Tiburon (Kreyol: Tibiwon, English: "Shark") is a commune in the Chardonnières Arrondissement, Southern department of Haiti. This town, for which the entire peninsula is named, sits in the westernmost part of it, and is home to 23,269 inhabitants as of the 2015 census.
Location in southwestern Haiti
Historical map
Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula spans the entire southern coastline, from the DR border, pointing west towards Cuba.
About[]
Tiburon, a Southern Department commune, is located just across the way from Jamaica. It was raised to the rank of Commune in 1768.
It is located in the cove which forms the port of Tiburon considered important from the maritime point of view, because of Cape Tiburon which is a kind of landing. At the height of Cape Tiburon is the island of Navase, northern section. The deep harbor offers many reefs. The bay stretches between the tip of Burgau and the Cap a Foux. Several fleets commanded by distinguished admirals in the English navy have anchored there at various times. When you get there, on the left you have the Cove des Garcasses, Cap à Foux and the large Hood mountain range of the covered with woods; on the right is the river, the village and Cape Tiburon. The river, after a hundred meanders, flows into the sea through three mouths, its edges covered with washers, springs up on Morne la Cahouanne.
Several mountain ranges encircle the peninsula: Morne Bitoche, Morne Bruler, Morne Cali, and Morne Epine. The town of Tiburon, close to Epine, offers breath-taking views of the Caribbean Sea from its many picturesque beaches made of sugar-white sand. Its groves of coconut palms which swing their quivering palms over the houses, its delicious rivers, its surroundings full of game where woodcreepers, wild ducks and wild boars swarm, give it all the air of a vine of pleasure. The inhabitants of Tiburon are pleasant and gentle. The schools for boys and girls, very well run, give admirable results.
History[]
Tiburon Village[]
The village bears the name buron by which the Indians called the shark probably because there were many in this place. Its establishment took place in the middle of the last century but the first crops of the town were made in 1737. The village with its grassy streets, which do not seem to be often trampled by human feet, seems a real castle of Sleeping Beauty.
General Louis Dufrene, minister of war to Emperor Faustin I was Duke of Tiburon.
The first citizen who represented this municipality at the first House of Commons established in 1817 was Pierre Louis Murzaine, who was one of its secretaries. General Lajane who was a member; of the provisional government of 1843 was from Tiburon.
Timeline
• In October 1629, a French flotilla commanded by Jean de Baradat de Cahuzac anchored at Tiburon, on the return of an expedition against the English to Saint Christopher Island.
After the attribution to France of the western part of Santo Domingo (Treaty of Ryswick in 1697) and the creation of the Company of Santo Domingo (in 1698), the land saw the installation of the first French settlers in the year 1740.
• On the 8th of March, 1748, an English squadron of seven vessels, commanded by Vice Admiral Charles Knowles, anchored at Tiburon; the squadron took and destroyed the fort of Saint-Louis-du-Sud on March 19th.
• In 1791 the freedmen of Tiburon were so powerful that the whites who inhabited it had never thought to send deputies to the colonial assembly in the Cape. The English arrived in Tibuon Bay on September 4, 1793; Morin Duval, a rich planter, at the head of 500 blacks from Grand'Anse, and seconded by Jean Kina, former slave of Mr Larose des Irois and whom Jérémie's council had appointed colonel, were to favor the disembarkation of the English. But Rigaud, sent from Cayes by Polverel, forced the English to re-embark.
At daybreak on October 25, he opened fire on the town. At the same time, his squadron attacked the English corvette King George which was defending the entrance to the port of Tiburon. The women and children had taken refuge in the ship. Rigaud disembarked on the shore the artillery of his flotilla and set up, both against the place and against King George, a new battery of 5 pieces and an 8-inch mortar. After 48 hours of combat, the English corvette received in the flank a bomb of 50 which shook it. It sank to its upper drums. A red ball then came to fix it and set it on fire. A moment later King George leapt into the air. The beach and mountains overlooking Tiburon echoed with this horrific explosion. A cry of despair came out of the city and lamentations dominated the sound of the musketry.
Rigaud pointed his cannons against a battery called Sevré, erected at the bottom of the town along the shore; he put out the fire. So he struck all his blows against the big fort, the only point that still resisted. Several bombs which exploded there forced the English to abandon it and take the path of Les Irois where they fell into an ambush at the Morne Mam'Sannite that Gilles Bénech had set up for them. There were not 50 English who reached Les Irois.
The English attacked and occupied Fort Tiburon in February 1794. André Rigaud retook the city in December 1794.
• In 1794, the English had established an outpost at the Moisson habitation. During the night of December 24 to 25, Rigaud ordered an attack on this post. Five young blacks, strong intrepid, glided through the grass, and approached quite close to the European sentinels, which they punched before they had time to unload their weapons. Rigaud removed the post and beat the English garrison to the edge of the sword.
• On December 25, 1794, at daybreak, Riguad cannonated the English who had withdrawn to Vainqueur, a fort located on a hill across from Tiburon, whose approach it defends.
• Rigaud entered Tiburon on October 29 and gave command to Dartiguenave. On July 29, 1800, Rigaud, feeling the impossibility of continuing the civil war, withdrew from Cayes to Tiburon where he embarked with his family for Guadeloupe. Dessalines entered Cayes and pursued him to Tiburon; when he learned of his departure, he returned to Cayes. Petion and other officers followed Rigaud and sailed the next day on the Bonaparte for Curacao. On August 3, Boyer and 136 other officers from the South embarked on the schooner La Vengeance which was captured by the English. After the civil war, under the pretext of revoke, many black and yellow men known for their devotion to Rigaud, were arrested in the heights of Tiburon and executed. On the arrival of the French in 1802, Desravines who commanded in Tiburon made their submission.
• In January 1803, Giles Benech, Nicolas Regnier and Goman, blacks, former officers under Rigaud, gave the signal in the South to take up arms against the French, by attacking Tiburon. At the head of 2,000 farmers, they seized this city. Squadron leader Desravines, a colored man, who commanded this place for the French, fled and took refuge in Les Irois where the French executed him as an accomplice of the insurgents. On February 16, squadron leader Borgella dispersed the independents. Tiburon was the scene of bloody struggles in 1869 between Cacos and Piquets: These latter were seized and were not driven out until March 1870, after the triumph of the Cacos revolution and the death of President Salnave.
Geography[]
Tiburon is located at 18.3244° N, 74.3961° W. According to the IHSI, this commune has a total land area of 147.21 square kilometers (56.83 square miles), of which 91.69 sq. km (62%) is rural, 53.39 sq. km (36%) is suburban, and 2.13 sq. km (2%) is urban. It is bordered on the north and northeast by the Grand'Anse Department towns of Les Irois and Moron and on the east by the town of Les Anglais. It has four communal sections: 1st Blactote, 2nd Sevre, 3rd Loby, and 4th Dalmette Section. The city and the district of Cahouane are coastal, while the communal sections are all interior. The climate of the Municipality of Tiburon is very variable depending on where you are.
On the road from Tiburon to Anse d'Hainault is the Morne Man Sainte which crumbles in the rainy season and makes the path impassable, then the rivers overflow.
The law of April 25, 1817, and that of November 20, 1821, fix the legal distance of this commune from the capital 72 leagues; 25 leagues separate it from Jérémie, capital of the judicial district, 12 leagues from Anse-d'Hainault, seat of the arrondissement.
Neighborhoods
| TIB | Tiburon | 23,269 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTB | Ville De Tiburon | Urban | 7,424 | |||
| QCH | Quartier De Cahouane | Urban | 1,955 | |||
| BLT | 1ère Section Blacote | Rural section | 3,452 | Blacktote, Carrefour Gros-Chaudière, Carrefour Maillette, Casnave, Conete, Duclosette, Haut-Fort, Jean-Jacques, Jean-Sac, Passage-Président, Tapion, Ti Plaine, Trou-Mangnain, Vainqueur. | ||
| SVR | 2ème Section Nan Sevre | Rural | 2,597 | Anglade, Benjamin, Beraud, Jocelyn, Madrier, Mazi, Nan Sévré, Saint-Cyr, Sara. | ||
| LOB | 3ème Section Loby | Rural section | 6,240 | Bertrand, Cassa, Chavêne, Deslandes, Georges, Marcelin, Monto, Nan Grand-Mas, Nan Sable, Nansinte, Perien, Sentier, Taverne. | ||
| DAL | 4ème Section Dalmette | Rural section | 1,611 | Beraud, Berault, Bon Pas, Chamblain, Dalmette, Fradin, Grande-Pointe, La Cahouane, Lafito, Ledge, Nan Roche, Promu, Sainte-Marie. |
Demography[]
Its inhabitants are called Tiburonais.
| Year | Population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 9,000 | |
| 1998 | 30,869 | +243% |
| 2009 | 21,170 | -31% |
| 2015 | 23,269 | +10% |
Environment[]
The area has marble quarries. the thermal springs in the mountains of the Cahouanne are very appreciated by the neighboring inhabitants who come to draw health there, despite the lack of a suitable establishment. Beautiful rivers flowing at the foot of Morne Man Sainte form natural pools.
