Fort-Liberté

**Fort-Liberté** (Kréyòl: _Fòlibète_; English: "Fort Liberty") is a city in northeast Haiti, on the Atlantic coast. It is the capital city of the Nord-Est _Département_.

The city is on the _Baie de Fort-Liberté_ ("Fort-Liberté Bay") about 56 km east of Cap-Haïtien and to the west of the Dominican Republic. It is also the chief town of an _arrondissement_ (a part of a department) with the same name. The _arrondissement_ has three _communes_ (a _commune_ is like a municipality): Fort-Liberté, Ferrier (Kreyòl: _Ferye_) and Perches (Kreyòl: _Opèch_).

## History

Between 1503 and 1505, Nicolás de Ovando, Spanish governor of the Hispaniola, founded the town of _Puerto Real_ (English, "Royal Port") where is the present town of "Caracol", to the west of Fort-Liberté. But soon this town was abandoned and the people moved to the east, founding in 1578 a new town with the Taíno name of the region: **Bayajá**.

In 1606, those persons living in the old Spanish towns of Bayajá and Yaguana had, by orders of the Spanish king, to move to the eastern part of the island, to a new town called Bayaguana, combining the two old names.

Later, when French people founded a new town in this place, they called it **Fort-Dauphin** in 1731, named after the "Dauphin" (the "Dolphin", son of the French king Louis XV). When the French Republic was founded, the name was changed to _Fort-Liberté_ in 1792. After Henri Christophe became King Henri I of Haiti in 1811, he renamed the city **Fort-Royal**. In 1820, after the death of Christophe, the name was changed back to Fort Liberté.

### Forts around Fort-Liberté

There are several forts built around the bay. An important one is _Fort Dauphin_, sometimes called _Fort Saint Joseph_ (Patron Saint of the city) or _Fort Liberté_. Other forts in the area are _Fort de la Bouque_, _Batterie de l'Anse_, _Fort Saint Charles_ and _Fort Saint Frédérique_.

## Economy

Fort-Liberté has a small port that also receives international products and serves as a fishing port. Local agricultural products include sugarcane and citrus fruits.

### Radio

- Radio Gamma FM, 99.7 MHz, 26, Ave Sténio Vincent, Fort-Liberté, www.gammafmhaiti.net
- La Voix Evangélique du Nord-Est, 100.9 MHz, www.venhaiti.net
- Radio Dauphin FM
- Radyo Kominotè Nòdès
- Radio Parole de Vie

## Other websites

- Haïti Référence: Profil de la Ville du Fort Liberté  - Information on Fort Liberté (French text).

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Fort-Liberté
- **native name**: (Kréyòl): _Fòlibète_
- **image skyline**: Fort_Saint_Joseph_-_Fort_Liberte_(Looking_South).jpg
- **image caption**: Fort Dauphin from the North.
- **pushpin map**: Haiti
- **pushpin label position**: bottom
- **pushpin map caption**: Fort-Liberté in Haiti
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: Haiti
- **subdivision type1**: Province, Département
- **subdivision name1**: Nord-Est Department, Nord-Est
- **subdivision type2**: Arrondisement
- **subdivision name2**: Fort-Liberté
- **established title**: Founded
- **established date**: 1578
- **population as of**: 2003
- **population total**: 30,110
- **population blank1 title**: Demonym
- **population blank1**: Fort-Dauphinois
(female, Fort-Dauphinoise
- **timezone**: Eastern Time Zone (North America), Eastern
- **utc offset**: -5
- **timezone dst**: Eastern Time Zone (North America), Eastern
- **utc offset dst**: -4