The Artibonite River is a 320 km long river in Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 (estuary located at about 19.25°N 72.7833333°W). It is the longest as well as the most important river in Haiti and the longest on the island of Hispaniola

Hispaniola

Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...

. Forming part of the international border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the river's sources are in the Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

, however most of its length lies in Haiti. The river empties into the Gulf of Gonâve

Gulf of Gonâve

The Gulf of Gonâve is a large gulf along the western coast of Haiti. Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince, is located on the coast of the gulf. Other cities on the gulf coast include Gonaïves, Saint-Marc, Miragoâne, and Jérémie. Several islands are located in the gulf, the largest being Gonâve...

.

As namesake for the surrounding Artibonite Valley

Artibonite Valley

Artibonite Valley is a valley predominantly in Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola. The Artibonite River flows through the valley, with headwaters in the Dominican Republic as well....

 and Haitian Artibonite Department

Artibonite Department

Artibonite is one of the ten departments of Haiti. With an area of 4,984 km² it is Haiti's largest department. Artibonite has a population of 1,168,800 . The region is the country's main rice-growing area. The main cities are Gonaïves and Saint-Marc...

, the river is used for irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 and the Peligre Hydroelectric Dam

Péligre Hydroelectric Dam

The Péligre Dam is a hydroelectric dam located off the Centre Department on the Artibonite River of Haiti. It is the largest dam on the island of Hispaniola consisting of Haiti and the Dominican Republic....

 situated on it produces the country's supply of hydroelectricity. In October 2010, following a fatal cholera

Cholera

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

 outbreak (the first in generations) in the Haitian headwaters of the river, locals were alerted that drinking untreated water from this river may spread the disease.