Sud-Est (department)

Sud-Est (English: South-East) is one of the ten departments (French: départments, singular départment) of Haiti. Its capital is Jacmel.

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

 Geography 
The Départment du Sud-Est has an area of 2,023 km². The department is in the Southern Peninsula, also known as the Tiburon Peninsula.

It is bordered to the north by the Ouest Department, to the west by the Sud Department and to the south by the Caribbean Sea. It borders the Dominican Republic to the east.

The Massif de la Selle is the main mountain range in the département and it covers almost all the department except for some small valleys near the coast, as the Jacmel valley. The highest mountain of Haiti, Pic la Selle (2,680 metres), is in the Massif de la Selle.

Rivers are short and they flow into the Caribbean Sea. The most important river is La Grande Rivière de Jacmel. Other rivers are Bainet, Belle-Anse, des Côtes-de-Fer, Gauche, de la Gosseline, Marigot and Pedernales; Pedernales marks the border with the Dominican Republic and is common to both countries.

 Population 
The department had, in the 2003 census, a population of 484,675 persons: 235,187 men and 249,488 women, with 59,642 (12.31%) living in cities and towns. The population density was, in that year, of 240 persons/km².

 Administrative division 
The department is divided into three arrondissements (like districts) and 10 communes (like municipalities). The "arrondissements" and their "communes" are:
 Bainet
 Bainet
 Côtes-de-Fer
 Belle-Anse
 Anse-à-Pitres
 Belle-Anse
 Grand-Gosier
 Thiotte
 Jacmel
 Cayes Jacmel
 Jacmel
 La Vallée
 Marigot

 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.

 References 

Category:Departments of Haiti