Westmoreland

Location	18°14′N 78°09′W
Capital Town	Savanna-la-Mar Savanna-la-Mar Savanna-la-Mar is the chief town and capital of Westmoreland parish, Jamaica.It is a coastal town and contains a fort, constructed in the 18th century for defence against pirates....
County County A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...	Cornwall
Official language Official language An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...	English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Recognised parish language	Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
Area	807 square km
Rank	Jamaica's eighth largest parish Parish A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
Population Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...	141,000 in 2001
Commerce Commerce While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...	Tourism Tourism Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a... , Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...   Manufacturing Factory A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...

Westmoreland is the westernmost parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 in Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, located on the south side of the island. It is situated to the south of Hanover, the southwest of Saint James, and the northwest of Saint Elizabeth, in the county

County

A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...

 of Cornwall

Cornwall, Jamaica

Cornwall is the westernmost of the three historic counties into which Jamaica is divided. It has no current-day administrative significance. It includes Montego Bay, the island's second largest city by area.The county of Cornwall is shown in green...

. The chief town and capital is Savanna-la-Mar

Savanna-la-Mar

Savanna-la-Mar is the chief town and capital of Westmoreland parish, Jamaica.It is a coastal town and contains a fort, constructed in the 18th century for defence against pirates....

. Negril

Negril

Negril is a small but widely dispersed beach resort town located across parts of two Jamaican parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island...

, a famous tourist destination, is also situated in the parish.

Brief history

The earliest inhabitants of Westmoreland were the Arawak and Ciboney

Ciboney

The Ciboney were pre-Columbian indigenous inhabitants of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The name Ciboney derives from the indigenous Taíno people which means Cave Dwellers; evidence has shown that a number of the Ciboney people have lived in caves at some time. Over the years, many...

 Indians. The Ciboney were first to arrive from the coast of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 around 500 B.C. They were also known as “cave dwellers” and lived along the cliffs of Negril

Negril

Negril is a small but widely dispersed beach resort town located across parts of two Jamaican parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island...

. The labyrinth

Labyrinth

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...

 of caves and passageways beneath what is now the Xtabi

Xtabi

Xtabi is a cove on the cliffs of Negril, in Westmoreland, Jamaica. It consists of a labyrinth of caves and passageways carved from solid rock over a period of several million years.An eponymous hotel sits atop the cliffs.-History:...

 Hotel in Negril are one of the first known settlements of Ciboney Indians in Jamaica.

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...

 stopped at Westmoreland on his second voyage when he landed in Jamaica. One of the first Spanish settlements was also built at what is now Bluefields

Bluefields Beach

Bluefields Beach Park is a very popular public beach in the south-east of Westmoreland. It gets very busy at weekends and holidays.The old road from Black River to Savanna-la-Mar is separated from the beach by only a low stone wall...

 in this parish.

The parish was named Westmoreland in 1703, because it was the most westerly point in the island. Savanna-la-Mar

Savanna-la-Mar

Savanna-la-Mar is the chief town and capital of Westmoreland parish, Jamaica.It is a coastal town and contains a fort, constructed in the 18th century for defence against pirates....

, a town by the coast, replaced Banbury as the capital in 1730.

In 1938, riot

Riot

A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...

s at the Frome sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 estate

Estate (house)

An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...

, changed the course of Jamaica's history. The changes that came in the wake of these riots led to universal adult suffrage

Suffrage

Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...

 in 1944, as well as a new constitution

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

, which put Jamaica on the road to self government and eventually independence

Independence

Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....

. The two national heroes, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley, emerged as political leaders

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 during this time.

Geography

Westmoreland has an area of 807 square kilometres (311.6 sq mi), making it Jamaica's eighth largest parish. Westmoreland's population of 141,000 is made up of a large percentage of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

ns, who are the descendants of Indentured Laborers

Indentured servant

Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...

 who came to Jamaica from India to work after slavery. The descendants are known locally in the parish as "Indie Royals" because of their mixed East-Indian and African heritage.

