePlanning-Haiti_final.pdf |title=Urbanres.net |access-date=2014-01-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401063101/http://www.urbanres.net/docs/ToR-cityWidePlanning-Haiti_final.pdf |archive-date=2017-04-01 }}</ref> The city was catastrophically affected by a [[2010 Haiti earthquake|massive earthquake]] in 2010,<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/world/81268677.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115070416/http://www.startribune.com/world/81268677.html|date=15 January 2010}}</ref> with large numbers of structures damaged or destroyed. [[Government of Haiti|Haiti's government]] estimated the death toll to be 230,000.<ref>{{cite news | agency=Associated Press | title=Haiti Raises Earthquake's Death Toll to 230,000 | date=2010-02-09 | url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9790622 | access-date=2010-02-10 | archive-date=2010-02-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215155131/http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9790622 | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gang violence]] is extensive, and [[kidnapping]]s, [[massacre]]s, and [[gang rape]]s are common occurrences, often with the complicity of police officers and politicians.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63707429 "Haiti: Inside the capital city taken hostage by brutal gangs"] , by Orla Guerin, ''The Independent'', 5 December 2022 (retrieved same date).</ref>

==Etymology==
{{lang|fr|Port-au-Prince}} literally means "Prince's Port", but it is unclear which prince was the honoree.
A theory is that the place is named after ''Le Prince'', a ship captained by de Saint-André which arrived in the area in 1706.
However, the islets in the bay had already been known as {{lang|fr|les îlets du Prince}} as early as 1680, predating the ship's arrival.<ref>{{cite book|last=Janvier|first=Louis-Joseph |author-link=Louis-Joseph Janvier |title=La république d'Haïti et ses visiteurs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAsWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA66|year=1883|publisher=Marpon et Flammarion|language=fr|page=66|quote= « Le nom de la ville [...] lui vient d'un vaisseau nommé ''le Prince'', qui mouilla dans la baie en 1706. » [...] C'est inexact. [...] les îlets qui sont dans la rade de Port-au-Prince portaient authentiquement le nom d'Îlets du Prince dès 1680, c'est-à-dire 26 ans avant que le navire ''le Prince'', commandé par {{abbr|M.|Monsieur}} de Saint-André, ne fût venu prendre named ''le Prince'', which anchored in the bay in 1706.' [...] This is inaccurate. [...] The islets in the harbour of Port-au-Prince in fact had been named ''Îlets du Prince'' in 1680, which was 26 years before Mr. de Saint-André's ship ''le Prince'' even anchored in the harbour."}}</ref>
Furthermore, the port and the surrounding region continued to be known as {{lang|fr|Hôpital}}, named after the [[#flibustiers|filibuster]]s' hospital.<ref>{{cite book|last= Moreau de Saint-Méry|first= M. L.-É. |author-link=Médéric Louis Élie Moreau de Saint-Méry|title=Description topographique, physique, civile, politique et historique de la partie française de l'île Saint-Dominge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6c84AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA348|volume=3|year=1876|publisher=L. Guérin|language=fr|page=348|quote= la désignation du point où les flibustiers avaient formé un hôpital pour eux.}} <br> ≈ "The naming of the spot where [[#flibustiers|filibuster]]s had founded a hospital for themselves."</ref>

French colonial commissioner [[Étienne Polverel]] named the city ''Port-Républicain'' on 23 September 1793 "in order that the inhabitants be kept continually in mind of the obligations which the [[French Revolution]] imposed on them". It was later renamed back to Port-au-Prince by [[Jean-Jacques Dessalines|Jacques I]], Emperor of Haiti.<ref>[[Jacques Nicolas Léger]], ''Haiti: Her History and Her Detractors'' (The Neale Pub. Co., 1907), page 66</ref>

When Haiti was divided between a kingdom in the north and a republic in the south, Port-au-Prince was the capital of the republic, under the leadership of [[Alexandre Pétion]]. [[Henri Christophe]] renamed the city ''Port-aux-Crimes'' after the assassination of Jacques I at Pont Larnage (now known as Pont-Rouge, and located north of the city).{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Port-au-Prince}}

===Taino Period===

The Port-au-Prince area was part of the Xaragua chiefdom with the capital city, Yaguana being in Léoganes. There were multiple [[Taíno|Taino]] settlements in the area such as Bohoma and Guahaba. It is understood that most of the plain area was used as hunting grounds.
The [[Baoruco Mountain Range|Bahoruco mountain range]] in the north-east of Port-au-Prince was the scene of a Taino rebellion led by [[Enriquillo]] resulting in a treaty with the Spanish.

===Spanish colonization===
Prior to the arrival of [[Christopher Columbus]], the island of [[Hispaniola]] was inhabited by the Taíno people, who arrived in approximately 2600&nbsp;BC in large dugout [[canoe]]s. They are believed to come primarily from what is now eastern [[Venezuela]]. By the time Columbus arrived in 1492&nbsp;AD, the region was under the control of Bohechio, Taíno [[cacique]] (chief) Xaragua.<ref name="Revolutionary_Freedoms">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-p7qRKl_G0C&q=Bohechio+Haiti&pg=PA19|author1=Accilien, Cécile |author2=Adams, Jessica |author3=Méléance, Elmide |author4=Jean-Pierre, Ulrick|title=Revolutionary freedoms: a history of survival, strength and imagination in Haiti|publisher=Caribbean Studies Press|location=[[Coconut Creek, Florida]]|year=2006|pages=19–23|isbn=1-58432-293-4|access-date=9 February 2010}}</ref> He, like his predecessors, feared settling too close to the coast; such settlements would have proven to be tempting targets for the [[Island Caribs|Caribs]], who lived on neighboring islands. Instead, the region served as a hunting ground. The population of the region was approximately 400,000 at the time, but the Taínos were gone within 30 years of the arrival of the Spaniards.<ref name="Caribbean_Islands">{{cite book|author1=Gorry, Conner |author2=Miller, Debra|title=Caribbean Islands|publisher=Lonely Planet|date=1 October 2005|pages=245–246|isbn=1-74104-055-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJObOeOb0wEC&q=port-au-prince+climate&pg=PA245|access-date=9 February 2010}}</ref>

