Môle Saint-Nicolas
Encyclopedia
Môle-Saint-Nicolas is a town in the Republic of Haiti. It is the chief town of the Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement
in the department
of Nord-Ouest
. Christopher Columbus
' first voyage to the Americas
on December 6, 1492 to Haiti's northern coast led to the establishment of the short-lived settlement of La Navidad
in what is now Môle-Saint-Nicolas. The town received its present name after France
gained control of the western part of Hispaniola
in 1697.
Môle-Saint-Nicolas has a population of about 4,000 people, with another 20,000 spread throughout the rural areas nearby. In October 2007 it received its first external telecommunications capability with the construction of the Digicel
network tower above the town. The road network of Haiti is in general decrepit, with roads in the north-west being no exception. However, in Mole itself, the roads are passable in a sturdy vehicle. There is a dirt airstrip to the north of the town which is serviced by one airline Sunrise Airways
. The town has running water from a run-of-river channel constructed in the 1970s, which feeds a reservoir
above the town and is distributed via PVC pipes to spigots throughout the town. A medical clinic in the town has been staffed by Slovakia
n volunteer doctors from a private university, since the end of 2006.
Vestiges of colonial forts can be found in several locations: Batteries de Vallières, Fort Georges, Saint-Charles, La Poudrière, Le Fort Allemand, Les Ramparts. Ruine Poudrière is an old magazine
built sometime in the 1750s.
Local fishing is a major industry in this part of the country. The production and distribution of wood charcoal is another major industry of the local people. There is a port for transporting charcoal to larger cities that utilizes wooden sailing vessels to transport the major fuel for cooking in Haiti. Charcoal production has devastated the original forest that once covered this area. The landscape surrounding Mole looks more like the high desert of Arizona than a lush tropical island that was first described to Europeans by Christopher Columbus.
Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement
Môle-Saint-Nicolas is an arrondissement in the Nord-Ouest Department of Haiti.It has 169,238 inhabitants.Postal codes in the Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement start with the number 33....
in the department
Departments of Haiti
The Communes of Haiti are the third-level divisions of Haiti. The 10 departments have 42 arrondissements which are divided into 140 communes.-Artibonite Department:*Dessalines Arrondissement**Desdunes**Dessalines**Grande Saline...
of Nord-Ouest
Nord-Ouest Department
Nord-Ouest is one of the ten departments of Haiti as well as the northernmost one. It has an area of 2,176 km² and a population of 445,080 . Its capital is Port-de-Paix....
. Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
' first voyage to the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
on December 6, 1492 to Haiti's northern coast led to the establishment of the short-lived settlement of La Navidad
La Navidad
La Navidad was a settlement that Christopher Columbus and his men established in present day Haiti in 1492 from the remains of the Spanish ship, the Santa María...
in what is now Môle-Saint-Nicolas. The town received its present name after France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
gained control of the western part of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
in 1697.
Môle-Saint-Nicolas has a population of about 4,000 people, with another 20,000 spread throughout the rural areas nearby. In October 2007 it received its first external telecommunications capability with the construction of the Digicel
Digicel
Digicel is a mobile phone network provider covering parts of Oceania, Central America, and the Caribbean regions. The company is owned by Irishman Denis O'Brien, is incorporated in Bermuda, and based in Jamaica. It provides mobile services in 26 countries and territories throughout the Caribbean...
network tower above the town. The road network of Haiti is in general decrepit, with roads in the north-west being no exception. However, in Mole itself, the roads are passable in a sturdy vehicle. There is a dirt airstrip to the north of the town which is serviced by one airline Sunrise Airways
Sunrise Airways
Sunrise Airways, founded in 2010, is an airline in Haiti that now provides charter flights. Sunrise Airways specializes in passenger charters, ad-hoc charter flights, chains of charter flights, and wet lease of its aircraft....
. The town has running water from a run-of-river channel constructed in the 1970s, which feeds a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
above the town and is distributed via PVC pipes to spigots throughout the town. A medical clinic in the town has been staffed by Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
n volunteer doctors from a private university, since the end of 2006.
Vestiges of colonial forts can be found in several locations: Batteries de Vallières, Fort Georges, Saint-Charles, La Poudrière, Le Fort Allemand, Les Ramparts. Ruine Poudrière is an old magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
built sometime in the 1750s.
Local fishing is a major industry in this part of the country. The production and distribution of wood charcoal is another major industry of the local people. There is a port for transporting charcoal to larger cities that utilizes wooden sailing vessels to transport the major fuel for cooking in Haiti. Charcoal production has devastated the original forest that once covered this area. The landscape surrounding Mole looks more like the high desert of Arizona than a lush tropical island that was first described to Europeans by Christopher Columbus.