Saint Elizabeth Parish facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Elizabeth
Parish
Saint Elizabeth in Jamaica
Country	Jamaica
County	Cornwall
Capital	Black River
Other towns	Santa Cruz, Malvern, Junction, Balaclava, Prospect, Southfield
Area
• Total	1,212.4 km2 (468.1 sq mi)
Area rank	2
Population  (2012)
• Total	150,993
• Density	124.541/km2 (322.559/sq mi)

Saint Elizabeth is one of Jamaica's largest areas, called parishes. It is located in the southwest part of the island. This parish is part of the county of Cornwall. Its main town, Black River, is found where the Black River meets the sea. This river is the widest on the island.

History of Saint Elizabeth

Saint Elizabeth used to be much bigger. It covered most of the southwest of Jamaica. But over time, parts of it were used to create other parishes. For example, Westmoreland was formed from it in 1703. Later, in 1814, a part of Manchester was also taken from Saint Elizabeth. The parish was named after the wife of Sir Thomas Modyford. He was the first English Governor of Jamaica.

Scientists have found signs that the Taíno/Arawak people lived here long ago. There are also traces of Spanish settlements from the 1600s. After 1655, when the English took over the island, they started big sugar cane farms. They forced many African people to work as slaves on these farms. Even today, you can see old buildings with "Spanish wall" style. These walls are made of limestone sand and stone between wooden frames.

Saint Elizabeth became a very rich parish. Black River grew into an important seaport. Ships carried sugar and molasses from here. Black River also became a center for the logging trade. A lot of logwood was sent to Europe. This wood was used to make a popular blue dye in the 1700s and 1800s.

Saint Elizabeth was also special because it was the first parish to get electric power. Electricity was first used in a house called Waterloo in Black River in 1893.

Geography of Saint Elizabeth

This parish is located at 18°15'N latitude and 77°56'W longitude. It is west of Manchester and east of Westmoreland. To its north are St. James and Trelawny. Saint Elizabeth covers 1,212.4 square kilometers. This makes it Jamaica's second-largest parish. Only Saint Ann is slightly bigger. The parish is divided into four voting areas: North-East, North-West, South-East, and South-West.

Lovers' Leap, Saint Elizabeth

The northern and northeastern parts of the parish have many mountains. There are three main mountain ranges here. These are the Nassau Mountains, the Lacovia Mountains, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Santa Cruz Mountains go south and end in a huge drop of about 488 meters at a place called Lovers' Leap. The middle and southern parts of the parish are mostly flat plains. These plains are divided by the Santa Cruz Mountains. A large part of the lowlands is covered by morass, which is a type of wet, marshy land. Even so, there's still land for horses and mules to graze.

The main river in the parish is the Black River. It is about 53.4 kilometers long, making it one of Jamaica's longest rivers. Boats can travel on about 40 kilometers of the river. Many smaller rivers, like Y.S., Broad, Grass, and Horse Savannah, flow into it. The Black River starts in the mountains of Manchester. It flows west, forming the border between Manchester and Trelawny. Then it goes underground. It pops up in a few towns before coming out near Balaclava. From there, it flows through deep valleys to the flat land known as the Savannah. It then goes through the Great Morass and finally reaches the sea at Black River town.

The land in the south of the parish is mostly flat plains made of river deposits. The north has limestone areas with many caves. These limestone areas are called karstic zones. The Jamaica Cave Register (2007) lists over 130 caves here. Some famous ones include Mexico Cave and Wallingford River Cave near Balaclava. These are part of a large underground river system. Other caves are Yardley Chase Caves near Lovers' Leap and Peru Cave near Goshen. Peru Cave has amazing stalactites and stalagmites. The parish also has natural resources like bauxite, antimony, white limestone, clay, peat, and silica sand. Silica sand is used to make glass.

People of Saint Elizabeth

In 2001, about 148,000 people lived in Saint Elizabeth. Around 4,000 of them lived in the main town, Black River. This parish is known for having many different ethnic groups. Saint Elizabeth probably has the most diverse mix of people in Jamaica. It truly shows Jamaica's motto: "Out of many, one people."

