Centre (department)

Centre is one of the ten departments (French: "départments", singular "départment") of Haiti. It is in the center of the country, along the border with the Dominican Republic. It is the only department of Haiti that does not border the sea.
Geography.
The "Départment du Centre" has an area of 3,675 km². It is bordered to the northeast by the Nord-Est Department, to the northwest by the Nord Department, to the west by the Artibonite Department and to the south by the Ouest Department. It borders the Dominican Republic to the east.
The mountain chains here run from west to east and the most important are the "Montagnes Noires" (in English, "Black Mountains"). There is also part of the "Chaine du Trout d'Eau".
Lake Peligre, the second largest lake in Haiti, is in this department; it is an artificial lake created with the construction of the Peligre Dam on the Artibonite river.
The main rivers of the department are Boucan Carré, Fer-à-Cheval, Libon, Macacia, Thomonde and La Tombe, and all are tributaries of the Artibonite.
Population.
The department had, in the 2003 census, a population of 581,505 persons: 289,028 men and 292,477 women, with only 94,619 (16.27%) living in cities and towns.
The main city is Hinche, the capital of the department.
Administrative division.
The department is divided into four "arrondissements" (like districts) and 12 "communes" (like municipalities). The "arrondissements" and their "communes" are: