Saint-Raphaël is a commune in the Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement, NordDepartment of Haiti. It is the seat of Saint-Raphaël Arrondissement.
Saint-Raphaël, one of the nineteen communes of the Nord department has four communal sections. The relief of the city and two of its communal sections is the plain; the rest is dominated by the hill. The climate of the first and second communal sections is cool, all the rest of the commune has a warmer climate.
According to a presentation [1], Saint-Raphaël municipality is a small town located 30 miles (48 km) from Haiti’s second largest city, Cap-Haïtien. It bears the name of its patron saint Archangel Raphael.
History: A former municipality of the Grande-Rivière-du-Nord Arrondissement , Saint-Raphaël has become the arrondissements chief town thanks to the changes that are taking place in the country’s political geography.
By its geographical position, the commune of Saint-Raphaël is interior. It sits in a valley surrounded by high mountains. Its inhabitants are called Raphaelois (ses). In 1998, the population of the municipality was estimated at 47,527 inhabitants. Sources in 2015 place that number at 52,000. At 72 sq mi (186.83 km2), its density was 282 inhabitants / km2.
Most old growth forests are gone. There is an ongoing effort to reforest in the midst of highly eroded soils using a good irrigation system.
Economic and financial institutions are almost non-existent in the municipality. Economy is predominantly agriculturual.
Formal employment: 8% – (men 61%, women 39%) but Haitians are entrepreneurial in nature
Education: The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is represented in the municipality by a school district office. There is no kindergarten in the commune, however, 71 primary schools of which eleven public, 59 private and one of the congregational type were inventoried in the commune of Saint-Raphaël. At the secondary level, there are three schools, one public and two private. In addition, one literacy center and two vocational schools have been identified in the commune.
Health: The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the commune of Saint-Raphaël. The two health facilities a dispensary and a health center with a bed. Two doctors, two nurses, two auxiliaries and 96 matrons form the health personnel of these establishments.
Utilities: With regard to water resources, the commune of Saint Raphael has one river, seven springs, some public fountains and about seventy-two wells. The commune of Saint-Raphaël is electrified 24 hours. Most houses have no indoor plumbing. No waste management facilities.
Security: At the level of the administrative and judicial infrastructures, the commune of Saint Raphael has a police station, a court of peace, a civil court and a registry office.
Religion: On the side of religion, nearly 76 temples have been listed in the commune of Saint-Raphaël. The Baptist temples are revealed to be the most numerous, 52 in total.
Communication: At the time of the inventory she had no phone. There is no radio station, newspaper, magazine or TV station in Saint-Raphaël. Good telecommunication network.
Leisure: As for Leisure, the commune of Saint-Raphaël has a library and a cinema room; the parish hall also serves as theater. For monuments and sites, the town has historical and natural sites located mainly in the communal sections.
Organizations: The commune of Saint-Raphaël does not have representation of political parties, nor other organizations.
Monuments and sites: The Fort Riviére dates from the colonial era of Santo Domingo and is part of a set of twenty military structures developed in the territory of Haiti after independence in 1804 : this defensive system was directed against a possible return Frenchmen, former masters of the colony of Santo Domingo. In 1915, the Fort Rivière is the scene of an important event of resistance to the occupation of Haiti by the United States of America. The ruins of the fort are located in the communal section of Mathurin.The ruins of the Fort Neuf are at Bois Neuf; the work completed Fort Rivière in the post-colonial defense system and was never completed. The cave of St Raphael, located at the foot of the mountain west of the city, in front of the catholic church.