For example, the Meskito (also called ‘Mosquito’) Indians were brought to Jamaica. They helped capture the Maroons. In return, they were allowed to settle in southern St. Elizabeth and were given land. Over the centuries, people from the Netherlands, Spain, India, Maroon communities, England, and other parts of Europe also moved to this parish. Because of this, many people believe Saint Elizabeth has more people of mixed backgrounds than any other part of the island.

In the 1800s, people from Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Germany, China, and East India also came to Saint Elizabeth. You can still find groups of people with specific backgrounds in certain areas. For example, many Mulatto and Creole people live in the southeast.

Politics in Saint Elizabeth

Saint Elizabeth Parish has four Members of Parliament (MPs). An MP is a person elected to represent the people in the country's government. These MPs represent four different areas, called constituencies. These are Saint Elizabeth North Eastern, Saint Elizabeth North Western, Saint Elizabeth South Eastern, and Saint Elizabeth South Western.

Economy of Saint Elizabeth

Mining

Since the 1960s, Saint Elizabeth has been a big producer of bauxite. Bauxite is a rock used to make aluminum. Port Kaiser, near a town called Alligator Pond, has a large pier where ships load bauxite for export to other countries. The Alpart alumina refinery was built in the 1960s at Nain. This factory turns bauxite into alumina, which is then exported. It produces almost 2 million tonnes of alumina each year. Building this refinery today would cost about $2 billion. There are also other alumina factories near the town of Mandeville.

Agriculture

Besides mining bauxite, the parish also grows a lot of sugar. There are two sugar factories in Saint Elizabeth. Fishing is a major industry here. Tomato canning is also important, with a factory in Bull Savannah. Farmers in the parish also grow many other crops. These include cassava, corn, peas, beans, pimento, ginger, tobacco, tomato, rice, sweet potatoes, and coffee.

Because the soil is good for growing grass, it's also a great place for raising animals. This is called pastoralism. The animals raised here include goats, sheep, hogs, cattle, and horses.

Tourism

Since the 1990s, Saint Elizabeth has become a popular place for tourists. Most visitors go to the Treasure Beach area. The Appleton rum distillery is also a tourist spot. It's located near the wild Cockpit Country in the north of the parish. The Cockpit Country was a place where Maroon communities lived for much of the 1700s. In recent years, Ecological tourism has grown along the Black and YS rivers and in the Great Morass. This type of tourism focuses on enjoying nature and wildlife.

Education in Saint Elizabeth

The parish has 12 high schools and 75 primary schools. It also has 167 places for young children to learn. Some well-known schools include:

• Bethlehem Moravian College
• Black River High School
• Hampton School
• Lacovia High School
• Munro College
• St. Elizabeth Technical High School

Places to Visit in Saint Elizabeth

Beaches

• Font Hill Beach
• Galleon, Crane
• Fullerswood
• Parottee
• Fort Charles
• Calabash Bay
• Great Bay
• Billy's Bay
• Frenchman's Bay
• Treasure Beach
• Blue Fields Beach

Towns and villages

The Social Development Commission lists 61 communities in St. Elizabeth, which are divided into 465 smaller districts. Major towns and communities include:

Flagaman

Caves

Saint Elizabeth has about 44 caves. Some of them are:

• Mexico Cave
• Peru Cave
• Yhardly Chase Caves
• Wallingford Caves
• Nain

Other interesting places

• Lover's Leap is a tall cliff that drops hundreds of meters into the sea. There's a romantic story about two young slaves who jumped from here rather than live apart. There is also a lighthouse at this spot.
• Y.S. Falls is a famous waterfall in Jamaica. It's similar to Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.
• Bamboo Avenue in Holland Bamboo was created in the 1600s. Local landowners planted bamboo trees on both sides of the road. This was done to provide shade for travelers.
• Black River is one of the island's largest freshwater wetlands. You can take a guided boat trip on parts of the river. On these trips, you can see mangrove trees and lots of wildlife. This includes salt water crocodiles, herons, and egrets.

See also

In Spanish: Parroquia de Saint Elizabeth para niños

• History of Jamaica