Port-au-Prince facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Port-au-Prince
(Kréyòl): Pòtoprens
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Port-au-Prince from space
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| Country | Haiti | |
| Département | Ouest | |
| Arrondisement | Port-au-Prince | |
| Founded | 1749 | |
| Colonial seat | 1770 | |
| Elevation | 98 m (322 ft) | |
| Population
(2007)
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| • City | 1,082,800 | |
| • Metro | 1,728,100 | |
| • Demonym | Port-au-Princien (female Port-au-Princienne) |
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| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) | |
Port-au-Prince (Pòtoprens in Kréyòl) is the capital city of Haiti. Haiti is also divided into ten Départements; Port-au-Prince is the capital of the Ouest Département.
Port-au-Prince is Haiti's largest city. According to the country's 2015 census, over 2.6 million people lived there.
History
Port-au-Prince was built in 1749. At that time, Haiti was a French colony called Saint-Domingue. Before 1770, Cap-Français (now Cap-Haïtien) was the capital of Saint-Domingue. In 1770, Port-au-Prince replaced Cap-Français as the capital of Saint-Domingue.
In 1804, the people of Haiti won the Haitian Revolution, and Haiti became an independent country. Port-au-Prince became the capital of this new country. During the French and Haitian Revolutions, it was called Port-Républicain, before Jean-Jacques Dessalines renamed it Port-au-Prince.
Shortly after it won its independence, Haiti's new leaders divided the country between a kingdom in the north and a republic in the south. Port-au-Prince remained the capital of the republic.
Port-au-Prince today
Port-au-Prince is the cultural centre of Haiti. The State University of Haiti (L'Université d'État d'Haïti, or UEH, in French); are all located in the city.
Port-au-Prince is the nation's largest centre of economy and finance. It has the most important port in the country, where coffee and sugar are exported. Port-au-Prince has soap, textile, and cement factories, and others to process foods.
There is also an international airport about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) north of the city. It is named Aéroport International Toussaint L'ouverture after national hero Toussaint L'ouverture.
| Department capitals of Haiti |  |
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| Cap-Haïtien • Fort-Liberté • Gonaïves • Hinche • Jacmel • Jérémie • Les Cayes • Miragoâne • Port-au-Prince • Port-de-Paix | |
Images for kids
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3D computer-generated view, 2010
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Map of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, circa 1639.
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Colonial mansion in Port-au-Prince, 18th century
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Central Market, Port-au-Prince, 1907
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Port-au-Prince, 1920
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The Presidential Palace (National Palace) on 13 January 2010, the day after the 2010 earthquake, showing the extensive damage to the edifice.
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City and bay views from the terrace of the Hotel Montana in Pétion-Ville
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Aerial view of the city
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Artisan in Port-au-Prince.
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Hotel Oloffson
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See also
In Spanish: Puerto Príncipe para niños
