Haiti terrain varies, with more than 3/4ths of the territory above . Its climate is
tropical and
semiarid. Fertile valleys are interspersed between the mountain ranges forming vast areas of contrast between elevations in many areas throughout the territory. Haiti (and Hispaniola) are separated from
Cuba by way of the
Windward Passage, a wide strait that passes between the two countries. Haiti's lowest elevation is reported by one source to be
sea level (the
Caribbean Sea), by another source to be below sea level (Gheskio clinic,
Port-au-Prince or in
Gonaïves,), while its highest point is
Pic la Selle at . • Haiti's most important valley in terms of crops is the ''Plaine de l'Artibonite
, which is oriented south of the Montagnes Noires''. This region supports the country's (also Ile d'Haiti's) longest river, the ''
Riviere l'Artibonite whose watershed begins in the western region of the Dominican Republic and continues most of its length through central Haiti and onward where it empties into the Gulf of Gonâve''. The river is navigable for a distance by barge. The eastern and central region of the island is a large elevated plateau. • The northern region consists of the
Massif du Nord (Northern Massif) and the
Plaine du Nord (Northern Plain). The Massif du Nord is an extension of the
Cordillera Central in the Dominican Republic. It begins at Haiti's eastern border, north of the
Guayamouc River, and extends to the northwest through the northern peninsula. The
Plateau Central (Central Plateau) extends along both sides of the Guayamouc River, south of the Massif du Nord. It runs from the southeast to the northwest. To the southwest of the Plateau Central are the Montagnes Noires, whose most northwestern part merges with the Massif du Nord. • The southern region consists of the
Plaine du Cul-de-Sac (the southeast) and the mountainous southern peninsula (also known as the
Tiburon Peninsula). The Plaine du Cul-de-Sac is a natural depression which harbors the country's saline lakes, such as
Trou Caïman and Haiti's largest lake
Lac Azuei (also known as
Etang Saumatre). The Chaîne de la Selle mountain range, an extension of the southern mountain chain of the Dominican Republic (the
Sierra de Baoruco), extends from the Massif de la Selle in the east to the
Massif de la Hotte in the west. This mountain range harbors
Pic la Selle, the highest point in Haiti at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft).
List of valleys and Plains of Haiti ==
Plateau Central==