Location	latitude 18°15'N, longitude 77°12'W
Capital town	Spanish Town
Other towns	Portmore, Old Harbour, Ewarton, Linstead
County	Middlesex
Area	1,192 square km
Rank	Jamaica's fourth largest parish
Population	500,000 in 2001
Commerce	Tourism, Agriculture, Manufacturing

St Catherine (capital Spanish Town) is a parish located in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest parishes. It includes the first capital of Jamaica, Sante Jago De La Vega, currently known as Spanish Town. Image File history File links Saint_Catherine. ... Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... Map of Earth showing lines of longitude, which appear curved and vertical in this projection, but are actually halves of great circles Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... A 1774 engraving of Spanish Towns colonial offices Spanish Town is the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica, during the 16th through 19th centuries, and is a World Heritage Site. ... Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Commerce is the trading of something of value between two entities. ... Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... A factory (previously manufactory) or manufacturing plant is a large industrial building where workers manufacture goods. ... A 1774 engraving of Spanish Towns colonial offices Spanish Town is the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica, during the 16th through 19th centuries, and is a World Heritage Site. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... The South-eastern suburbs are mainly suburbs located around the foreshores of Botany Bay. ... Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... A 1774 engraving of Spanish Towns colonial offices Spanish Town is the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica, during the 16th through 19th centuries, and is a World Heritage Site. ...

Geography and people

St Catherine is located at latitude 18°15'N, longitude 77°12'W. It is bordered by St Andrew in the east, Carendon in the west, and by St Mary and St Ann in the north. It has an area of 1,192 sq km, making it Jamaica's fourth-largest parish. Except for the Hellshire Hills near the coast, the south of the parish is virtually flat. The central and northern sections are very mountainous, however; the northern border is on Mount Diablo, which crosses over into St Ann, the highest point being 686 metres (2,700 feet). Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... Map of Earth showing lines of longitude, which appear curved and vertical in this projection, but are actually halves of great circles Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... Saint Andrew (capital Half Way Tree) is a parish, situated in the south east of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. ... Clarendon is said to be the third largest parish in Jamaica. ... Saint Mary, Jamaica, is a parish located in the north, north eastern part of Jamaica. ... Saint Ann, Jamaica (2001 population 168,726), is a parish located in the northern part of Jamaica and is north west of Kingston. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Saint Ann, Jamaica (2001 population 168,726), is a parish located in the northern part of Jamaica and is north west of Kingston. ...

A plain of approximately 57,000 acres occupies the southern part of the Rio Cobre basin. The Rio Cobre is the only river that runs along the southern plain. It provides water to irrigate over 18,000 acres on the plain, and provides electricity for the capital and surrounding towns like Linstead, Riversdale, Old Harbour, and the urban sections of Kingston and St Andrew. In geography, a plain is a large area of land with relatively low relief. ... An acre is an English unit of area, which is also frequently used in the United States and some Commonwealth countries. ... Basin has several meanings: Look up basin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... High-altitude aerial view of irrigation in the Heart of the Sahara Irrigation (in agriculture) is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops. ... Electricity is a property of matter that results from the presence of electric charge. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... A street in Ynysybwl, Wales, relatively stereotypical of a small town A town is usually an urban area which is not considered to rank as a city. ... Urban area is a term used to define an area where there is an increased density of man-made structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. ... Location of Kingston Kingston (population 600,000) is the capital of Jamaica. ... Saint Andrew (capital Half Way Tree) is a parish, situated in the south east of Jamaica in the county of Surrey. ...

This parish also accounts for the largest population in the country, with well over half a million residents. Most people live in Portmore, the largest community in the Caribbean. The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries which are in or border the Caribbean Sea which lies on the Caribbean Plate. ...

Brief history

A 1774 engraving of Spanish Town's colonial offices

The first Spanish settlement in Jamaica was at Seville, now a part of St Ann's Bay. Soon after, the island's treasurer, Pedro de Mazuela, recommended the site that later became Santiago (or St Jago de la Vega). The parish was formed in 1534 when the boundaries of St Catherine were expanded to incorporate the former parishes of St Dorothy, St John and St Thomas-in-the-Vale. It was named after Queen Katherine of Portugal, King Charles II's wife. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1147x753, 419 KB)A 1774 engraving of colonial offices in Spanish Town, Jamaica. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1147x753, 419 KB)A 1774 engraving of colonial offices in Spanish Town, Jamaica. ... 1774 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Events February 27 - Group of Anabaptists of Jan Matthys seize Münster and declare it The New Jerusalem - they begin to exile dissenters and forcible baptize all others May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ... Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Marriage is a relationship that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ...

