Life in Port-Au-Prince

By
Marie Yolaine Florestal, Child Advocate

Port-Au-Prince is the capital city of Haiti. It was founded in 1749, extends for 13.9 square miles, and has a population of around 2.5 million people. It is the administrative
center of the 10 departments of Haiti, and most of the important social and state institutions are located here. Here in Port-au-Prince, we have churches, markets, hotels, restaurants, and so forth. The International Toussaint Louverture Airport is located in Port-au-Prince as well.

Many Haitian kids dream of living in Port-au-Prince. This is why, at the end of each school year, many youth leave the countryside to move to Port-au-Prince to attend university or search for work. They find more opportunities in Port-au-Prince than in their villages.

Living in Port-au-Prince costs a lot of money, as many of the services are expensive. After the earthquake on January 12th, 2010, the living conditions in Haiti, particularly Port-au-Prince, became very difficult. Social aspects of life in Port-au-Prince changed a lot as a result of the earthquake.  However, we still have many awesome places to visit in the city.

Port-au-Prince is very important to many Haitians. It is one the better places in Haiti, because we find everything we need to live here in the city.