With the arrival of the Spaniards, the Amerindians were forced to accept a [[protectorate]], and Bohechio, childless at death, was succeeded by his sister, [[Anacaona]], wife of the cacique [[Caonabo]]. The Spanish insisted on larger tributes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Samuel M. |title=Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus |page=89 |date=1990 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=978-0-8173-0462-1 |url= |url-access= |quote=The events of 1494 and early 1495 ultimately precipitated a collective and violent reaction from Indians in the western Vega. Colón took this as an opportunity to subjugate the island brutally and to establish a tribute system through which gold and food could be collected from the Indians in greater quantity. }}</ref> Eventually, the Spanish colonial administration decided to rule directly, and in 1503, [[Nicolas Ovando]], then governor, set about to put an end to the régime headed by Anacaona.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} He invited her and other tribal leaders to a feast, and when the Amerindians had drunk a good deal of wine (the Spaniards did not drink on that occasion), he ordered most of the guests killed. Anacaona was spared, only to be hanged publicly some time later. Through violence, introduced diseases and murders, the Spanish settlers decimated the native population.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

Direct Spanish rule over the area having been established, Ovando founded a settlement not far from the coast (west of [[Etang Saumâtre]]), ironically named ''Santa Maria de la Paz Verdadera'', which would be abandoned several years later. Not long thereafter, Ovando founded ''Santa Maria del Puerto''. The latter was first burned by French explorers in 1535, then again in 1592 by the English. These assaults proved to be too much for the Spanish colonial administration, and in 1606, it decided to abandon the region.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

=== {{anchor|filibustiers}} Domination of the [[Filibuster (military)|filibustiers]] ===
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2022}}
For more than 50 years, the area that is today Port-au-Prince saw its population drop off drastically, when some [[buccaneer]]s began to use it as a base, and Dutch merchants began to frequent it in search of leather, as game was abundant there. Around 1650, French {{lang|fr|flibustiers}}, running out of room on the [[Tortuga (Haiti)|Île de la Tortue]], began to arrive on the coast, and established a colony at Trou-Borded. As the colony grew, they set up a hospital not far from the coast, on the Turgeau heights. This led to the region being known as {{lang|fr|Hôpital}}.

Although there had been no real Spanish presence in Hôpital for well over 50 years, Spain retained its formal claim to the territory, and the growing presence of the French ''flibustiers'' on ostensibly Spanish lands provoked the Spanish crown to dispatch Castilian soldiers to Hôpital to retake it. The mission proved to be a disaster for the Spanish, as they were outnumbered and outgunned, and in 1697, the Spanish government signed the [[Treaty of Ryswick]], renouncing any claims to Hôpital. Around this time, the French also established bases at Ester (part of [[Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite|Petite Rivière]]) and [[Gonaïves]] Haiti is bordered to the east by the Dominican Republic, which covers the rest of Hispaniola, to the south and west by the Caribbean, and to the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Cuba lies some 50 miles (80&nbsp;km) west of Haiti's northern peninsula, across the Windward Passage, a strait connecting the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Jamaica is some 120 miles (190&nbsp;km) west of the southern peninsula, across the Jamaica Channel, and Great Inagua Island (of The Bahamas) lies roughly 70 miles (110&nbsp;km) to the north. Haiti claims sovereignty over Navassa (Navase) Island, an uninhabited U.S.-administered islet about 35 miles (55&nbsp;km) to the west in the Jamaica Channel.

Ester was a rich village, inhabited by merchants, and equipped with straight streets; it was here that the governor lived. On the other hand, the surrounding region, Petite-Rivière, was quite poor. Following a great fire in 1711, Ester was abandoned. Yet the French presence in the region continued to grow, and soon afterward, a new city was founded to the south, [[Léogâne]].
[[File:HabitationSaintDomingue.jpg|thumb|right|Colonial mansion in Port-au-Prince, 18th century]]

While the first French presence in Hôpital, the region later to contain Port-au-Prince was that of the ''flibustiers''; as the region became a real French colony, the colonial administration began to worry about the continual presence of these pirates. While useful in repelling foreign [[Piracy in the Caribbean|pirates]], they were relatively independent, unresponsive to orders from the colonial administration, and a potential threat to it. Therefore, in the winter of 1707, [[Choiseul-Beaupré]], the governor of the region sought to get rid of what he saw as a threat. He insisted upon control of the hospital, but the ''flibustiers'' refused, considering that humiliating. They proceeded to close the hospital rather than cede control of it to the governor, and many of them became ''habitans'' (farmers) the first long-term European inhabitants in the region.

Although the elimination of the ''flibustiers'' as a group from Hôpital reinforced the authority of the colonial administration, it also made the region a more attractive target for marauding [[buccaneer]]s. In order to protect the area, in 1706, a captain named de Saint-André sailed into the bay just below the hospital, in a ship named ''Le Prince''. It is said that M. de Saint-André named the area ''Port-au-Prince'' (meaning "Port of the Prince"), but the port and the surrounding region continued to be known as ''Hôpital'' (the islets in the bay had already been known as ''les îlets du Prince'' as early as 1680).

