Transport in Haiti
Encyclopedia
All of the major transportation systems in Haiti
are located near or run through the capital, Port-au-Prince
.
Haiti has two main highways that run from one end of the country to the other. The northern highway, Route Nationale #1 (National Highway One), originates in Port-au-Prince, winding through the coastal towns of Montrouis
and Gonaïves
, before reaching its terminus at the northern port Cap-Haïtien
. The southern highway, Route Nationale #2, links Port-au-Prince with Les Cayes
via Léogâne
and Petit-Goâve. Maintenance for these roads lapsed after the 1991 coup, prompting the World Bank
to loan US$50 million designated for road repairs. The project was canceled in January 1999, however, after auditors revealed corruption
. Haiti also has a third major highway, the Route Nationale #3, which connects Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien via the towns of Mirebalais
and Hinche
. This route links the capital and Le Cap to the central plateau; however, due to its poor condition, it sees limited use.
s are fairly priced at around 10-15 gourdes per ride within a city. The catch to the price is that the driver will often fill a truck to maximum capacity, which is nearly 20-30 people.
, has more registered shipping than any of the over dozen ports in the country. The port's facilities include crane
s, large berth
s, and warehouses, but these facilities are in universally poor shape. The port is underused, possibly due to the substantially high port fees compared to ports in the Dominican Republic
.
The port of Saint-Marc
is currently the preferred port of entry for consumer goods coming into Haiti. Reasons for this may include its location away from volatile and congested
Port-au-Prince, as well as its central location relative to a large group of Haitian cities including Cap-Haïtien
, Carrefour
, Delmas
, Desarmes, Fond-Parisien, Fort-Liberté
, Gonaïves
, Hinche
, l'Artibonite, Limbe
, Pétionville
, Port-de-Paix
, and Verrettes
. These cities, together with their surrounding areas, contain about six million of Haiti's eight million people.
, Gonaïves
, Jacmel
, Jérémie
, Les Cayes
, Miragoâne
, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix
, Saint-Marc
, Fort-Liberté
Panama Canal Railway Company
The Panama Canal Railway Company ran a shipping line with three ocean liner
s that traveled between New York City (USA) - Port-au-Prince (Haiti) - Cristobal
(Panama). The company had facilities in Port-au-Prince and their ocean liners stopped there. It has not had any known railroad operations in Haiti.
The three ocean liners were:
International flights: Toussaint Louverture International Airport (formerly known as Port-au-Prince International Airport
), which opened in 1965 (as François Duvalier International Airport), is located 10 km North/North East of Port-au-Prince. It is Haiti's only jetway
, and as such, handles the vast majority of the country's international flights. Air Haïti
, Tropical Airways
and a handful of major airlines from Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas serve the airport.
Domestic flights: are available through Sunrise Airways
which is Haiti's largest airline for the general public offering scheduled, as well as, charter flights. Another domestic company is, Mission Aviation Fellowship
catering to non-Catholic registered Christians.
14 (2007 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
Airports - with unpaved runways
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
are located near or run through the capital, Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
.
Roads
Montrouis
Montrouis is a coastal town in western Haïti. It is located at around in the Ouest Department. Montrouis is also one of the most important beach tourism destinations in Haiti, with several well renowned hotels and resorts, including le Moulin-sur-Mer. The town is located on the Cotes des Arcadins,...
and Gonaïves
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
, before reaching its terminus at the northern port Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
. The southern highway, Route Nationale #2, links Port-au-Prince with Les Cayes
Les Cayes
Les Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
via Léogâne
Léogane
Léogâne is a seaside town in Ouest Department, Haïti. It is located in the eponymous arrondissement, the Léogâne Arrondissement. The port town is located about West of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. The town was at the epicenter of the 12 January 2010 earthquake, and was catastrophically...
and Petit-Goâve. Maintenance for these roads lapsed after the 1991 coup, prompting the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
to loan US$50 million designated for road repairs. The project was canceled in January 1999, however, after auditors revealed corruption
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
. Haiti also has a third major highway, the Route Nationale #3, which connects Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien via the towns of Mirebalais
Mirebalais
Mirebalais is a town in Centre Department, Haïti, approximately 60 km northeast of Port-au-Prince on National Road 3. The city was established in 1703....
and Hinche
Hinche
Hinche is a city in central Haiti. It has a population of about 50,000. It is the capital of Centre department. Hinche is the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist leader who resisted the United States occupation of Haïti .-Culture:The majority of the population are of African...
