Centre (department)

Department of Haiti

Department in Hinche, Haiti

Centre

Sant

department

Peligre Lake

Centre in Haiti

Country|  Haiti
Capital| Hinche
Région| Central
Symbole| Hispaniolan trogon
Government

• Type| Departmental Council
Area

• department

| 3,487.41 km2 (1,346.50 sq mi)
Population

(2015)[1]

• department

| 746,236
• Density| 210/km2 (550/sq mi)
• Urban

| 151,488
• Rural

| 594,748
Time zone| UTC-05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-04:00 (EDT)
ISO 3166 code| HT-CE
HDI (2022)| 0.485[2]
low · 10th

Centre (French, pronounced [sɑ̃tʁ] ⓘ) or Sant (Haitian Creole; both meaning "Center") is a landlocked department (French: départements; Haitian Creole: depatman) of Haiti, located in the center of the country along the border with the Dominican Republic. As of 2015, its estimated population was 746,236.[3] Its capital is Hinche.

## History

[edit]

### Taino Period

[edit]

The department was part of the Marien kasika and Maguana alongside San Juan de la Maguana under the leadership of Caonabo.

### Spanish Period

[edit]

Much of the Centre Departement was Spanish territorial even after the Treaty of Ryswick. Many towns were built and settled by the Spanish like Hincha, Las Caobas, San Rafael and many more.

### French Period

[edit]

The southern part of the department was French territory with towns like Mirebalais.

### Haitian Period

[edit]

#### Haitian Revolution

[edit]

The department played a big part in the Revolution serving as maroon territory extending to the Baoruco. Toussaint Louverture capture the town of Hinche from the Spanish for the French making it an early Haitian territory.

#### Independence

[edit]

David Troy commander of Mirebalais is a signatory of the Haitian Declaration of Independence.

In contemporary times the department played a big role in the fight against the American Marines, being a Caco a refuge for men like Charlemagne Péralte and Benoit Batraville.

## Geography

[edit]

It borders the Dominican Republic with the province of Elías Piña to the east and is the only landlocked department in Haiti.

Waterfall at Saut-d'Eau in Centre, Haiti

Centre is the only department without access to the sea, but is nevertheless affected by soil erosion as a result of deforestation. In 2004, the floods caused by Hurricane Jeanne resulted in hundreds of deaths, focused in Centre and Artibonite Departments.

It contains the second largest lake in Haiti Lake Péligre, which was created as a result of the construction of the Péligre Dam on the Artibonite River during the 1950s. It is the largest hydroelectric dam in the Caribbean.

The Centre department is a high plateau topographical region. Due to its isolation if one of the greenest departments.

## Historical places

[edit]

* Hinche: Former Dominican territory. Siece to Republic of Haiti in 1929. Birthplace of Charlemagne Péralte, the leader of the Cacos movement, which opposed the American occupation in 1915.
* Mirebalais and Lascahobas: Place of bloody fighting of Toussaint Louverture against the English, who were resupplying in the Central Plateau (1795). Birthplace of Benoît Batraville.

## Economy

[edit]

### Tourism

[edit]

The department has two of Haiti's most impressive waterfalls, Sodo, which receives much local tourism in August for the Mont-Carmel Vodoun Pilgrimage, and Zim.

### Agriculture

[edit]

Centre is known for their tobacco production, goat and turkey.

## Administrative divisions

[edit]

The Department of Centre is subdivided into four arrondissements, which are further subdivided in 13 communes.

* Cerca la Source Arrondissement
* Cerca-la-Source
* Thomassique
* Hinche Arrondissement
* Hinche
* Cerca-Cavajal
* Maissade
* Thomonde
* Lascahobas Arrondissement
* Lascahobas
* Belladere
* Savanette
* Baptiste
* Mirebalais Arrondissement
* Mirebalais
* Saut-d'Eau
* Boucan-Carre

## Transport

[edit]

The RD3 connects it to the North and the West. The RD304 connects it to Gonaives. The RD301 connects it to St-Marc.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2015-11-06.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
3. ^ "POPULATION TOTALE, POPULATION DE 18 ANS ET PLUS MÉNAGES ET DENSITÉS ESTIMÉS EN 2015" (PDF). IHSI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 22 Mar 2017.

