Gonâve Island


Gonâve Island () is an island of Haiti located to the west-northwest of Port-au-Prince in the Gulf of Gonâve (). The island is an arrondissement in the Ouest Department and includes the communes of Anse-à-Galets and Pointe-à-Raquette. Made up of mostly limestone, the reef-fringed island of Gonâve is 60 km (37 miles) long and 15 km (9 miles) wide and covers an area of 743 km² (287 sq. miles). The island is mostly barren and hilly with the highest point reaching 778 meters (2552 feet). The island gets anywhere from 800mm to 1600mm of rain a year, higher areas representing the latter figure. Issues of overgrazing and water resource overexploitation affect the island's approximately 100,000 residents. The island was once used as a base for pirates.