Côte Sud Initiative: South Department

The South Department is a region of both needs and opportunities and one of the most beautiful parts of Haiti. Its surface area is nearly 3000 km2 and it has a coastal frontage of approximately 200 km. Its geography consists of two chains of mountains separated by the Les Cayes alluvial plain and the island of Ile à Vache. Its natural assets include the fertile plain, the mountainous Parc Macaya, one of the most important mangrove areas in Haiti, coral reefs, and some of the best beaches in the country.

The South Department is located on the southwest coast of Haiti's southern peninsula. The CSI has three bases of operations at present: in Les Cayes, in Port Salut, and in Port-à-Piment, the location of the Port-à-Piment Millennium Village.

Natural hazards of the South Department include many flood-prone rivers and the active Enriquillo fault, which runs along the northern edge of the department.The mountainous regions have severe environmental problems, with very limited forest cover and severe ongoing erosion. Situated on the southern coast of Haiti, the department is also highly vulnerable to hurricanes, which generally arrive from the southeast.

In 2009, its estimated population of 700,000 had an approximate average GDP per capita of US$330, compared to the national average of US$650. The economy is dominated by agriculture and forestry, including the export of charcoal to Port-au-Prince. Services, light manufacturing, and tourism are the other pillars of the economy. The South Department has benefited from some aid and limited investment over the last decade, however, development assistance to date has with some exceptions been ad hoc and uncoordinated.