Geography

Haiti occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola. It is the second-largest island country in the Caribbean Sea, covering a total land area of 10,714 square miles. Haiti includes the additional islands of Gonâve, Tortuga (Île de la Tortue), Vache, and the Cayemites. The mainland extends 301 miles from east-northeast to west-southwest and 240 miles from south-southeast to north-northwest. The total length of the coastline is 1,099 miles. Haiti shares a border of 224 miles with the Dominican Republic. It has closed the border and banned the construction of homes within 0.62 miles of it due to the pressures of illegal emigration across the border. The highest point is Pic La Selle, which rises to 8,773 feet, while the lowest point is the Caribbean Sea, which is at sea level. Three-fourths of the land area consists of five mountain ranges that connect to form a continuous highland: the Massif du Nord, the most extensive range and part of the Caribbean Antillean system; Montagnes Noires in the southwest, separated by the Artibonite River; Chaîne de Mateaux, which extends into the Dominican Republic as the Sierra de Neiba and forms the Tiburan Peninsula, referred to as Massif de la Hotte in the west and Massif de la Selle in the east; and Morne de la Selle, the country’s highest peak at 8,793 feet. Lowlands cover one-quarter of the country’s territory and include four major flatlands: Central Plateau, the largest, extending eastward from the Montagnes Noires; Northern Plain, located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Massif du Nord; Artibonite Plain, to the north of the Chaîne de Mateaux; and Cul-de-Sac, situated between the Chaîne de Mateaux and the Massif de la Selle. Haiti has 16 smaller valleys and plains, along with over 100 small rivers, all flowing into the Golfe de la Gonâve and the Caribbean Sea. The largest rivers are the Artibonite, Guayamouc (the main tributary to the Artibonite), Les Trois Rivières, Grande Anse, the Massacre River (Rio Djabon), and the Pedernales River. None of these rivers is navigable, but each is used for irrigation. Large lakes are found in the southern half of the island. An earthquake in 2010 caused significant damage in Port-au-Prince, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving close to a million homeless.