Saint Elizabeth Parish

Saint Elizabeth
Capital	Black River
county	Cornwall
Big cities	Santa Cruz, Malvern, Junction, Balaclava, Prospect
surface	1,212.4  km²
population	151,484 (2009)
Population density	124.9 / km²
economy	Tourism, agriculture, industry, bauxite mining

Saint Elizabeth is a district ( parish ) in southwest Jamaica . The capital is Black River , where the Black River flows .

history

Originally, Saint Elizabeth included all of western Jamaica. In 1703 Westmoreland was cut off to shorten the route to the Parish capital. In 1814 another part was separated and added to Manchester . The remaining area was named after Sir Thomas Modyford, the island's first English governor.

Traces of the indigenous people, the Tainos ( Arawak ), were found in the cave of Pedro Bluff . The Spaniards established farms in the area. From 1655 the English switched to growing sugar cane. Black River became a major export port for timber and Saint Elizabeth prospered.

Numerous ethnic groups live in Saint Elizabeth, e. B. Creoles and mulattos. In the 18th century the Miskito Indians from Central America came to the island, in the 19th century Irish, Scottish and German emigrants followed.

geography

Saint Elizabeth is bordered by Westmoreland to the west and Saint James and Trelawny to the south . In 2001, around 148,000 people lived on 1212.4 km², 4,000 of them in the capital.

The north and northwest of the Parish are mountainous. Three mountain ranges run through the area, the Nassau Mountains from northwest to northeast, the Lacovia Mountains in the west and the Santa Cruz Mountains in the south. The latter form a 487 meter high slope to the sea at Lover's Leap.

In the middle and in the south there is a wide plain that is largely covered by moors . Black River , with 53.4 km the second longest river on the island, flows through Saint Elizabeth and flows into the city of the same name. As in many other parishes, the subsurface is largely made of sandstone. 44 larger caves are known, including Mexico, the largest cave in Jamaica.

In addition to bauxite, there are deposits of antimony , clay , peat and silicon , which is used to make glass.

economy

Saint Elizabeth has been the most important supplier of bauxite since the 1960s, and Port Kaiser with its deep-water pier is a major export port. An aluminum smelter was built in Nain for $ 125 million.

In addition to opencast mining, agriculture is the most important employer. Primarily, sugar cane is grown and processed in two factories. Cassava , grain, beans, peas, ginger, annatto , tobacco , cocoa, rice and coffee are among the products of the region. Goats, sheep, pigs, cattle and horses are kept in the grasslands. Land use is one of the most diverse in Jamaica.

Tourism only developed in the 1990s, initially in the area around Treasure Beach. For several years now, more and more eco-tourists have been visiting the smaller rivers and the moor.

Web links

• Information on Saint Elizabeth

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistical Institute of Jamaica: Demographic Statistics - Population by Parish 2009 ( Memento of the original dated November 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 15, 2010. 

Coordinates: 18 ° 3 ′  N , 77 ° 46 ′  W