the city is on the coast of the "miragoâne" bay, in the gonâve channel of the gulf of gonâve, about 100 km south of the haitian capital port-au-prince. it is also the chief town of an "arrondissement" (a part of a department) with the same name. the "arrondissement" has four "communes" (a "commune" is like a municipality): miragoâne, fonds-des-nègres, paillant and petite-rivière-de-nippes.