Nord-Ouest (department)

**Nord-Ouest** (English: _North-West_) is one of the ten departments (French: _départments_, singular _départment_) of Haiti. It is in the northwestern part of the country. Its capital is Port-de-Paix.

After the Haitian Revolution, the country was divided into only three departments: Nord, Ouest and Sud. The _Nord-Ouest_ department was part of the _Nord_ department.

## Geography

The _Départment du Nord-Ouest_ has an area of 2,176 km². The Tortuga Island is part of this department. The department is in the Northern, or Northwestern, Peninsula. It is a very dry region, except for the Tortuga Island and the area around Port-de-Paix.

The department is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the east by the Nord Department and to the south by the Artibonite Department and the Gulf of Gonâve. To the east is the Windward Passage that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Cuba. On clear nights, it is possible to see the Guantánamo Province of Cuba.

The _Massif du Nord-Ouest_ (in English, "Northwestern mountain range"), with several smaller mountain chains, covers most of the department. Its western end is almost flat and is called the _Plateau de Bombardopolis_ ("Bombardopolis Plateau").

Low lands are found only close to the coast and the most important are the _Jean Rabel Valley_ and the _Valley of the Trois-Rivières_ on the northern part, and the _Plain of L'Arbre_ on the southern part of the department.

The river _Trois-Rivières_, one of the most important river in Haiti, is in this department. Other smaller rivers are _Jean Rabel_ and _du Mole_.

## History

The northern coast of the _Départment du Nord-Ouest_ was the area that European people first visited in the Hispaniola island during the first visit of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492.

On the night of 5 December 1492 he saw the Cape Saint-Nicolas and the next day he went into the Bay of the Môle-Saint-Nicolas and to the land where now is the town _Môle-Saint-Nicolas_.

On 7 December, he visited the bays _Port-à-l'Écu_ and _Moustique_; he named the Moustique Bay ("Mosquito Bay") as _Puerto de la Concepción_ and he stayed there till 13 December. Then he went to the bay of Port-de-Paix and named it _Valle del Paraíso_ or _Valparaiso_ (Spanish for "Paradise Valley") on 15 December.

## Population

The department had, in the 2003 census, a population of 531,198 persons: 256,238 men and 274,960 women, with 118,798 (22.36%) living in cities and towns. The population density was, in that year, of 244 persons/km².

## Administrative division

The department is divided into three _arrondissements_ (like districts) and 10 _communes_ (like municipalities). The "arrondissements" and their "communes" are:
1. Môle-Saint-Nicolas
    1. Baie de Henne
    1. Bombardopolis
    1. Jean-Rabel
    1. Môle-Saint-Nicolas
1. Port-de-Paix
    1. Bassin Bleu
    1. Chansolme
    1. La Tortue
    1. Port-de-Paix
1. Saint-Louis-du-Nord
    1. Anse-à-Foleur
    1. Saint-Louis-du-Nord

## Economy

The main economic activity in the department is agriculture, with many very small farms where different crops are grown. On the mountains, coffee is grown.

Fishing is an important activity along the coast.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **type**: departments of Haiti, department
- **name**: Nord-Ouest
- **native name**: Nòdwès
- **native name lang**: ht
- **image map**: Nord-Ouest in Haiti.svg
- **map caption**: Nord-Ouest in Haiti
- **area total km2**: 2102.88
- **population as of**: 2015
- **population density km2**: auto
- **population total**: 728807
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**:  Haiti
- **subdivision type1**: Capital
- **subdivision name1**: Port-de-Paix
- **settlement type**: Departments of Haiti, Department
- **iso code**: HT-NO
- **utc offset1**: -5
- **timezone1**: Eastern Standard Time Zone, Eastern
- **population urban**: 203568
- **population rural**: 525239
- **government type**: Departmental Council