St Elizabeth, Jamaica
| 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 | 120/km2 (320/sq mi) |
St. Elizabeth, one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the longest on the island.
Saint Elizabeth originally included most of the south-west part of the island, but in 1703 Westmoreland was taken from it and in 1814 a part of Manchester. The resulting areas were named after the wife of Sir Thomas Modyford, the first English Governor of Jamaica.
There are archeological traces of Taíno/Arawak existence in the parish, as well as of 17th-century colonial Spanish settlements. After 1655, when the English settled on the island, they concentrated on developing large sugar cane plantations with enslaved African workers. Today, buildings with 'Spanish wall' construction (masonry of limestone sand and stone between wooden frames) can still be seen in some areas.
St Elizabeth became a prosperous parish and Black River an important seaport. In addition to shipping sugar and molasses, Black River became the centre of the logging trade. Large quantities of logwood were exported to Europe to make a Prussian-blue dye, which was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
St Elizabeth was the first parish to have electric power, where it was first introduced in a house called Waterloo in Black River in 1893.
The parish is located latitude 18°15'N, and longitude 77°56'W; to the west of Manchester, the east of Westmoreland, and to the south of St. James and Trelawny. It covers an area of 1212.4 km², making it Jamaica's second-largest parish, behind Saint Ann's 1212.6 km². The parish is divided into four electoral districts (constituencies), that is North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West.
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