Sugar cultivation and plantations were established even before the capital was transferred there in 1524 near to Mazuela's sugar mill. Time to time, life was threatened by raids from English pirates. In 1655 the English captured Jamaica from the Spaniards, who kept up guerrilla tactics for five years until they eventually abandoned efforts to recapture the island. Magnified view of refined sugar crystals. ... Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ... Raid or RAID may refer to: Raid (police action), when police invade a building or area. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... This article is about sea pirates. ... Events May 10 - English troops land on Jamaica March 25 - Saturns largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christian Huygens. ... Distinguish from the type of ape called a gorilla. ...

The English renamed the town Spanish Town, and kept it as the administrative capital of the island. For two centuries it prospered, and was one of the most populus areas on the island. Taverns, theatres, a slave market and the prison —which still stands today— were established in the parish. During the 'dead season' on the sugar estates — October to December — planters and their families from all over Jamaica would converge on Spanish Town. Synagogues were also to be found in the parish. Organisational use In some organisational analyses, administration can refer to the bureaucratic or operational performance of mundane office tasks, usually internally oriented. ... These pages contain the trends of millennia and centuries. ... A tavern is, loosely, a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and, more than likely, also be served food, though not licenced to put up guests. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Look up December in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Template:DecemberCalendar2006 December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Planters is an American snack food company, best known for its peanuts and the Mr. ... A synagogue (בית כנסת beit knesset in Hebrew meaning a house of assembly or שול shul in Yiddish) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ...

Since 1755 there had been lobbies from Kingston, by people who had wanted the capital transferred there. This was officially done in 1872 by the Governor Sir John Peter Grant. The boundaries of the present parish were established in 1867 when the number of parishes in Jamaica were reduced from 22 to 14. St Catherine was then expanded to include the former parishes of St Thomas-in-the-Vale, St John and St Dorothy. 1755 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Location of Kingston Kingston (population 600,000) is the capital of Jamaica. ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ...

Commerce

Agriculture

Agriculture remains the main source of employment in the parish. There are many small farmers who practise mixed farming; crops such as bananas, coconuts, pineapple, citrus, pumpkins, peppers, coffee and calaloo are planted for both domestic and commercial purposes. The larger properties produce sugar cane, bananas and citrus mainly for export. Dairy farms are also found in the parish. One of these is a thousand-acre farm in Old Harbour. The Salt Ponds District between Spanish Town, Port Henderson and Passage Fort is noted for the fine fish especially calipera. Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... A farmer in Germany working the land in the traditional way, with horse and plough Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... Species Hybrid origin; see text A banana plant is a herb in the genus, Musa, which because of its size and structure, is often mistaken for a tree. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L.. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera L.), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... Binomial name Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. ... Species & major hybrids Species Citrus maxima - Pomelo Citrus medica - Citron Citrus reticulata - Mandarin & Tangerine Major hybrids Citrus x aurantifolia - Key lime Citrus x aurantium Citrus x hystrix - Kaffir Lime Citrus x ichangensis - Ichang Lemon Citrus x limetta Citrus x limon - Lemon Citrus x limonia - Rangpur Citrus x paradisi - Grapefruit Citrus... Pumpkins A pumpkin is a gourd (Cucurbitaceae), most commonly orange in colour when ripe, that grows from a trailing vine. ... Species C. annuum (incl. ... coffee in beverage form Coffee is a drink, usually hot, prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... Banana can be The Banana fruit The town Banana, Queensland The town Banana, Democratic Republic of the Congo The Rev. ... Species & major hybrids Species Citrus maxima - Pomelo Citrus medica - Citron Citrus reticulata - Mandarin & Tangerine Major hybrids Citrus x aurantifolia - Key lime Citrus x aurantium Citrus x hystrix - Kaffir Lime Citrus x ichangensis - Ichang Lemon Citrus x limetta Citrus x limon - Lemon Citrus x limonia - Rangpur Citrus x paradisi - Grapefruit Citrus... Bales of hay on a farm near Ames, Iowa A farm is the basic unit in agriculture. ...