19°09′00″N 72°01′00″W﻿ / ﻿19.15°N 72.0167°W﻿ / 19.15; -72.0167

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Departments, arrondissements and communes of Haiti

Artibonite|

| Dessalines Arrondissement|

* Desdunes
* Dessalines
* Grande Saline
* Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite

|

Gonaïves Arrondissement|

* Ennery
* L'Estère
* Gonaïves

Gros-Morne Arrondissement|

* Anse-Rouge
* Gros-Morne
* Terre-Neuve

Marmelade Arrondissement|

* Marmelade
* Saint-Michel-de-l'Attalaye

Saint-Marc Arrondissement|

* Les Arcadins
* La Chapelle
* Liancourt
* Saint-Marc
* Verrettes

Centre|

| Cerca-la-Source Arrondissement|

* Cerca-la-Source
* Thomassique

|

Hinche Arrondissement|

* Cerca-Carvajal
* Hinche
* Maïssade
* Thomonde

Lascahobas Arrondissement|

* Baptiste
* Belladère
* Lascahobas
* Savanette

Mirebalais Arrondissement|

* Boucan-Carré
* Mirebalais
* Saut-d'Eau

Grand'Anse|

| Anse d'Hainault Arrondissement|

* Anse-d'Hainault
* Dame-Marie
* Les Irois

|

Corail Arrondissement|

* Beaumont
* Corail
* Pestel
* Roseaux

Jérémie Arrondissement|

* Abricots
* Bonbon
* Chambellan
* Jérémie
* Marfranc
* Moron

Other|

* Navassa Island

Nippes|

| Anse-à-Veau Arrondissement|

* Anse-à-Veau
* Arnaud
* L'Asile
* Petit-Trou-de-Nippes
* Plaisance-du-Sud

|

Baradères Arrondissement|

* Baradères
* Grand-Boucan

Miragoâne Arrondissement|

* Fonds-des-Nègres
* Miragoâne
* Paillant
* Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes

Nord|

| Acul du Nord Arrondissement|

* Acul-du-Nord
* Milot
* Plaine-du-Nord

|

Borgne Arrondissement|

* Borgne
* Port-Margot

Cap-Haïtien Arrondissement|

* Cap-Haïtien
* Limonade
* Quartier-Morin

Grande-Rivière-du-Nord Arrondissement|

Bahon
Grande-Rivière-du-Nord

Limbé Arrondissement|

* Bas-Limbé
* Limbé

Plaisance Arrondissement|

* Pilate
* Plaisance

Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement|

* Dondon
* La Victoire
* Pignon
* Ranquitte
* Saint-Raphaël

Nord-Est|

| Fort-Liberté Arrondissement|

* Fort-Liberté
* Perches
* Ferrier

|

Ouanaminthe Arrondissement|

* Capotille
* Mont-Organisé
* Ouanaminthe

Trou-du-Nord Arrondissement|

* Caracol
* Sainte-Suzanne
* Terrier-Rouge
* Trou-du-Nord

Vallières Arrondissement|

* Carice
* Mombin-Crochu
* Vallières

Nord-Ouest|

| Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement|

* Baie-de-Henne
* Bombardopolis
* Jean-Rabel
* Môle-Saint-Nicolas

|

Port-de-Paix Arrondissement|

* Bassin-Bleu
* Chansolme
* Lapointe
* Port-de-Paix
* La Tortue

Saint-Louis-du-Nord Arrondissement|

* Anse-à-Foleur
* Saint-Louis-du-Nord

Ouest|

| Arcahaie Arrondissement|

* Arcahaie
* Cabaret

|

Croix-des-Bouquets Arrondissement|

* Cornillon
* Croix-des-Bouquets
* Fonds-Verrettes
* Ganthier
* Thomazeau

La Gonâve Arrondissement|

* Anse-à-Galets
* Pointe-à-Raquette

Léogâne Arrondissement|

* Grand-Goâve
* Léogâne
* Petit-Goâve

Port-au-Prince Arrondissement|

* Carrefour
* Delmas
* Gressier
* Kenscoff
* Pétion-Ville
* Tabarre
* Cité Soleil
* Port-au-Prince

Sud-Est|

| Bainet Arrondissement|

* Bainet
* Côtes-de-Fer

|

Belle-Anse Arrondissement|

* Anse-à-Pitres
* Belle-Anse
* Grand-Gosier
* Thiotte

Jacmel Arrondissement|

* Cayes-Jacmel
* Jacmel
* La Vallée-de-Jacmel
* Marigot

Sud|

| Aquin Arrondissement|

* Aquin
* Cavaillon
* Saint-Louis-du-Sud

|

Les Cayes Arrondissement|

* Camp-Perrin
* Les Cayes
* Chantal
* Île à Vache
* Maniche
* Torbeck

Chardonnières Arrondissement|

* Les Anglais
* Chardonnières
* Tiburon

Côteaux Arrondissement|

* Côteaux
* Port-à-Piment
* Roche-à-Bateaux

Port-Salut Arrondissement|

* Arniquet
* Port-Salut
* Saint-Jean-du-Sud

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