. This route links the capital and Le Cap to the central plateau; however, due to its poor condition, it sees limited use.
Statistics
- Total highways: 4,161 km
- Paved highways: 1,011 km
- Unpaved highways: 3,149 km (1996 est.)
Public transportation
The most common form of public transportation in Haiti is the use of brightly painted pickup trucks as taxis called "tap-taps" They are named this because when a passenger needs to be let off they use their coin money to tap the side of the vehicle and the driver usually stops. Most tap-tapTap-Tap
Tap taps are gaily painted buses or pick-up trucks that serve as share taxis in Haiti.Literally meaning "quick quick", these vehicles for hire are privately owned and beautifully decorated...
s are fairly priced at around 10-15 gourdes per ride within a city. The catch to the price is that the driver will often fill a truck to maximum capacity, which is nearly 20-30 people.
Water transport
The port at Port-au-Prince, Port international de Port-au-PrincePort international de Port-au-Prince
The is the seaport in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. It suffered catastrophic damage in the 2010 Haiti earthquake.Some of docks and warehouses are operated by the government's Autorité Portuaire Nationale , and some are run by private companies.- History :On 13 June 1872, a German fleet...
, has more registered shipping than any of the over dozen ports in the country. The port's facilities include crane
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
s, large berth
Berth (moorings)
A berth is a location in a port or harbour used specifically for mooring vessels while not at sea.-Locations in a port:Berth is the term used in ports and harbors to define a specific location where a vessel may be berthed, usually for the purposes of loading and unloading.Most berths will be...
s, and warehouses, but these facilities are in universally poor shape. The port is underused, possibly due to the substantially high port fees compared to ports in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
The port of Saint-Marc
Saint-Marc
Saint-Marc is a coastal port town in western Haiti in the Artibonite Department. Its geographic coordinates are . At the 2003 Census the municipality had 160,181 inhabitants....
is currently the preferred port of entry for consumer goods coming into Haiti. Reasons for this may include its location away from volatile and congested
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
Port-au-Prince, as well as its central location relative to a large group of Haitian cities including Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
, Carrefour
Carrefour, Haiti
Carrefour is a largely residential and a commune in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. The commune had a population of 373,916 at the 2003 Census, and was officially estimated to have grown to 465,019 inhabitants in 2009. It is mostly a bedroom community for those who work in central...
, Delmas
Delmas, Ouest
Delmas is a commune in Port-au-Prince Arrondissement, Ouest Department of Haiti. Delmas itself is an urban continuation of the capital city. Delmas is also the location of much of the area's commercial and industrial enterprise....
, Desarmes, Fond-Parisien, Fort-Liberté
Fort-Liberté
Fort-Liberté is the administrative capital of the Nord-Est Department, Haiti. It is close to the border of the Dominican Republic and is one of the oldest cities in the country. Haiti's independence was proclaimed here on November 29, 1803. The area around Fort-Liberté was originally inhabited by...
, Gonaïves
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
, Hinche
Hinche
Hinche is a city in central Haiti. It has a population of about 50,000. It is the capital of Centre department. Hinche is the hometown of Charlemagne Péralte, the Haitian nationalist leader who resisted the United States occupation of Haïti .-Culture:The majority of the population are of African...
, l'Artibonite, Limbe
Limbé, Nord
Limbé is a municipality in the Limbé Arrondissement, in the Nord Department of Haiti.With a population of 32200 inhabitants it is the second city in importance in this department after Cap-Haïtien. The arrondissement du Limbé includes two communes: Limbé and Bas-Limbé...
, Pétionville
Pétionville
Pétion-Ville is a commune and a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the hills east and separate of the city itself on the northern hills of the Massif de la Selle. It was named after Alexandre Sabès Pétion , the Haitian general and president later recognized as one of the country's four founding...
, Port-de-Paix
Port-de-Paix
Port-de-Paix is a city and the capital of the département of Nord-Ouest in Haïti on the Atlantic coast. It has a population of 250,000 ....
, and Verrettes
Verrettes
Verrettes is a municipality in the Saint-Marc Arrondissement, in the Artibonite Department of Haiti. It is located approximately 58 km north of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and has 48,724 inhabitants.- History :...
. These cities, together with their surrounding areas, contain about six million of Haiti's eight million people.
Ports and harbors
Cap-HaïtienCap-Haïtien
Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...
