Jamaica Fiwi Roots

Jamaica is the third-largest island in the Caribbean. It is part of the Greater Antilles archipelago, which includes five other islands: Cuba, Hispaniola, which seats Haiti and Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cayman and Puerto Rico.

Jamaica is the Tip of a Large Underwater Mountain

The island is the tip of a large underwater mountain that rises from the ocean floor. The underwater range that supports the island is known as the Jamaica Ridge. Nearly half of the island is over 1,000 feet (330 meters) above sea level.

Jamaica is home to four major mountain ranges

Blue Mountains, John Crow Mountains, Don Figuero Mountains, Cockpit Country.


jamaica map

The island of Jamaica can be divided into three main types of land forms:  the central mountain chain formed by igneous and metamorphic rocks; the karst limestone hills in the Cockpit area; the low-lying coastal plains and interior valleys.  Limestone formation occurs all over the island, but especially in the western areas.

The total length of Jamaica's coastline is 1,022km / 636mi, with a geographical center of Lat: 18.166667, Lng: -77.28333, in the region of Bull Head in the parish of Clarendon at Lat: 18.166667, Lng: -77.28333. See also

Mountains

Mountains | Rivers | Plains | Harbors and Bays | Cays | Mineral Springs | The Parishes and Population

The most striking physical feature of Jamaica is the mountainous nature of its surface. Nearly half the island is over 300 meters (1,000 ft) above sea-level. The central chain of mountains runs east to west, forming a backbone through the middle of the island. From the central range other ranges run north and south; and from these ridges subordinate spurs branch off in every direction until nearly the majority of the island is cut up into ridges and valleys.

The mountain system may be divided into three parts:

The Major Ranges

The Eastern Section:

The Blue Mountains run for about 75 kilometers (44 miles) through the county of Surrey and a part of Middlesex. These are the highest mountains in Jamaica, reaching 2,250 meters (7,402 ft) at Blue Mountain Peak. Subordinate ridges run north and south from the main ridge.

On the south there are the Port Royal Mountains, a complicated series of ridges, which run south from Catherine's Peak, 1,537 meters (5,506 ft), towards the sea near Albion in St. Thomas. The Queensbury Ridge, starting from Blue Mountain Peak, separates the valley of the Negro River from that of the Yallahs. Three great ridges branch off to the north. The first branches off from Blue Mountain Peak toward the sea near St. Margaret's Bay in Portland, separating the valley of the Rio Grande from that of the Swift River. The second starts from Silver Hill near Catherine's Peak and forms the watershed between the Buff Bay River and the Spanish River. The third is a very high ridge starting from Fox's Gap at the boundary of St. Mary and Portland and sending out several spurs which reach the sea between Buff Bay and Annotto Bay. The John Crow Mountains are the most easterly mountains of Jamaica. They run from the north-west to the south-east in the parish of Portland, and divide the Rio Grande valley from the east coast of the island.

The Central Range:

This range begins west of Stony Hill, 400 meters (1,361 ft), where the main road to the north crosses the mountains and stretches westwards till it merges into the Cockpit Country. It divides into two parts. One, chiefly of limestone formation, extends west through the Mammee Hill and the Red Hills expending itself at Bog Walk. The other runs in a north-easterly direction forming the boundary line between St. Mary and St. Catherine. Passing through Guy's Hill, it continues as a well-defined range to Mount Diablo. It then becomes irregular and broken, finally merging with the Cockpit country.

The Cockpit country of south Trelawny and parts of St. Elizabeth and St. James is a region of broken elevations and depressions It is peculiarly wild in character. Formed of white limestone, jagged and irregular, it is dissected by deep sink holes and steep-sided circular arenas. These are formed because of the intense solution of limestone by rain water.

The Western Range:

These mountains extend through Westmoreland and Hanover, reaching a height of 600 meters (1,809 ft) at Birch's Hill. Dolphin Head, so called because of its appearance, is a landmark seen from far out at sea to the south.

Other Important Mountains:
The Don Figueroa, the May Day and Carpenter Mountains pass through the parish of Manchester lying roughly in an arc north-west to south-coast.

The mountains of St. Catherine, to the north of Spanish Town, are a continuation of the Red Hills system of St. Andrew. through which the Rio Cobre has cut its gorge. They are called the St. John, the St. Dorothy (both St John and St Dorothy were names of separate parishes in the 17th century) and the Guy's Hill Mountains.

The Hellshire Hills, to the extreme south of St. Catherine, are an independent group of limestone hills.

The Pedro and Dry Harbour Mountains are in the parish of St. Ann.

