In theadministrative divisions of Haiti,thedepartment(French:département d'Haïti,pronounced[depaʁtəmɑ̃d‿aiti];Haitian Creole:depatman Ayiti) is the first of four levels of government. Haiti is divided administratively into ten departments, which are further subdivided into 42arrondissements,145communes,and 571communal sections.[1][2][3]
In 2014, there was a proposal by theChamber of Deputiesto increase the number of departments from 10 to 14 —perhaps as high as 16.[4]
Administration
editEachdepartementhas adepartmental council(conseil départemental) compound of three members elected by the departmental assembly for a 4-yearterm.The departmental council is led by apresident(président). The council is the executive organ of the department.
Each department has adepartmental assemblywho assists the council in its work. The departmental assembly is the deliberative organ of the department. The members of the departmental assembly are also elected for 4 years. The departmental assembly is led by a president.
History
editThree Departments have roots in the former French colony ofSaint-Domingue,namely: theNord,Sud,andOuest.In 1801, under Governor-GeneralToussaint Louverture,the "provinces," became known asdepartments.[5][6] The departement of l'Artibonite was known as departement ofLouverture.
Under the administration ofDessalinesthe country was administrated bymilitary divisions.
In 1821,Artibonitewas created and in 1844,Nord-Ouest,both derived out of the Nord and Ouest departments.[7][8]In 1962 during the reign of"Papa Doc" Duvalier,four new departments were created out of a territorial redistribution. These departments were:Centre,Grand'Anse,Nord-OuestandSud-Est.In 2003, a tenth department was created out of Grand'Anse, calledNippes.[8]
In the 1990s, before the creation of Nippes, thedixième départementwas a phrase commonly used in regards to theHaitian diaspora.Since then, the phraseonzième départementwas soon adopted to describe the diaspora.[8]
Demographics
editData based on 2015 estimates from the Haitian government.[9]
| Map | Department | Capital | Area (km2) | Population | Density (Pop./km2) |
Planning Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Artibonite | Gonaïves | 4,987 | 1,727,524 | 350 | Central |
| 2 | Centre | Hinche | 3,487 | 746,236 | 210 | Central |
| 3 | Grand'Anse | Jérémie | 1,912 | 468,301 | 240 | South |
| 4 | Nippes | Miragoâne | 1,268 | 342,525 | 270 | South |
| 5 | Nord | Cap-Haïtien | 2,115 | 1,067,177 | 500 | North |
| 6 | Nord-Est | Fort-Liberté | 1,623 | 393,967 | 240 | North |
| 7 | Nord-Ouest | Port-de-Paix | 2,103 | 728,807 | 350 | Central |
| 8 | Ouest | Port-au-Prince | 4,983 | 4,029,705 | 810 | West |
| 9 | Sud-Est | Jacmel | 2,034 | 632,601 | 310 | West |
| 10 | Sud | Les Cayes | 2,654 | 774,976 | 290 | South |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Olivier, Louis-Joseph, ed. (14 August 2015)."Création de cinq nouvelles communes par décret présidentiel"(in French). Le Nouvelliste.Retrieved17 March2016.
- ^Press, ed. (16 August 2015)."Haïti - Politique: 5 nouvelles communes en Haïti".Haiti Libre.Retrieved17 March2016.
- ^"7300.- Divisions territoriales"(in French). Haiti-Référence. 17 August 2015.Retrieved17 March2016.
- ^Duval, Frantz(29 September 2014)."Le nouvel ordre géographique et administratif d'Haïti"(in French).Le Nouvelliste.Retrieved30 September2014.
- ^Press, ed. (1950)."Estadística, Volume 8, Issues 26-29".p. 207.Retrieved29 February2016.
- ^Kersuze, Simeon-Jones, ed. (2010).Literary and Sociopolitical Writings of the Black Diaspora in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.Lexington Books. p. 16.ISBN9780739147641.Retrieved29 February2016.
- ^Press, ed. (March 2002)."Organisation Territoriale des Collectivités"(PDF)(in French). Commission nationale a la reforme administrative (CNRA). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 May 2018.Retrieved6 June2017.
- ^abcHall, Michael R., ed. (2012).Historical Dictionary of Haiti.Scarecrow Press. p. 78.ISBN9780810878105.Retrieved29 February2016.
- ^"Population totale de 18 ans et plus"(PDF)(in French). Institut Haitien de statistque et d'informatique (IHSI). March 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2015-11-06.Retrieved12 January2016.