Pirates eventually refrained from troubling the area, and various nobles sought land grants from the French crown in Hôpital; the first noble to control Hôpital was Sieur Joseph Randot. Upon his death in 1737, Sieur Pierre Morel gained control over part of the region, with Gatien Bretton des Chapelles acquiring another portion of it.

By then, the colonial administration was convinced that a capital needed to be chosen, in order to better control the French portion of Hispaniola ([[Saint-Domingue]]). For a time, [[Petit-Goâve]] and [[Léogâne]] vied for this honor, but both were eventually ruled out for various reasons. Neither was centrally located. Petit-Goâve's climate caused it to be too [[malaria]]l, and Léogane's topography made it difficult to defend. Thus, in 1749, a new city was built, Port-au-Prince The Place du Champ-de-Mars—the site of a number of historically notable structures in the centre of the city—was hit hard by the 2010 earthquake. The National Palace (rebuilt in 1918) collapsed. Other notable landmarks include the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the adjacent colonial cathedral, both of which also collapsed in the 2010 earthquake, and the National Archives, National Library, and National Museum.

===Foundation of Port-au-Prince===
[[File:Central Market, Port-au-Prince.jpg|thumb|right|Central Market, Port-au-Prince, 1907]]
[[File:Port-au-Prince, Haiti (1920).jpg|thumb|right|Port-au-Prince, 1920]]
{{expand section|reason=nothing happened between 1820 and 2012?|date=September 2014}}
In 1770, Port-au-Prince replaced Cap-Français (the modern [[Cap-Haïtien]]) as capital of the colony of [[Saint-Domingue]].<ref name="Historical_Dictionary">{{cite book|author=Michael R. Hall|title=Historical Dictionary of Haiti|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=2012|pages=210–211|isbn=9780810875494|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2mJB8hZzjxIC|access-date=2018-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628072226/https://books.google.fi/books?id=2mJB8hZzjxIC|archive-date=2018-06-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 1791, it was burned in a battle between attacking black revolutionaries and defending white plantation owners.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dgeggus/htnrevn.htm |title=The Haitian Revolution<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2014-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911051028/http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/dgeggus/htnrevn.htm |archive-date=2014-09-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

It was captured by [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] troops on 4 June 1794, after the [[Battle of Port-Républicain]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Madiou|first=Thomas|author-link=Thomas Madiou|title=Histoire d'Haïti, Tome I|year=1847|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vN4CAAAAYAAJ&q=Histoire+d'Haiti,+Volume+1+Par+Thomas+Madiou&pg=PA363|language=French|pages=186–188}}</ref>

In 1804, it became the capital of newly independent Haïti. When [[Jean-Jacques Dessalines]] was assassinated in 1806, Port-au-Prince became the capital of the [[Mulatto Haitians|mulatto]]-dominated south (Cap-Haïtien was the capital of the [[Afro-Haitians|black]]-dominated north). It was re-established as the capital of all of Haiti when the country was unified again in 1820 Port-au-Prince was the centre of the political and intellectual life of the country and is the seat of the [[State University of Haiti]] (established in 1920). A traditionally picturesque site has been the brash and bustling Iron Market, with its mostly female vendors. Recreation for the privileged centres around European-style social clubs, but the house of the local voodoo priest is still the heart of the urban poor community.

Most of the Haitian elite (nearly all mulatto or nonblacks) live in the suburb of Pétionville in the 1,000–1,500-foot- (300–450-metre-) high hills southeast of Port-au-Prince. Haiti's small but politically important Black middle class is also concentrated around Port-au-Prince. Squalor and neglect surround most of the Black urban working class even more than it does the subsistence farmer, and constant migration from the countryside continues to exacerbate their misery. Slums such as Cité Soleil are among the largest and most deprived in the Americas. Pop. (2009 est.) city, 875,978; metropolitan area, 2,296,386.<ref name="Historical_Dictionary" />

===American occupation===
During the [[United States occupation of Haiti|American occupation of Haiti (1915–1934)]], Port-au-Prince, garrisoned by [[United States Marine Corps|American Marines]] and Haitian [[Gendarmerie|gendarmes]], was attacked twice by [[cacos (military group)|caco]] [[Rebellion|rebels]]. [[Battle of Port-au-Prince (1919)|The first battle]], which took place in 1919, was a victory of the American and Haitian government forces, as was [[Battle of Port-au-Prince (1920)|the second attack]] in 1920.

===2010 earthquake===
[[File:Haitian national palace earthquake.jpg|thumb|left|The [[National Palace (Haiti)|Presidential Palace]] (National Palace) on 13 January 2010, the day after the [[2010 Haiti earthquake|2010 earthquake]], showing the extensive damage to the edifice.]]
[[File:2010 Haiti earthquake USAID relief situation.svg|thumb|Heavily damaged areas of the city]]

{{Main|2010 Haiti earthquake}}
On 12 January 2010, a [[Moment magnitude scale|7.0 earthquake struck]] Port-au-Prince, devastating the city. Most of the central historic area of the city was destroyed, including Haiti's prized [[Port-au-Prince Cathedral|Cathédrale de Port-au-Prince]], the capital building, [[National Assembly of Haiti|Legislative Palace]] (the parliament building), [[Supreme Court of Haiti|Palace of Justice]] (Supreme Court building), several ministerial buildings, and at least one hospital.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Haiti Press Network |url=http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=13327 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326230801/http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=13327 |archive-date=26 March 2010 |title=Haïti&nbsp;— séisme&nbsp;: les principaux bâtiments publics effondrés lors du séisme |date=30 January 2010 |access-date=1 February 2010 |url-status=usurped |language=fr}}</ref> The second floor of the [[Presidential Palace of Haiti|Presidential Palace]] was thrown into the first floor, and the domes skewed at a severe tilt. The [[Port international de Port-au-Prince|seaport]] and [[Toussaint Louverture International Airport|airport]] were both damaged, limiting aid shipments. The seaport was severely damaged by the quake<ref>CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, 18 January 2010</ref> and was unable to accept aid shipments for the first week.

