Tortuga (Haiti)
Tortuga
Île de la Tortue Latòti | |
|---|---|
Island | |
 Tortuga seen from space | |
  Tortuga A map of Haiti with Île de la Tortue to the north. | |
| Coordinates: 20°02′23″N 72°47′24″W / 20.03972°N 72.79000°W | |
| Country | Haiti |
| Department | Nord-Ouest |
| Arrondissement | Port-de-Paix |
| Settled | 1625 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 180 km2 (69 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 459 m (1,506 ft) |
| Population (2003) | |
| • Total | 25,936 |
| • Density | 144/km2 (376/sq mi) |
| Time zone | −5 |
| • Summer (DST) | −4 |
| Climate | Af |
Tortuga Island
Tortuga is 180 square kilometres (69 square miles)[3] in size and had a population of 25,936 at the 2003 census. In the 17th century, Tortuga was a major center and haven of Caribbean piracy. Its tourist industry and references in many works have made it one of the most recognized regions of Haiti.
History
The first Europeans to land on Tortuga were the Spanish in 1492 during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus into the New World. On December 6, 1492, three Spanish ships entered the Windward Passage that separates Cuba and Haiti. At sunrise, Columbus noticed an island whose contours emerged from the morning mist. Because the shape reminded him of a turtle's shell, he chose the name of Tortuga.[4][5][6]
Tortuga was originally settled by a few
From 1630 onward, the island of Tortuga was divided into French and English colonies, allowing
In 1635,
By 1640, the buccaneers of Tortuga were calling themselves the Brethren of the Coast. The pirate population was mostly made up of French and Englishmen, along with a small number of Dutchmen. In 1654, the Spanish captured the island for the fourth and last time.[8]
In 1655, Tortuga was reoccupied by English and French interlopers under
By 1670, the buccaneer era was in decline, and many of the pirates turned to log cutting and wood trading as a new income source. At this time, a Welsh privateer named Henry Morgan started to promote himself and invited the pirates on the island of Tortuga to set sail under him. Morgan and some 2,000 privateers then attacked and sacked Panama the following year. They were hired by the French as a striking force that allowed France to have a much stronger hold on the Caribbean region. Consequently, the pirates never really controlled the island and kept Tortuga as a neutral hideout for pirate booty.
In 1680, new Acts of
Geography
 | |
| Location | Tortuga, Haiti |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 19°59′49″N 72°37′17″W / 19.9969°N 72.6214°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1924  |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Height | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Shape | tapered cylindrical tower with light[10][11] |
| Markings | white and red horizontal band tower |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 23.5 m (77 ft) |
| Range | 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl(2) W 6s |
The island of Tortuga stands off the northern coast of Haiti. It is very mountainous and rocky; the rocks are especially abundant on the northern part of the island. At the beginning of the 17th century, the population lived on the southern coast of the island, where there was a port for ships to enter. The northern shore was described as inaccessible via both land and sea.
The inhabited area was divided into four parts; the first of these was called "Low Land" or "Low Country". This region contained the island's port and was therefore considered the most important. The town was called Cayona, and the richest planters of the island lived there. The second region was called the "Middle Plantation"; the farmers of this region were unfamiliar with the soil and it was only used to grow tobacco. The third part was named "La Ringot", and was positioned on the western portion of the island. The fourth region was called the "La Montagne" (the Mountain); it is there that the first cultivated plantations were established upon the island.
This 17th century geography is known largely from Alexandre-Olivier Exquemelin's detailed description in his book Zeerovers,[12] where he describes a 1666 journey to the island.
In popular culture
Tortuga has been portrayed in many works depicting piracy in the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Films
Tortuga has been featured in numerous films, including
- Safe in Hell (1931)
- Captain Blood (1935)
- The Black Swan (1942)
- The Spanish Main (1945)
- Double Crossbones (1950)
- Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
- Pirates of Tortuga (1961)
- Pirates of the Caribbean films
Literature
Books featuring the island include:
- Deadmen Walking: A Deadman's Cross Novel (2017) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
- Tortuga by Valerio Evangelisti
- Lovesong by Valerie Sherwood
- James Michener
- The Black Swan (1932) by Rafael Sabatini
- The Black Corsair series of novels by Emilio Salgari (1898-1908)
- The Black Avenger of the Spanish Main (1847) by Ned Buntline
- The Dark Secret of Josephine (1955) by Dennis Wheatley
- 1637: No Peace Beyond the Line (November 2020) by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon
Music
Tortuga is mentioned in multiple songs, including:
- "Jonas Psalter" (1973) by the rock band Styx
- "Night in Tortuga" (1986) by Norman Dozier
- "Tortuga Bay" (1989) by German heavy metal band Running Wild
- "Tortuga" (2006) by Italian Ska band Talco
- "Jack Sparrow" by The Lonely Island featuring Michael Bolton
- "Tortuga" (2011) by Welsh band Catfish and the Bottlemen
- "Welcome to Tortuga" (2012) by Swedish pirate folk band Ye Banished Privateers
- "Tortuga" (2014) by the space rock band Earthling Society
- "Tortuga" and "Gute Nacht Tortuga", both from the album "Tortuga" (2017) by German pirate folk band Mr. Hurley & die Pulveraffen
- "Tortuga" (2020) and "Return to Tortuga" (2022) by the Scottish Pirate Metal Band Alestorm
- "Turtle Island" (2002) by Mike Oldfield
Video Games
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2014)
- Pirates of the Caribbean Online (2007)
- Tortuga: Two Treasures (2007)
Rafael Sabatini's works
Captain Blood
Tortuga is featured in
Sabatini used
The Black Swan
Tortuga also features in Sabatini's novel The Black Swan and the 1942 movie based on it.[13]
Notable people
- Gabard Fénélon, professional football player
- Hugues Gentillon, film director, and founder of Yugy Pictures Entertainment
See also
- List of islands of Haiti
- List of lighthouses in Haiti
- Geography of Pirates of the Caribbean
- Port Royal
- Tortuga (cocktail)
References
- ^ United States, Hydrographic Office (1891). "Catalogue of Charts, Plans, Sailing Directions, and Other Publications of the Office, July 1, 1891". p. 34. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain); Shaw, Norton; Greenfield, Hume; Bates, Henry Walter (1834). "The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society". p. 130. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ISBN 0-9638599-0-0.
- ^ "Ile de la tortue, Histoire. Petite histoire de l'île de la tortue". Villa Camp Mandingue. Haiti. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ "Cristóbal Colón en La Española". Amautacuna de Historia. 2010-10-24.
- ^ "Diario de a bordo del primer viaje de Cristóbal Colón: texto completo. 6 de Diciembre". Wikisource. 1492. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ^ OCLC 663393691.
- ^ The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The XVII Century – Chapter IV
- ^ The Buccaneers In The West Indies In The XVII Century – Chapter IV
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Haiti". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
- List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2016.
- ISBN 90-5848-044-5.
- ^ "Movie Review -- At the Roxy - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- (2003) Pancorbo, Luis: "El Canal de la Tortuga" en "Río de América". pp. 321–333. Laertes, Barcelona. ISBN 84-7584-506-1
External links
- (In English and Spanish) "Method of Securing the Ports and Populations of All the Coasts of the Indies", from 1694, discusses Tortuga's history with piracy.