, Gonaïves
Gonaïves
Gonaïves is a city in northern Haiti, the capital of the Artibonite Department. It has a population of about 104,825 people . The city's name derives from the original Amerindian name of Gonaibo. It is also known as Haïti's "independence city"...
, Jacmel
Jacmel
Jacmel, also known by its indigenous Taíno name of Yaquimel, is a town in southern Haiti founded in 1698. It is the capital of the department of Sud-Est and has an estimated population of 40,000, while the municipality of Jacmel had a population of 137,966 at the 2003 Census.The buildings are...
, Jérémie
Jérémie
Jérémie is the capital city of the department of Grand'Anse, in Haiti, with a population of about 31,000 . It is almost isolated from the rest of the country...
, Les Cayes
Les Cayes
Les Cayes , is a town and seaport in southwestern Haiti, with a population of approximately 45,904 people . Estimates from 2008 place the population at close to 70,000 people...
, Miragoâne
Miragoane
Miragoâne is a coastal town in western Haïti and the capital of the Nippes Department. It is regarded as one of the major ports in the trade in used goods. Bales of used clothing, shoes, appliances and used cars arrive at the port from Miami and other U.S. cities. Local merchants in the informal...
, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix
Port-de-Paix
Port-de-Paix is a city and the capital of the département of Nord-Ouest in Haïti on the Atlantic coast. It has a population of 250,000 ....
, Saint-Marc
Saint-Marc
Saint-Marc is a coastal port town in western Haiti in the Artibonite Department. Its geographic coordinates are . At the 2003 Census the municipality had 160,181 inhabitants....
, Fort-Liberté
Fort-Liberté
Fort-Liberté is the administrative capital of the Nord-Est Department, Haiti. It is close to the border of the Dominican Republic and is one of the oldest cities in the country. Haiti's independence was proclaimed here on November 29, 1803. The area around Fort-Liberté was originally inhabited by...
History
Haiti has one of the oldest maritime histories in the Americas.Panama Canal Railway Company
The Panama Canal Railway Company ran a shipping line with three ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
s that traveled between New York City (USA) - Port-au-Prince (Haiti) - Cristobal
Cristóbal, Colón
Cristóbal is a port in the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. It is located on the western edge of Manzanillo Island and is part of the Panamanian city and province of Colón...
(Panama). The company had facilities in Port-au-Prince and their ocean liners stopped there. It has not had any known railroad operations in Haiti.
The three ocean liners were:
- SS Panama (1939), maiden voyage 26 April 1939
- SS AnconUSS Ancon (AGC-4)USS Ancon was an ocean liner acquired by the United States Navy during World War II and converted to a combined headquarters and communications command ship.-Early civilian service:...
(1939), maiden voyage 22 June 1939 - SS Cristobal (1939), maiden voyage 17 August 1939
Aviation
- See also: List of airports in Haiti, Port-au-Prince International AirportPort-au-Prince International AirportToussaint Louverture International Airport is an international airport located in Tabarre, near Port-au-Prince in Haiti. The airport is currently the busiest in Haiti.- History :...
International flights: Toussaint Louverture International Airport (formerly known as Port-au-Prince International Airport
Port-au-Prince International Airport
Toussaint Louverture International Airport is an international airport located in Tabarre, near Port-au-Prince in Haiti. The airport is currently the busiest in Haiti.- History :...
), which opened in 1965 (as François Duvalier International Airport), is located 10 km North/North East of Port-au-Prince. It is Haiti's only jetway
Jetway
A jet bridge is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and disembark without having to go outside...
, and as such, handles the vast majority of the country's international flights. Air Haïti
Air Haïti
Air Haïti was an airline based in Haiti.For a few years, Air Haïti's C-46 Commandos were a common site at airport such as San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami International. The airline operated from 1969 until 1982, when it ceased operations....
, Tropical Airways
Tropical Airways
Tropical Airways was a small airline with scheduled and charter services based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.-Services:As of February 2005, Tropical Airways operated the following services:...
and a handful of major airlines from Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas serve the airport.
Domestic flights: are available through 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....
which is Haiti's largest airline for the general public offering scheduled, as well as, charter flights. Another domestic company is, Mission Aviation Fellowship
Mission Aviation Fellowship
Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indigenous villagers in the world's most remote areas...
catering to non-Catholic registered Christians.
Statistics
Airports14 (2007 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
- total: 4
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
- 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 10
- 914 to 1,523 m: 1
- under 914 m: 9 (2007 est.)