Parishes of Jamaica
| Parishes of Jamaica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | Unitary state |
| Location | Jamaica |
| Number | 14 Parishes |
| Populations | 68,000 (Hanover) – 541,000 (Saint Andrew) |
| Areas | 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi) (Kingston) – 1,213 km2 (468 sq mi) (Saint Ann) |
| Government |
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| Subdivisions |
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 Jamaica portal |
Administratively, Jamaica is divided into fourteen parishes. They are grouped into three historic counties, which have no administrative relevance. Every parish has a coast; none is landlocked.
The traditional county towns were Savanna-la-Mar for Cornwall County, Spanish Town for Middlesex County, and Kingston for Surrey County.
| Parish | Capital | Area km² |
Population Census 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall County | ||||
| 1 | Hanover | Lucea | 450.4 | 69,533 |
| 2 | Saint Elizabeth | Black River | 1,212.4 | 150,205 |
| 3 | Saint James | Montego Bay | 594.9 | 183,811 |
| 4 | Trelawny | Falmouth | 874.6 | 75,164 |
| 5 | Westmoreland | Savanna-la-Mar | 807.0 | 144,103 |
| Middlesex County | ||||
| 6 | Clarendon | May Pen | 1,196.3 | 245,103 |
| 7 | Manchester | Mandeville | 830.1 | 189,797 |
| 8 | Saint Ann | Saint Ann's Bay | 1,212.6 | 172,362 |
| 9 | Saint Catherine | Spanish Town | 1,192.4 | 516,218 |
| 10 | Saint Mary | Port Maria | 610.5 | 113,615 |
| Surrey County | ||||
| 11 | Kingston Parish(1) (2) | Kingston | 21.8 | 89,057 |
| 12 | Portland | Port Antonio | 814.0 | 81,744 |
| 13 | Saint Andrew(1) | Half Way Tree | 430.7 | 573,369 |
| 14 | Saint Thomas | Morant Bay | 742.8 | 93,902 |
| Total | 10,991.0 | 2,697,983 | ||
(1) The parishes of Kingston and Saint Andrew together form the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation.
(2) The parish of Kingston does not encompass all of the city of Kingston. Most of the city is in the parish of St. Andrew.
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Former Parishes
Parishes have been a feature of local administration in Jamaica since the island was captured by the English in 1655.[1] The number has varied over time and some no longer exist having either been absorbed into or divided between neighbouring parishes.[1] At the peak, 1841–1865, there were 22 (the current 14 plus those listed below).[1]
The current set of parishes was established in 1866 with the elimination of the 8 listed below (roughly by county):[1]
Surrey:
- Port Royal (now divided between Kingston and Saint Andrew)
- Saint George (now divided between Saint Mary and Portland)
- Saint David (now part of Saint Thomas)
Middlesex:
- Metcalfe (now part of Saint Mary)
- Saint Dorothy (now part of Saint Catherine)
- Saint John (now part of Saint Catherine)
- Saint Thomas in the Vale (now part of Saint Catherine) – note that the current Saint Thomas used to be named "Saint Thomas in the East" to differentiate between the two parishes at the time.
- Vere (now part of Clarendon)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Prestwidge, Bill. "Jamaican Parish Reference". Retrieved 24 October 2009.
External links
- Jamaica Parishes , a concise description of the parishes n Jamaica.
Template:Articles on first-level administrative divisions of North American countries