There are over 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of morass

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

 land, the largest part of which is called the Great Morass. This contains plant and animal material collected over centuries. The morass can be mined as peat

Peat

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

, an excellent source of energy, and it also serves as a natural sanctuary

Sanctuary

A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...

 for Jamaican wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

. The remaining area consists of several hills of moderate elevation, and alluvial plain

Plain

In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...

s along the coast.

There are numerous rivers in the parish. The Cabaritta River, which is 39.7 kilometres long, drains the George's Plain and can accommodate boats weighing up to eight ton

Ton

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...

s. Other rivers include the Negril

Negril

Negril is a small but widely dispersed beach resort town located across parts of two Jamaican parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island...

 River, New Savanna, Morgan's, Gut, Smithfield, Bowens, Bluefields, Robins, Roaring, Great and Dean.

The westernmost tip of the island, Negril Point, is home to Negril Lighthouse

Negril Lighthouse

Negril Lighthouse was built in 1894 south south east of the westernmost tip of the island by the French company Bubbler & Bernard. It is one of the earliest concrete lighthouses....

.

Commerce

As a result of the fertile plains, the parish thrives on agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, mainly sugarcane

Sugarcane

Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...

, which offers direct employment. Other agricultural products include banana

Banana

Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....

s, coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...

, ginger

Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....

, cocoa, pimento

Pimento

A pimento or cherry pepper is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper that measures 3 to 4 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide . The flesh of the pimento is sweet, succulent and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper...

, honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

, rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, and breadfruit

Breadfruit

Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, growing throughout Southeast Asia and most Pacific Ocean islands...

. Pastoralism

Pastoralism

Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and sheep. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and...

 is also practised; the rearing of cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

, horses, and mule

Mule

A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...

s, as well as fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 —there are 19 fishing beaches with over 90 boats engaged in the industry. Manufacturing is the third largest sector. Manufactured items include food and drink, tobacco

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

, animal feeds, textile

Textile

A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

 and textile products.

Negril

Negril

Negril is a small but widely dispersed beach resort town located across parts of two Jamaican parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island...

 is one of the main tourist destination

Tourist destination

A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...

s in Jamaica. Since the 1950s, tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 has been the single fastest growing sector. The major hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

s are Couples Swept Away, Couples Negril, Sandals Negril, Poinciana Beach Resort, Grand Lido, Hedonism II

Hedonism Resorts

Hedonism II and Hedonism III are vacation resorts in Jamaica, operated by SuperClubs. SuperClubs is the operating name of Village Resorts Ltd. The stock holders of Village Resorts Ltd...

, and Negril Beach Club. However, besides these resorts there are another 200+ resorts and also 200+ bars and restaurants available for the tourist trade.

• Seaford Town
  Seaford Town
  Seaford Town, also known as "German Town" has the most unusual history of all communities in Jamaica. The history of Seaford Town begins with the abolition of slavery on 1 August 1834. Many landowners were concerned that the abolition would leave them with insufficient labour to tend their fields...
  
  
• Bridgewater
• Negril
  Negril
  Negril is a small but widely dispersed beach resort town located across parts of two Jamaican parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island...
  
  
• Petersfield
  Petersfield, Jamaica
  Petersfield is a small town in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. It shares its name with five other places in Jamaica.The town was founded in the 18th century and named after Peter Beckford, a slave owner who settled the Roaring River Estate...
  
  
• Roaring River Park
  Roaring River Park
  Roaring River Park is a heritage and nature park near Petersfield, Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica.The park is on the site of the Roaring River Estate which belonged to the Beckford family: Peter Beckford, William Beckford....
  
  
• Savanna-la-Mar
  Savanna-la-Mar
  Savanna-la-Mar is the chief town and capital of Westmoreland parish, Jamaica.It is a coastal town and contains a fort, constructed in the 18th century for defence against pirates....
  
  
• Mayfield Falls

External links

• Go Local Jamaica
• Negril Jamaica Vidia - A (non-profit) free video/photo - encyclopedia/directory designed for tourists to visually research ALL of the resorts, restaurants, shops, bars and other tourist services that they will find in Negril