The airport's control tower was damaged<ref>''New York Times'', [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/americas/14cutter.html?hp "Devastation, Seen From a Ship"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117140714/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/americas/14cutter.html?hp |date=2010-01-17 }}, Eric Lipton, 13 January 2010 (accessed 15 January 2010)</ref> and the US military had to set up a new control center with generators to prepare the airport for aid flights. Aid was delivered to Port-au-Prince by numerous nations and voluntary groups as part of a global relief effort. On Wednesday 20 January 2010, an aftershock rated at a magnitude of 5.9 caused additional damage.<ref>Bhatt, Aishwarya (2010-01-13). [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/haiti-presidential-palace-ruined-in-the-earthquake_100303424.html "Presidential Palace Ruined in the Earthquake. Over 200,000 dead"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115112858/http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/haiti-presidential-palace-ruined-in-the-earthquake_100303424.html |date=2010-01-15 }}</ref> The City Hall (Mairie de Port-au-Prince) and most of the city's other government [[municipal]] buildings were destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.<ref name=wp>{{cite news |first=Manuel |last=Roig-Franzia |title=Shattered city government in quake-ravaged Port-au-Prince in need of help itself |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011904614.html?hpid=topnews |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |date=2010-01-20 |access-date=2010-01-20 |archive-date=2018-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211210454/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/19/AR2010011904614.html?hpid=topnews |url-status=live }}</ref> Ralph Youri Chevry was the mayor of the city at the time of the earthquake.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |title=Trapped Haitian Girl Dies Despite Rescue Effort |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/14/world/AP-CB-Haiti-Trapped-Alive.html |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=New York Times |date=2010-01-14 |access-date=2010-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423223053/https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/01/14/world/AP-CB-Haiti-Trapped-Alive.html |archive-date=2020-04-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Hurricanes===
{{See also|Hurricanes in Hispaniola}}
The worst hurricane season experienced by Haiti occurred in [[2008 Atlantic hurricane season|2008]] when four storms [[Tropical Storm Fay (2008)|Fay]], [[Hurricane Gustav|Gustav]], [[Hurricane Hanna (2008)|Hanna]], and [[Hurricane Ike|Ike]] negatively impacted Haiti. Nearly 800 people were killed; 22,000 homes were destroyed; 70% of the country's crops were lost, according to reliefweb.org.  Then, in 2012, [[Hurricane Sandy]], while not making direct impact, resulted in 75 deaths, $250 million in damage and a resurgence of cholera that was estimated to have infected 5,000 people. In 2016, [[Hurricane Matthew]] caused catastrophic damage across Haiti, and over 500 deaths were associated with the storm in Haiti alone, along with at least $3 billion in damage. The storm also caused a massive humanitarian crisis shortly after.<ref name="USAtoday">{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/04/haitis-impoverished-villages-brace-matthew/91519806/|title=Hurricane Matthew makes landfall on impoverished Haiti|publisher=[[USA Today]]|access-date=4 October 2016|archive-date=4 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004081759/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/04/haitis-impoverished-villages-brace-matthew/91519806/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:View of Port-au Prince from Hotel Montana2.jpg|thumb|left| City and bay views from the terrace of the [[Hôtel Montana]] in [[Pétion-Ville]]]]
[[File:Port-au-Prince, Haiti.JPG|thumb|right|Aerial view of the city]]
The metropolitan area is subdivided into various [[List of communes of Haiti|communes]] (districts). There is a ring of districts that radiates out from the commune of Port-au-Prince. [[Pétion-Ville]] is an affluent suburban commune located southeast of the city. [[Delmas, Ouest|Delmas]] is located directly south of the airport and north of the central city, and the rather poor commune of [[Carrefour, Haiti|Carrefour]] is located southwest of the city.

The commune harbors many low-income slums plagued with poverty and violence in which the most notorious, [[Cité Soleil]], is situated.  However, Cité Soleil has been recently split off from Port-au-Prince proper to form a separate commune. The [[Champ de Mars (Haiti)|Champ de Mars]] area has begun some modern infrastructure development as of recently.  The downtown area is the site of several projected modernization efforts in the capital.

===Climate===
Port-au-Prince has a [[Tropical savanna climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen Aw]]) and relatively constant temperatures throughout the course of the year. Port-au-Prince's [[wet season]] runs from March through November with rainfall peaking from April to May and from August to October, with the city experiencing a relative break in rainfall during the months of June and July. The city's [[dry season]] covers the remaining three months.  Port-au-Prince generally experiences warm and humid conditions during the dry season and hot and humid conditions during the wet season.

