Cap-Haïtien

Town and port on the north coast of Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean; population (1997) 84,000. Cap-Haïtien is the second-largest city in Haiti and the capital of the Nord department. The town is also the economic centre of the northern plain. It is known locally as ‘Le Cap’. Principal exports include sugar, coffee, bananas, cocoa, and sisal. There is little industry in the town.

Founded in 1670 by the French, the town was originally known as Cap Français and gained early renown as the ‘Paris of the Antilles’, serving as the capital of the colony of Saint Domingue until 1770. An earthquake in 1842, which devastated much of the northern plain, and a hurricane in 1928 destroyed many historical buildings in Cap-Haïtien; its colonial parish church, however, has survived.