Gonaïves (; ht, Gonayiv, ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in northern

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

, and the capital of the Artibonite

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of Haiti. It has a population of about 300,000 people, but current statistics are unclear, as there has been no census since 2003.

History

The city of Gonaïves was founded around 1422 by a group of

Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

, who named it ''Gonaibo'' (to designate a locality of cacicat of the Jaragua). The

Gulf of Gonâve The Gulf of Gonâve (french: Golfe de la Gonâve; ht, Gòf Lagonav) is a large gulf of the Caribbean Sea along the western coast of Haiti. Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince, is located on the coast of the gulf. Other cities on the gulf coast ...

is named after the town. In 1802, an important battle of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...

, the Battle of Ravine-à-Couleuvres was fought near Gonaïves. Gonaïves is also known as Haiti's city of independence, because it was the location of

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent First Empire of Haiti, Haiti under the Constitution of Haiti, 1 ...

declaring Haiti independent from France on January 1, 1804, by reading the Act of Independence, drafted by Boisrond Tonnerre, on the Place d'Armes of the town.

Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Empress Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur, Empress of Hayti (1758 – 8 August 1858) was the Empress of Haiti (1804–1806) as the spouse of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Background She was born in Léogâne to a poor but free fam ...

, the wife of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, died here in August 1858. In the early 2000s, Gonaïves was the scene of substantial rioting and violence motivated primarily by opposition to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and on February 5, 2004, a group calling itself the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front seized control of the city, starting the 2004 Haïtian rebellion. But in recent years, the city has seen a complete return to order. Even compared with other Haitian port cities, Gonaïves has long been vulnerable to hurricanes due to its location in a flood plain and due to the surrounding unforested mountains. In September 2004,

Hurricane Jeanne Hurricane Jeanne was a Category 3 hurricane that struck the Caribbean and the Eastern United States in September 2004. It was the deadliest hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Mitch in 1998. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurrica ...

caused major flooding and mudslides in the city. Four years later, the city was again devastated by another storm, Hurricane Hanna, which killed 529 people, mostly in flooded sections of Gonaïves, where the destruction was described as "catastrophic" and 495 bodies were discovered as late as September 5. Haitian authorities said the tally would grow once officials were able to make their way through the city. "The assessment was only partial, because it was impossible to enter the city at that moment". Gonaïves Mayor Stephen Moise said at least 48,000 people from the Gonaïves area were forced into shelters. In 2020, President

Jovenel Moïse Jovenel Moïse (; ; 26 June 1968 – 7 July 2021) was a Haitian entrepreneur and politician, who served as the 43rd President of Haiti from 2017 until his assassination in 2021. He was sworn in as president in February 2017 after winning the ...

skipped a traditional visit to Gonaïves during a climate of violence. According to local media, an armed group targeted Prime Minister

Ariel Henry Ariel Henry (; born 6 November 1949) is a Haitian neurosurgeon and politician who has served as the acting prime minister of Haiti and the acting president of Haiti since 20 July 2021. He later became involved in a controversy due to his refusa ...

's visit on 1 January 2022, resulting in one death and two injuries.

Education

University

Gonaives has some training centers of which the Université Publique de l'Artibonite aux Gonaïves (UPAG); and The Law and Economics School of Gonaives.

Health

Gonaives is home to the recently renovated La Providence Hospital.

Sport

Gonaives has some major league teams of which Eclair AC and Racing FC (Gonaives).

Media

*Radio SuperXtraL'unique 94.1 FM *Radio Redemption 100.9 FM *Radio Xplosion 96.5 FM *Tele Radio new star fm 99.9 Chaine 13 *Radio Continentale 99.5 FM *Radio Sun 91.3 FM *Radio Independence 101.5 FM stations affiliées: radio Metropole 100.1, Lavwadlamerik *Radio Mega Max 95.9 FM *Radio Kiss FM 96.9 *Radio Provinciale 95.3 FM *Radio Pyramide FM *Radio Trans-Artibonite *Radio Gonaïves 97.7 FM *Radio Trans Atlantique 102.5 FM *Radio Etincelle *Radio Nouvelle Vision Chrétienne *Radio Intrepide 97.3 FM *Radio Tambou FM *Radio Express FM *Radio Classic Inter FM *Radio 4VEG FM *Radio Espace FM *Radio KL 2000 FM *Radio Super Vision FM *Radio Megamax FM *Radio Main Dans La Main FM *Radio Clarté 103.9 FM * Radio Vision 2000 98.1 FM *Radio Télé 2004 (101.1FM)

References

External links and further reading

*Latortue, Paul R.
"Gonaives: the last 50 years"
''Caribbean Studies'', Vol. 34, Núm. 1, enero-junio, 2006, pp. 263–274 University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonaives Populated places in Artibonite (department) Gulf of Gonâve Communes of Haiti 1422 establishments in North America Populated places established in the 1420s Port cities in the Caribbean