{{Weather box
|location = Port-au-Prince
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan high C = 31
|Feb high C = 31
|Mar high C = 32
|Apr high C = 32
|May high C = 33
|Jun high C = 35
|Jul high C = 35
|Aug high C = 35
|Sep high C = 34
|Oct high C = 33
|Nov high C = 32
|Dec high C = 31
|year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 27
|Feb mean C = 26.5
|Mar mean C = 27
|Apr mean C = 28
|May mean C = 28
|Jun mean C = 30
|Jul mean C = 30
|Aug mean C = 29.5
|Sep mean C = 28
|Oct mean C = 28
|Nov mean C = 27
|Dec mean C = 26.5
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 23
|Feb low C = 22
|Mar low C = 22
|Apr low C = 23
|May low C = 23
|Jun low C = 24
|Jul low C = 25
|Aug low C = 24
|Sep low C = 24
|Oct low C = 24
|Nov low C = 23
|Dec low C = 22
|year low C = 
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 33
|Feb rain mm = 58
|Mar rain mm = 86
|Apr rain mm = 160
|May rain mm = 231
|Jun rain mm = 102
|Jul rain mm = 74
|Aug rain mm = 145
|Sep rain mm = 175
|Oct rain mm = 170
|Nov rain mm = 86
|Dec rain mm = 33
|Jan rain days = 3
|Feb rain days = 5
|Mar rain days = 7
|Apr rain days = 11
|May rain days = 13
|Jun rain days = 8
|Jul rain days = 7
|Aug rain days = 11
|Sep rain days = 12
|Oct rain days = 12
|Nov rain days = 7
|Dec rain days = 3
|unit rain days = 1 mm
|Jan humidity = 74
|Feb humidity = 71
|Mar humidity = 72
|Apr humidity = 77
|May humidity = 80
|Jun humidity = 78
|Jul humidity = 77
|Aug humidity = 79
|Sep humidity = 82
|Oct humidity = 84
|Nov humidity = 82
|Dec humidity = 78
|year humidity = 78
|Jan dew point C = 20
|Feb dew point C = 20
|Mar dew point C = 20
|Apr dew point C = 21
|May dew point C = 22
|Jun dew point C = 22
|Jul dew point C = 23
|Aug dew point C = 23
|Sep dew point C = 23
|Oct dew point C = 23
|Nov dew point C = 22
|Dec dew point C = 21
|Jan sun = 279.0
|Feb sun = 254.2
|Mar sun = 279.0
|Apr sun = 273.0
|May sun = 251.1
|Jun sun = 237.0
|Jul sun = 279.0
|Aug sun = 282.1
|Sep sun = 246.0
|Oct sun = 251.1
|Nov sun = 240.0
|Dec sun = 244.9
|Jan uv= 7
|Feb uv= 8
|Mar uv= 11
|Apr uv= 13
|May uv= 14
|Jun uv= 14
|Jul uv= 14
|Aug uv= 14
|Sep uv= 13
|Oct uv= 12
|Nov uv= 9
|Dec uv= 7
|source 1 = Climate & Temperature<ref name="climate">{{cite web | url =http://www.haiti.climatemps.com/ | title =Port-Au-Prince, Haiti | access-date =2 September 2012 | publisher =Climate & Temperature | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190721210008/http://www.haiti.climatemps.com/ | archive-date =21 July 2019 | url-status =dead }}</ref>
|date=September 2012
|source 2 = Climate-Data<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/haiti/departement-de-l-ouest/port-au-prince-3571//
|publisher = Climate-data.org
|title = Climate-data
|access-date= 6 February 2025}}
</ref>}}

==Demographics==

The population of the area was 1,234,742.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.geonames.org/HT/largest-cities-in-haiti.html |title=Biggest Cities Haiti<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2010-05-27 |archive-date=2010-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325112152/http://www.geonames.org/HT/largest-cities-in-haiti.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The majority of the population is of [[Afro-Haitians|African]] descent, but a prominent [[Mulatto Haitians|biracial]] minority controls many of the city's businesses.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}} There are sizable numbers of [[Asian Caribbean|Asians]] residents, as well as a number of [[European Haitians|Europeans]] (both foreign-born and native-born).

Citizens of Arab (particularly [[Syrian Haitians|Syrian]], [[Lebanese Haitians|Lebanese]], and [[Israeli Arab Haitians|Israeli Arab]]) ancestry have a large presence in the capital.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} [[Arab Haitians]] (a large number of whom live in Port-au-Prince) are, more often than not, concentrated in financial areas where the majority of them establish businesses. Most of the biracial residents of the city are concentrated within wealthier areas.

==Notable people==
* [[Arsène Auguste]] (1951–1993), footballer
* [[Jean-Claude Bajeux]] (1931–2011), human rights activist
* [[Charles-Henri Baker]] (born 1955), industrialist
* [[Édouard-Gérard Balbiani]] (1823–1899), French embryologist, was born in Port-au-Prince
* [[Jean-Pierre Boyer]] (1776–1850), president
* [[Samuel Dalembert]] (born 1981), basketball player
* [[Louis Delmas]] (born 1987), professional American football player
* [[Pierre Desir]] (born 1990), professional American football player
* [[Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière]] ({{floruit|1802}}), revolutionary and nurse
* [[Jean Pascal]] (born 1982), boxer
* [[Paulette Poujol-Oriol]] (1926–2011), educator and actress
* [[Michel-Rolph Trouillot]] (1949-2012), academic and anthropologist
* [[Toby Anbakè]] (born 1990), rapper and singer

==Economy==
[[File:Port au Prince..JPG|thumb|right|Artisan in Port-au-Prince]]
Port-au-Prince is one of the nation's largest centers of economy and finance. The capital exports its most widely consumed produce of [[coffee]] and [[sugar]], and has, in the past, exported other goods, such as [[shoe]]s and [[baseballs]]. Port-au-Prince has food-processing plants as well as [[soap]], textile and [[cement]] factories. Despite political unrest, the city also relies on the tourism industry and construction companies to move its economy. Port-au-Prince was once a popular place for cruises, but has lost nearly all of its tourism, and no longer has cruise ships coming into port.

