Carrefour Reyonlds (Reynolds Interchange) Nippes, Haiti
Nippes Departmental Flag
Location in Haiti
Nippes (Haitian Creole: Nip) is one of the ten departments of Haiti. It is the most recent department, having been split from Grand'Anse in 2003. The capital of the department is Miragoâne.
Its area is 1,267.8 km2 (489.5 sq. mi.) and its population is estimated at nearly 342,525 (2015). This is one of the least populated departments in the country.
Exterior boundaries:
North: Gulf of Gonâve
East: Western Department
South: Southern Department
West: Grand'Anse Department
Interior boundaries: Administratively, it is subdivided into 3 Arrondissements,
11 communes, 37 communal sections, 355 habitations and 467 localities.
Cement shipment from Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Etymology[]
The only other place the name Nippes appears in relevant history is a a place with the same name, a Boro of Cologne, Germany. This particular region of Germany was known as East Francia (East France) in the Middle Ages. Nippes was the name of Cologne's 5th district. Cologne has been existent since the 7th century.
History[]
Nippes Department was established in 2003 when the GOH split the Grand'Anse Department in half. The western half, Grand' Anse, the eastern half, Nippes. Nippes took the title of the "10th Department" from the Haitian Diaspora which is now known as the 11th.
At its founding, Nippes was classified as a third-class military district within the Southern Department, housing a population of 35,000 residents. This district encompassed the municipalities of Anse à Veau, which served as the seat of government, Miragoâne, recognized as the financial capital, as well as Petit Trou de Nippes, Petite Rivière de Nippes, and Baradères. The district was also responsible for school inspection.
The military posts within the district were as follows:
In the municipality of Anse à Veau: Azile and Grande Rivière de Nippes.
In the town of Miragoâne: Pont de Miragoâne and St. Michel du Fond des Nègres.
In the municipality of Petit Trou de Nippes: Grand Boucan, Trou Bonbon, and Grande Ravine.
In the municipality of Petite Rivière de Nippes: Charlier.
Additionally, the Baradères or Bec peninsula is situated within this district. The Brinballe River, which flows between Aquin and St. Michel, acts as a common boundary between the districts of Aquin and Nippes.
The district's national guard consisted of 3,000 infantry and 800 cavalry.
The Moniteur of February 13, 1918 reported taht The iron ore and coal reserves allocated to MM. Emile Marseille and Dégrammont Jeune were not utilized, resulting in the foreclosure of the concession.
Geography[]
Topography
The department of Nippes is characterized by a relief consisting of plains, valleys and mountains. It has 3 important watersheds identified at the country level. Those are the Corail catchment areas - Anse à Veau, Grande Rivière de Nippes, Petite Rivière de Nippes - Grand-Goâve. In addition to these large basins, there are important micro-watersheds sometimes extending to two or three communes. Its geographical position makes it vulnerable to cyclones and depressions. The Nippes department is also characterized by a relatively dense hydrographic network. 386 water points including 226 springs and rivers are identified. The main rivers are the Grande Rivière des Nippes, the Baradères River and the river Bossard. It is worth noting the presence of the Miragoane Pond which extends over 24 km2 (9 sq. mi.)
Infrastructure[]
Transportation
Route Nationale 2 skirts the eastern part of the province between Miragoane and Fond-des-Negres, linking the area to the rest of the southern peninsula and Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.
The rest of the region is known for having roads are nearly impossible to travel on. Few paved roads exist, the majority of them dirt and rock-embedded conduits of vehicular traffic. In some areas, the only other option is by boat.
Health
| Communes | Type | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dispensaire | CSL | CAL | Hospital | ||
| Anse à Veau | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Arnaud | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Asile | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Fond-des-Nègres | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Grand Boucan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Miragoane | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Paillant | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Petit Trou de Nippes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Petite Rivière de Nippes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Plaisance | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 20 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 29 |
| % | 68.97% | 3.45% | 13.79% | 13.79% | 100.00% |
CAL = Clinic with bed; CSL = without
Michael Vedrine