Climate[]
The area has a gentle temperature; the thermometer never rises above 22°C (72°F). The land breeze reigns from 8 am in the morning in a NNW direction; then the sea breeze, directed towards the NE. In 1754, a hurricane almost destroyed the town. Annually, 2,707 millimeters (107 inches) of rain fall there.
Economy[]
The local economy relies on cocoa production and coffee processing. The timber industry is also developed in Tiburon. The mahogany forests and other woods suitable for cabinet-making and framework are part of the communes production. Palma Christi oil and livestock; sheep, goat, pigs, horses are another economic activity.
Regarding the Economic and Financial Institutions, there is a restaurant, a credit union and a marketing cooperative. Much of the shopping takes place at the main markets of Marché Jeudi in the 2nd section and Marchés Mardi, Mercredi, and Samedi in the 3rd section.
Tiburon residents subsist on a diet of rice and beans, with enough fishing to provide for the community. Talks about improving the economy in Tiburon have taken place in government departments. Fishermen and farmers need tools to produce a larger volume of goods for export.
Infrastructure[]
Education
The Ministry of National Education of Youth and Sports is not represented in the municipality of Tiburon. For schools, at the Kindergarten level, there are dozens. At the Primary level, there are five public, several private and 12 congregational. At the Secondary level, there are two schools, 1 public and one private.
The school infrastructure needs help. Classrooms are jerry-built structures and very few teachers have been certified to teach. Some children have no shoes to wear to class, which discourages them from attending. One school in town that has certified instructors, textbooks, school supplies, and proper classrooms to learn in is operated by Tiburon Baptist Church. Its project, called Hope for Kidz, receives funding from an affiliated church in the area.
Health
The Ministry of Public Health and Population is not represented in the Municipality of Tiburon. Regarding health facilities, there are two health centers. In addition, a nurse and a certified matron ensure the sanitary service in the Commune.
Utilities
As for water availability, a river, 71 sources and two ponds were counted at the commune level. In addition, an artesian well, 20 taps and a pump were recorded. For traditional wells (single boreholes) almost every household has a well for domestic services.
Tiburon enjoys 24/7 electricity through a privately operated solar-hybrid microgrid.
Security
With regard to the Administrative and Judicial Infrastructures, the municipality has two Courts of Peace. There is no Prison in the Municipality of Tiburon. The garrison is made up of a gendarmerie company, an administrative police force, an artillery from Anse d'Hainault, of the national garde on foot and on horseback, and of the rural police.
Administration
| Mulcaire Merveille Mayor |
Charly Eustache Deputy Mayor |
Iveel Louis Deputy Mayor |
Culture[]
Religion
Nearly 21 temples of all beliefs have been enumerated in the commune. These temples are divided according to the following denominations: Catholic, Baptist, Adventist, Pentecostal.
Organizations
With regard to the Parties and Organizations, there are three representations of political parties, 11 Popular Organizations and a Peasants group.
Communication
The town of Tiburon has no newspaper / magazine or television station. However, there are two radio stations, one on the main street and the other on the Rue Paradis Prolongée / Paradise Street Extension.
The post arrives from Les Cayes on Tuesday and leaves the same day. When it was established in 1826, two couriers left every Tuesday and Friday from Tiburon: one for Les Cayes with connections from the line from Jérémie to Tiburon; the other for Jérémie with the letters from Les Cayes to Tiburon line. Tiburon is the point in Haiti closest to Jamaica, a point of interest for the extension of the submarine telegraph cable.
Leisure
As for Leisure, the town has no library, nor museum. However, there are three theaters. The sports practiced in Tiburon are: football (soccer), basketball and volleyball. A night club and 25 gaguères complete the leisure areas. For monuments and sites, the town has two caves and a fall (chute) arranged and celebrated on a date set by the youth of the Commune.
Points of interest[]
The Church of Beraud is a curiosity of the town.