Unemployment in Port-au-Prince is high, and compounded further by underemployment. Levels of economic activity remain prominent throughout the city, especially among people selling goods and services on the streets. Informal employment is believed to be widespread in Port-au-Prince's slums, as otherwise the population could not survive.<ref>Simon M. Fass's research book, ''Political Economy in Haïti: The Drama of Survival''</ref> Port-au-Prince has several upscale districts in which crime rates are significantly lower than in the city center.{{Citation needed|reason=someone has statistics on crime rates??!!!|date=May 2010}}

Port-au-Prince has a tourism industry. The [[Toussaint Louverture International Airport]] (referred to often as the Port-au-Prince International Airport) is the country's main international gateway for tourists. Tourists often visit the Pétion-Ville area of Port-au-Prince, with other sites of interest including [[Victorian architecture|gingerbread houses]].

==Health==
There are a number of hospitals including le Centre Hospitalier du Sacré-Cœur,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wikimapia.org/13381534/Centre-Hospitalier-du-Sacre-Coeur-CDTI |title=Centre Hospitalier du Sacré-Cœur |access-date=2010-02-20 |archive-date=2012-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929225109/http://wikimapia.org/13381534/Centre-Hospitalier-du-Sacre-Coeur-CDTI |url-status=live }}</ref> Hôpital de l'Université d'État d'Haïti (l'HUEH), Centre Obstetrico Gynécologique Isaïe Jeanty-Léon Audain, Hôpital du Canapé-Vert, Hôpital Français (Asile Français), Hôpital Saint-François de Sales, Hôpital-Maternité Sapiens, Hôpital OFATMA, Clinique de la Santé, Maternité de Christ Roi, Centre Hospitalier Rue Berne and Maternité Mathieu.

After the 2010 earthquake, two hospitals remained that were operational. The [[University of Miami]] in partnership with Project Medishare has created a new hospital, [[Bernard Mevs Hospital|L'Hôpital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare]], to provide inpatient and outpatient care for those impacted by the January 2010 earthquake. This hospital is volunteer staffed and provides level 1 trauma care to Port-au-Prince and the surrounding regions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://projectmedishare.org/ |title=Project Medishare For Haiti – Saving Lives, Rebuilding Hope {{!}} Project Medishare<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2010-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514023617/http://projectmedishare.org/ |archive-date=2010-05-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

CDTI (Centre de Diagnostique et de Traitement Intégré) closed in April 2010 when international aid failed to materialize. It had been considered the country's premiere hospital.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100718/NEWS01/7180333/1006/Lack+of+funds+forces+hospital+to+shut+down |title=Lack of funds force hospital to shut down|first=Jose A.|last=Torres|date=2010-07-18 |website= floridatoday.com |access-date=2018-08-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911174722/http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100718/NEWS01/7180333/1006/Lack+of+funds+forces+hospital+to+shut+down |archive-date=2014-09-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Culture==
The culture of the city lies primarily in the center around the National Palace as well as its surrounding areas. The [[National Museum of Haiti|National Museum]] is located in the grounds of the palace, established in 1938. The National Palace was one of the early structures of the city but was destroyed and then rebuilt in 1918. It was destroyed again by the [[2010 Haiti earthquake|earthquake on 12 January 2010]] which collapsed the center's domed roof.

[[File:Hotel_Oloffson_mars_2007.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[Hotel Oloffson]]]]
Another popular destination in the capital is the [[Hotel Oloffson]], a 19th-century [[Gingerbread (architecture)|gingerbread mansion]] that was once the private home of two former [[List of heads of state of Haiti|Haitian presidents]]. It has become a popular hub for tourist activity in the central city. The [[Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Port-au-Prince|Cathédrale de Port-au-Prince]] is a famed site of cultural interest and attracts foreign visitors to its Neo-Romantic architectural style.

The [[Musée d'Art Haïtien du Collège]] Saint-Pierre contains work from some of the country's most talented artists, and the Musée National is a museum featuring historical artifacts such as King [[Henri Christophe]]'s actual suicide pistol and a rusty [[anchor]] that museum operators claim was salvaged from [[Christopher Columbus]]'s ship, the ''[[Santa María (ship)|Santa María]]''. Other notable cultural sites include the Archives Nationales, the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library) and [[Expressions Art Gallery]]. The city is the birthplace of internationally known [[naïve art]]ist [[Gesner Abelard]], who was associated with the [[Centre d'Art]]. The [[Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien |Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien (MUPANAH)]] is a museum featuring the heroes of the independence of Haiti, the Haitian history and culture.

On 5 April 2015, the construction of a new [[Temple (LDS Church)|LDS Temple]] [[Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple|in Port-au-Prince]] was announced.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Monson|first1=Thomas|title=3 new LDS temples to be built in Ivory Coast, Haiti and Thailand, President Monson says|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865625790/3-new-LDS-temples-to-be-built-in-Ivory-Coast-Haiti-and-Thailand-President-Monson-says.html?pg=all|website=Deseret News|access-date=5 April 2015|archive-date=5 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405172119/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865625790/3-new-LDS-temples-to-be-built-in-Ivory-Coast-Haiti-and-Thailand-President-Monson-says.html?pg=all|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Port-au-Prince is the only city anywhere in the world to have a main avenue named for American abolitionist hero [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]]. Another is named for another [[abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] hero, Massachusetts Senator [[Charles Sumner]].