The Mocho Range and the Bull Head Mountains are in the parish of Clarendon. They are both independent mountain ranges.

Bull Head Mountain marks the center of the island.

Some Peaks and their Height

Parish Peaks meters feet
Portland Blue Mountain Peak 2,250 7,402
Sugar Loaf Peak 2,128 7,000

John Crow Mountains highest point 1,140 3,750
St Thomas
Mossman's 2,036 6,700
St. Andrew Sir John's Peak 1,925 6,332

Catherine's Peak 1,537 5,056

Silver Hill Gap 1,067 3,513

Hardware Gap 1,216 4,000

Newcastle Parade Ground 1,125 3,702

Stony Hill, where main road crosses 400 1,361
St. Catherine Juan de Bolas Mountain 833 2,473

Guy's Hill 638 2.100

Mount Diablo, Hollymount 837 2,754

Mount Diablo, where main road crosses 547 1,800
St. Ann Albion 839 2,759
Clarendon Bull Head 845 2,782
Manchester Coleyville, Mount Denham 984 3,236
Mandeville Court House 626 2,060
St. Elizabeth Munro College 778 2,560
Hanover Dolphin Head 544 1,785

The Plains

Mountains | Rivers | Plains | Harbors and Bays | Cays | Mineral Springs | The Parishes and Population

The plains of Jamaica lie chiefly on the southern side of the island, and are all of alluvial formation. The principal plains are the Liguanea Plain in Kingston and St. Andrew, the Rio Cobre and St. Dorothy Plains in St. Catherine, the Plain of Vere in Clarendon, the Pedro Plain in St. Elizabeth, and the George's Plain in Westmoreland. The valleys of the Morant and Yallahs Rivers, and the Plantain Garden River Valley in St. Thomas, are fertile, low-lying areas formed chiefly of alluvium deposited by the rivers.

Harbors and Bays

Mountains | Rivers | Plains | Harbors and Bays | Cays | Mineral Springs | The Parishes and Population

Kingston Harbour, the seventh largest natural harbour in the world, contains about 13 kilometres (8 miles) of navigable water. It is almost completely landlocked by the Palisadoes, the narrow strip of land which ends at Port Royal, leaving a deep channel through which even the largest ships can sail. During the wars of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, all the British naval vessels stationed in the West Indies could anchor inside the harbour. Modern developments have made Kingston Harbour an excellent port for shipping of all kinds, including the largest container vessels.

In 1962 a gigantic dredging operation was commenced on the West Kingston shoreline, as a result of. which some 750 hectares (300 acres) of land were reclaimed from the sea. On this land, called Newport West, a berthing and cargo-storing complex was established. A similar dredging operation to create Newport East was also completed, some 283 hectares (120 acres) of land having be reclaimed. All shipping is now concentrated at these locations which together are known as Port Bustamante. This modern complex replaced the fourteen finger wharves which once ran out into the harbour from the Kingston waterfront.

Port Antonio on the north coast, with its twin harbours, was once Jamaica's second port, Montego Bay's open harbour being too exposed to 'northers', but an extensive deepwater harbour has been built in the vicinity of the Bogue islands, and is in use with three berths available. The area is named Freeport.

Ocho Rios and Port Rhoades on the north and Port Kaiser and Port Esquivel on the south are important ports from which bauxite and alumina are exported. Other important harbours are Lucea, St. Ann's Bay, Oracabessa and Port Maria on the north, and Morant Bay, Salt River and Black River on the south coast. Runaway Bay and Columbus Cays are mainly of historical interest.

The Cays

Mountains | Rivers | Plains | Harbors and Bays | Cays | Mineral Springs | The Parishes and Population

Several small islands, called cays, lie at various points off the coast of Jamaica. The most important of these are the Morant Cays and the Pedro Cays. The Morant Cays, four in number, lie on a crescent-shaped shoal 55 kilometres (33 miles) south-east of Morant Point. The Pedro Cays, also four in number, are situated on the Pedro Bank about 66 kilometres (40 miles) south of Portland Point. The Port Royal Cays lie outside Kingston harbour.

Mountains | Rivers | Plains | Harbors and Bays | Cays | Mineral Springs | The Parishes and Population

Mineral Springs

Mineral springs are to be found in Jamaica, some of them of high therapeutic value. The most important are the warm, saline and radioactive spring at Milk River in Clarendon, the hot, sulphurous spring at Bath in St. Thomas, the Black River Spa in St. Elizabeth, the Moffat Spring on the White River. There are also mineral baths fed by cold springs at Rockfort, near Kingston, and at Port Henderson in St. Catherine.