Les Cayes

Les Cayes(/leɪˈkeɪ,leɪˈkaɪ/layK(A)Y,French:[lekaj]), often referred to asAux Cayes(French:[okaj];Haitian Creole:Okay), is acommuneandseaportin theLes Cayes Arrondissement, in theSuddepartmentofHaiti, with a population of 71,236.Due to its isolation from the political turmoil of the capital,Port-au-Prince, it is one of Haiti's major ports, with export trade concentrating on mostly coffee andsugarcane. As the world's largest supplier ofvetiver, it exports 250 tons annually of this ingredient of perfume and fragrance manufacturing.Minor exports include bananas and timber.
The island of what was known by the Spanish asHispaniolawas inhabited for thousands of years byindigenous peoples.  The first European settlement in the southwest area was the town ofSalvatierra de la Sabana, founded by the Spanish explorerDiego Velázquez de Cuéllarin 1504.Vasco Núñez de Balboawas a co-founder of this town and lived there for several years trying to raise pigs as a business. Balboa gave up that enterprise and left the town hiding in a barrel of a Spanish expedition going to explore the Gulf of Uraba, Panama.Vasco Núñez de Balboa, later on 25 September 1513 would discover the South Sea, today known as the Pacific Ocean. This settlement was abandoned in 1540.
The area was uninhabited until the French colonial administration founded the town ofAux Cayes("On thecayes"), so named due to its proximity toÎle-à-Vache. The town was destroyed twice byhurricanesin 1781 and 1788. In July 1793, the whites in Les Cayes were massacred.
Simón Bolívararrived in Les Cayes on 24 December 1815,and on 2 January 1816 was introduced toAlexandre Pétion, President of theRepublic of Haitiby a mutual friendseeking assistance for his insurgency against the Spanish colonial government inVenezuela.Bolívar and Pétion impressed and befriended each other and,after Bolívar pledged to free every slave in the areas he occupied, Pétion gave him money and military supplies.
Mexican nationalists,Francisco Javier MinaandJosé Joaquín de Herreratook asylum in Les Cayes and were welcomed by Pétion during theMexican War of Independence.
On 5 December 5 1919, American planes bombed Les Cayes in a possible act of intimidation. American pilots were investigated for their actions, though none were condemned. These actions were described by anthropologist Jean-Philippe Belleau as possibly "the first ever carried out by air on civilian populations".
PresidentHerbert Hooverhad become increasingly pressured about the effects of occupying Haiti at the time and began inquiring about a withdrawal strategy.By 1929, Haitians had grown angered with the Borno-Russell government and American occupation, with demands fordirect electionsincreasing.In early December 1929, protests against the American occupation began at the Service Technique de l’Agriculture et de l’Enseignement Professionnel's main school.On December 6, 1929, about 1,500 Haitians peacefully protesting local economic conditions in Les Cayes were fired upon by U.S. Marines, with the massacre resulting in 12 to 22 Haitians dead and 51 injured.The massacre resulted in international outrage, with President Hoover calling on Congress to investigate conditions in Haiti the following day.
In the wake of the12 January 2010 earthquake, the Cuban military set up afield hospitalin the region.
On 4 October 2016,Hurricane Matthewmade landfall in Les Cayes causing severe damage.
On 14 August 2021, amagnitude 7.2 earthquakeoccurred near the city. It was the largest earthquake to strike Haiti in modern history, even stronger than the2010 earthquakenear the Haitian capital.The earthquake killed over 2,200 people and injured around 12,700 others, most of them in Les Cayes and its surrounding areas.
Les Cayes plays a significant role in the still under-developed Haitian tourism industry, with pleasant sights such as:Gelée Beach: one of the longest and most visited beaches in Haiti. The white sand beach of Gelée beach is very popular in Haiti, not only for its restaurants which serve typical southern Haiti dishes such as tonm-tonm, grilled-conch, grilled-fish and lobster, but also for hosting an annual music festival around mid-August which usually features some of the best Compas music bands. Many visitors both from within Haiti and neighboring USA will come spend the weekend in Les Cayes. As the number of tourists continues to grow, several new hotels and restaurants continue to pop up.
The Botanical Garden of Les Cayes(Jardin Botanique des Cayes, in French) is located in Bergeau, at the northern entrance of the city. The site occupies an area of eight (8) hectares.
Other places of interest to tourists are the nearbyÎle à Vache, Pic Macaya, Saut-Mathurine falls and Kounoubois cave inCamp-Perrin, Pointe-de-Sable beach inPort-Salut, Marie-Jeanne cave inPort-a-PimentandArrondissement Aquinwhere Fort des Oliviers, Fort Anglais and Bonnet Carré can be found in the town ofSaint Louis du Sud.
Les Cayes has an airport,Antoine-Simon Airport. As of 1 February 2013, the first stone on the expansion project of the Antoine-Simon Airport in Les Cayes had been laid. The project to make Antoine-Simon a viable international airport is part of broader efforts aiming at ramping up infrastructure development in the south.
The expansion project will add a new 3,000-metre runway and a new terminal to the airport. Haitian officials Prime MinisterLaurent Lamotheand Tourism MinisterStéphanie Villedrouinsuggested that the airport would open up completely the Southern Region as the country saw tourism as one of the promising sectors capable of creating thousands of new jobs in the region.
Another airport project is also planned for the neighbouring island of Île-à-Vache.
Les Cayes has some training centers of which TheAmerican University of the Caribbean, Haiti; The Public University of The South in Les Cayes, (UPSAC); and 
The Law and Economics School of Les Cayes (EDSEC).
Hôpital Immaculée Conception (Immaculate Conception Hospital, also referred to as HIC-Cayes), is the public hospital for Les Cayes and the South Department. Its facilities include an emergency department, maternity ward, and a dental clinic.
Les Cayes is home to professional football clubs,America des CayesandFC Juventus des Cayes.