=== Celebrations ===
There is a celebration of [[Baron Samedi|Bawon Samdi]] and Gran Brigi called Fet Gede, which takes place from the [[Day of the Dead]] on 1 November through the third day of the month. This occurs in the national cemetery of Haiti. While celebrating, people wear Vodou white cotton clothing and purple headscarves. During the celebration, the cemetery becomes packed with people. Those who are celebrating make sacrifices of food for the spirits (mange lwa) and pour liquor on the gravestones among other festivities.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Evans Braziel|first=Jana|title=Riding with Death, Vodou Art and Urban Ecology in the Streets of Port-au-Prince|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|year=2017|isbn=9781496812759|pages=56}}</ref>

==Government==

The mayor of Port-au-Prince is Lucsonne Janvier, who succeeded Ralph Youri Chevry in July 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 2020 |title=Lucsonne Janvier est nommé à la tête de la Mairie de Port-au-Prince |language=fr |work=Haiti Standard |url=https://haitistandard.com/lucsonne-janvier-est-nomme-a-la-tete-de-la-mairie-de-port-au-prince/ |access-date=25 July 2023}}</ref> In 2023, Janvier's City Hall employees protested lack of salaries.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Arnault |first1=Veron |last2=Sanon |first2=Yasmine |date=24 January 2023 |title=Des employés de la Mairie de Port-au-Prince réclament leur salaire |language=fr |work=Le National |url=https://www.lenational.org/post_article.php?pol=3090 |access-date=25 July 2023 |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726002149/https://www.lenational.org/post_article.php?pol=3090 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Citation needed span|date=July 2023|The city's separate districts (primarily the districts of [[Delmas, Ouest|Delmas]], [[Carrefour, Haiti|Carrefour]], and [[Pétion-Ville]]) are all administered by their own municipal councils. The seat of the state, the [[National Palace (Haiti)|Presidential Palace]], is located in the Champ de Mars, square plaza of the city. The PNdH ({{Lang|fr|[[Police Nationale d’Haïti]]}}) is the authority governing the enforcement of city laws.}}

{{Citation needed span|date=July 2023|The national police force as of recently, have been increasing in number. However, because of its ailing ineffectiveness and insufficient manpower, a significant number of [[United Nations|UN]] personnel is present throughout the city as part of the [[United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti|stabilization mission in Haiti]].}}

==Education==
Port-au-Prince various educational institutions, ranging from small [[vocational school]]s to [[university|universities]]. Influential international schools in Port-au-Prince include [[Union School Haiti|Union School]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/m/a/os/1550.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220214721/https://2001-2009.state.gov/m/a/os/1550.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2023 |title=Haiti, Port-au-Prince: Union School |work=Office of Overseas Schools |publisher=United States Department of State |date=2007-10-26 |access-date=2008-11-29 }}</ref> founded in 1919, and [https://web.archive.org/web/20141218035127/http://quisqueya.org/ Quisqueya Christian School],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quisqueya.org |title=Quisqueya Christian School |publisher=Quisqueya Christian School |access-date=2008-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123194152/http://quisqueya.org/ |archive-date=2009-01-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> founded in 1974. Both schools offer an American-style pre-college education. French-speaking students can attend the Lycée Français ([[Lycée Alexandre Dumas]]), located in Bourdon. Another school is [[Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School]] north west of Port-au-Prince which opened its doors in 1980<ref name="anis">{{cite web | title = About The School | work = Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School | publisher = Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School | url = https://www.angelfire.com/ct/zunuzischool/#about | access-date = 2010-02-06 | archive-date = 2011-06-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604153008/http://www.angelfire.com/ct/zunuzischool/#about | url-status = live }}</ref> which survived the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.group.php?v=wall&gid=155485740573 |editor=Thimm, Hans J. |title=Anís Zunúzí Bahá'í School |publisher=Facebook |year=2010 |access-date=2010-02-06 }}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and its staff were cooperating in relief efforts and sharing space and support with neighbors.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Events and Updates |work=Projects & Initiatives; Projects we support; Anis Zunuzi School |publisher=Mona Foundation |year=2009 |url=http://www.monafoundation.org/news-events.htm |access-date=2010-02-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122100830/http://www.monafoundation.org/news-events.htm |archive-date=22 January 2010 }}</ref>

A clinic was run at the school by a medical team from the United States and Canada.<ref name="BWN755">{{Cite news | title = Amid wreckage in Haiti, new birth brings hope | newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service | publisher = Bahá'i International Community | date = 5 February 2010 | url = http://news.bahai.org/story/755 | access-date = 2010-02-06 | archive-date = 2013-06-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130602084515/http://news.bahai.org/story/755 | url-status = live }}</ref> Its classes offered transition from [[Haitian Creole language|Haitian Creole]] to the French language but also a secondary language in English.<ref name="BN682">{{cite magazine| title = Development: A look at programs around the world; Americas; Agriculture and forestry;|magazine= Baháʼí News |date=January 1987 | number = 682 | issn=0195-9212 | page =4 | url =http://www.teachingandprojects.com/meansandmaterials.htm}}</ref> [[University of Haiti|The [[[[[[State University of Haiti]]]]]]]] (''Université d'État d'Haïti'' in French or UEH), is located within the capital along other universities such as the [[Quisqueya University]] and the ''Université des Caraïbes''. There are many other institutions that observe the Haitian scholastic program. Many of them are religious academies led by foreign missionaries from [[France]] or [[Canada]]. These include [[Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague]], École Sainte-Rose-de-Lima, École Saint-Jean-Marie Vianney, Institution du Sacré-Coeur, and Collège Anne-Marie Javouhey.

The Ministry of Education is also located in downtown Port-au-Prince at the Palace of Ministries, adjacent to the National Palace in the Champ de Mars plaza.

The Haitian Group of Research and Pedagogical Activities (GHRAP) has set up several community centers for basic education. [[UNESCO]]'s office at Port-au-Prince has taken a number of initiates in upgrading the educational facilities in Port-au-Prince.

