Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince (/[unsupported input]ˌpɔːrtoʊˈprɪns/; French pronunciation: ​[pɔʁopʁɛ̃s]; Haitian Creole: Pòtoprens; Haitian Creole pronunciation: [pɔtopɣɛ̃s]) is the caipital an lairgest ceety o the Caribbean kintra o Haiti. The ceety's population wis 704,776 as o the 2003 census, an wis offeecially estimatit tae hae reached 897,859 in 2009.^[1]

Port-au-Prince
Ville de Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Coordinates: 18°32′N 72°20′W / 18.533°N 72.333°W / 18.533; -72.333Coordinates: 18°32′N 72°20′W / 18.533°N 72.333°W / 18.533; -72.333
Kintra	Haiti
Depairtment	Ouest
Arrondissement	Port-au-Prince
Foondit	1749
Colonial seat	1770
Govrenment
• Mayor	Gabrielle Hyacinthe
Area
• City	36.04 km2 (13.92 sq mi)
Population  (2009 Estimation)
• City	897,859
• Density	25,000/km2 (65,000/sq mi)
• Metro	2,509,939
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)

The ceety o Port-au-Prince is on the Guwf o Gonâve: the bay on which the ceety lees, which acts as a natural harbor, haes sustained economic activity syne the ceevilizations o the Arawaks. It wis first incorporatit unner the colonial rule o the French, in 1749, an haes been Haiti's lairgest metropolis syne then. The ceety's layoot is similar tae that of an amphitheatre; commercial destricts are near the watter, while residential neebourheids are locatit on the hills abuin. Its population is difficult tae ascertain due tae the rapid growt o slums in the hillsides abuin the ceety; housomeivver, recent estimates place the metropolitan aurie's population at aroond 3.7 million, nearly hauf o the kintra's naitional population.^[2]

Port-au-Prince wis catastrophically affectit^[3] bi an earthquake on 12 Januar 2010, wi lairge numbers o structures damagit or destroyed. Haiti's government haes estimatit the daith toll at 230,000 an says mair bodies remain uncoontit.^[4]