Manufacturing

St Catherine is next only to Kingston as an industrial centre. Industrial plants are some of the biggest employers in the parish. Spanish Town is the largest salt producing plant in the Caribbean, and Jamaica Milk Products, an affiliate of the Nestle organization, has a factory in Bog Walk, another major town in the parish. The largest power plant in the island and several factories are located in Old Harbour. Twickenham Park, near Spanish Town, is another industrial estate with mainly light industries including cigarettes, carpets, batteries, plastic items, medical and pharmaceutical products. A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... A 1774 engraving of Spanish Towns colonial offices Spanish Town is the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica, during the 16th through 19th centuries, and is a World Heritage Site. ... A cigarette will burn to ash on one end. ... Carpet is a general term given to any loom-woven or felted textile and to grass floor coverings. ... Four double-A batteries In science and technology, a battery is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. ... Plastic is a term that covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ... See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ...

Tourist Sites

• Jamaica's Emancipation Square can be found in Spanish Town. This is the only Georgian square in Jamaica. Kings House and the House of Assembly on the west and east sides, respectively, were erected in 1762. The Courthouse was built in 1819 and used as a chapel and armory with the Town Hall upstairs.
• The Rio Cobre River and Gorge is one of the largest in the island. Sinking at a place called River Sink at Worthy Park, it runs underground for nearly six kilometres, then surfaces at River Head Grand Cave in St Thomas-in-the-Vale. Before entering the gorge it is joined by a number of tributaries, such as the Thomas River, the Rio D'Oro and the Rio Pedro. In the early 1770s, a road was opened through the gorge. The Flat Bridge was originally constructed of logs, which were washed away in a flood. The present bridge was built and it has withstood countless floods. A marker can be found, which shows where the water rose to over 25 feet above the bridge in 1933. An apocryphal story is that at noon, on every Good Friday, for a short period of time the ghosts of all the slaves who drowned in the river can be seen.
• Caymanas Race Track, Jamaica's most famous race track, is in St Catherine.
• St Clair's Cave, one of Jamaica's more famous caves, is found in the parish.

Emancipation — Oh, Edwin dear! Heres Tom Jones. ... House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral legislature, in some countries, often at subnational level. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... In most counties in the United States the local trial courts conduct their business in a centrally located courthouse which may also house the offices of the county treasurer, clerk and recorder and assessor. ... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... An armory is a military depot used for the storage of weapons and ammunition. ... A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ... Underground as an adjective commonly refers to something that is either below the ground or outside of public consciousness. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... Alternate meanings: Cave (disambiguation) This article is about natural caves; for artificial caves used as dwellings, such as those in north China, see yaodong. ... A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ... A tributary (or affluent or confluent) is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. ... Events and Trends For more events, see 18th century United States Declaration of Independence ratified by the Continental Congress (July 4, 1776). ... A typical rural county road in Indiana, USA, where traffic drives on the right. ... A log can be: a cut portion of a tree bole or large branch (see logging) a time-sequential data record (see data logging) an Evil old man with the intent of world dominationEvil a logarithm used in mathematical calculations a log (speed) to measure the speed of a ship... Look up Flood in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... A log bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a gorge, valley, road, railroad track, river, body of water, or any other physical obstacle. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Noon is the time exactly through the day, written 12:00 in the 24-hour clock and 12:00 noon in the 12-hour clock. ... Good Friday is a holy day celebrated by Christians on the Friday before Easter or Pascha. ... This article is about the paranormal. ...

See also

• Spaniard
• Charles II of England

Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ...

References

• Parish Information
• Statistical Institute of Jamaica

External links

• St. Catherine
• The Political Geography of Jamaica

Parishes of Jamaica
Clarendon | Hanover | Kingston | Manchester | Portland | Saint Andrew | Saint Ann | Saint Catherine | Saint Elizabeth | Saint James | Saint Mary | Saint Thomas | Trelawny | Westmoreland