==Crime==
{{See also|Gang war in Haiti}}
A 2012 independent study found that the murder rate in Port-au-Prince was 60.9 murders per 100,000 residents in February 2012.{{sfn|Kolbe|Muggah|2012|p=3}} In the 22 months after the end of the President Aristide era in 2004, the murder rate for Port-au-Prince reached a high of 219 murders per 100,000 residents per year.<ref>[http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/kolbe-political-and-social-marginalization-behind-increases-in-crime "Kolbe: Political and Social Marginalization Behind Increases in Crime", Haiti: Relief and Reconstruction Watch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417173455/http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/relief-and-reconstruction-watch/kolbe-political-and-social-marginalization-behind-increases-in-crime |date=2015-04-17 }}, [[Center for Economic and Policy Research]], 22 March 2012.</ref>

High-crime zones in the Port-au-Prince area include [[Croix-des-Bouquets]], [[Cité Soleil]], [[Carrefour, Ouest|Carrefour]], [[Bel Air, Haiti|Bel Air]], Martissant, the port road (Boulevard La Saline), urban route Nationale 1, the airport road (Boulevard Toussaint-Louverture) and its adjoining connectors to the New ("American") Road via Route Nationale 1. This latter area in particular has been the scene of numerous robberies, carjackings, and murders.<ref name=us>[https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/haiti.html "Haiti: Country-Specific Information".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905120828/http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/haiti.html |date=2015-09-05 }} [[U.S. Department of State]] (4 December 2014). Accessed 12 April 2015. {{PD-notice}}.</ref>

In the [[Bel Air, Haiti|Bel Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince]], the murder rate reached 50 murders per 100,000 residents at the end of 2011, up from 19 murders per 100,000 residents in 2010.{{sfn|Kolbe|Muggah|2012|p=4}}

Lola Castro, Regional Director of the UN World Food Programme, described Port-au-Prince as "one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-12 |title=The world has the tools to end Haiti's crisis – it's time to use them {{!}} UN News |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165635 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref>

==Transportation==

===Roads===

All of the major transportation systems in Haiti are located near or run through the capital. The northern highway, Route Nationale #1 (National Highway One), originates in Port-au-Prince.  The southern highway, Route Nationale #2, also runs through Port-au-Prince. Maintenance for these roads lapsed after the 1991 coup, prompting the [[World Bank]] to lend US$50 million designated for road repairs. The project was canceled in January 1999, however, after auditors revealed corruption.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} A third major highway, the Route Nationale #3, was built in successive sections up to the late 2010s, receiving support from the [[European Union]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Duhau |first1=Isabelle |last2=Davoigneau |first2=Jean |date=2018 |title=Cap-Haïtien versus Jacmel, essai sur la ville en Haïti |url=https://journals.openedition.org/etudescaribeennes/12835 |journal={{ill|Études caribéennes|fr}} |volume=39-40 |doi=10.4000/etudescaribeennes.12835 |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=9 March 2018 |title=Le Président de la République Jovenel Moïse et l'ambassadeur de l'Union européenne Vincent Degert visitent les chantiers de la Route Nationale 3 financés par l'Union européenne |url=https://www.eeas.europa.eu/node/41137_en |website=[[European External Action Service|EEAS]] |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref> It connects Port-au-Prince to the central plateau and [[Cap-Haïtien]]. As of 2020, this highway was described as highly used, but also as a focal point of armed [[Robbery|robberies]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Fontal |first=Louiny |date=20 March 2020 |title=La Route nationale numéro 3: un repaire des bandits |url=https://www.lemiroirinfo.ca/la-route-nationale-numero-3-un-repaire-des-bandits |website=Lemiroirinfo |access-date=4 October 2025}}</ref>

===Public transportation===

The most common form of public transportation in Haiti is the use of brightly painted [[pickup truck]]s as [[taxicab|taxis]] called "[[Tap-Tap|tap-taps]]."{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

===Seaport===

The [[port|seaport]], [[Port international de Port-au-Prince]], has more registered shipping than any of the over dozen ports in the country.{{Citation needed|reason="more registered shipping" needs documenting|date=May 2010}}  The port's facilities include cranes, large berths, and warehouses, but these facilities are in universally poor shape.  The port is underused,{{Citation needed|reason="underused" is pov, needing a strong outside citation|date=May 2010}} possibly due to the substantially high port fees compared to ports in the [[Dominican Republic]].{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

===Airports===

[[Toussaint Louverture International Airport]] (Maïs Gâté), which opened in 1965 (as François Duvalier International Airport), is north of the city. It is Haiti's major jetway, and as such, handles the vast majority of the country's international flights. Transportation to smaller cities from the major airport is done via smaller aircraft. Companies providing this service include [[Caribintair]] and [[Sunrise Airways]].{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

==See also==
{{portal|Haiti|Cities}}
* [[Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone]]
* [[:Category:People from Port-au-Prince|Famous people from Port-au-Prince]]
* {{ship||Port au Prince|1790 ship|2}} – a ship from the Age of Sail

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Port-au-Prince#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Port-au-Prince}}
* {{cite web |url=https://igarape.org.br/pdf/Strategic_Note_1.pdf |title="Haiti's Urban Crime Wave? Results from Monthly Household Surveys August 2011 – February 2012 |location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Instituto Igarape. Kolbe, Athena R & Muggah, Robert |year=2012 |pages=9 |access-date=21 July 2018 |last1=Kolbe |first1=Athena R. |last2=Muggah |first2=Robert }}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Port-au-Prince}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120327161612/http://www.rubenscardia.com.br/360graus/jornalismo/haiti/haiti.html Tour Virtual of Port au Prince – Brazilian Site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070127003637/http://portauprince.usembassy.gov/ Port-au-Prince U.S Embassy]
* [https://news.televizyonlakay.com/category/media/radio/ Live Radios from Haiti]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100203021635/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1953379_1953494_1958231,00.html?xid=rss-world-huffpo "Scientists: Why Haiti Should Move Its Capital"]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine

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