Which North American country has Port-au-Prince as its capital? Haiti. Port-au-Prince is Haiti’s capital and largest city, situated on the Gulf of Gonâve in the country’s western department of Ouest.
The city became the capital of the French colony of Saint-Domingue in 1770, replacing Cap-Français, now known as Cap-Haïtien. After Haiti declared independence in 1804, Port-au-Prince served as the capital of the new nation. It was briefly associated with the southern republic during Haiti’s political division, then became the capital of the reunified country in 1820.
The name is generally translated as “Prince’s Port,” although historians have debated whether it referred to a ship named Le Prince or to nearby islets known as les îlets du Prince. The area had earlier been inhabited and used by Taíno communities.
A common mistake is confusing Haiti’s capital with Cap-Haïtien, an important northern city and former colonial capital. Port-au-Prince is also distinct from the country’s official name, the Republic of Haiti, and from the neighboring Dominican Republic, which occupies the eastern part of Hispaniola.