Portland Parish

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Portland
Location latitude 18°10' N
longitude 75°27'W
Capital Town Port Antonio
Major towns Buff Bay
Bordering Parishes Saint Mary, Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas
County Surrey
Area 814 square km
Rank Jamaica's seventh largest parish
Population 83,000 in 2011
Commerce Tourism, Agriculture

Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica and is known for its great beaches.

Geography and demography

The parish is situated at latitude 18°10' N and longitude 75°27'W. It extends from the highest peaks of the Blue Mountains, 2,256 metres (7,402 ft) above sea level, down to the north coast, and is noted for its fertile soil, beautiful scenery, and fine beaches. The parish lies in the direct path of the northeast trade winds, and the Blue Mountain ridge to its south traps the moisture causing the parish to have the highest rainfall in the island. Port Antonio, its chief town and capital, has two harbours, the western one being sheltered by a small islet, Navy Island. Portland covers an area of 814 square kilometers, making it Jamaica's seventh largest parish.

The parish has a variety of complex landforms; the entire coastline is dotted with caves, bays, rivers, waterfalls and hills. There are fourteen caves, which include those at Buff Bay, Orange Bay, Hope Bay, Port Antonio, Boston Bay, Long Bay, Innis Bay and Nonsuch. There are also 17 rivers which form a network throughout the parish. The largest are the Rio Grande, Buff Bay and Hectors rivers.

The population of Portland is an estimated 82,000, 15,000 of whom live in the capital town. Its people are 89.8% black, 1.2% white, 5.3% Asians, 2.6% mixed race, and 1.1% other.

Commerce

Agriculture

The parish is a leading producer of bananas, coconuts, breadfruits, coffee, mangoes and ackee which are grown for export as well as local consumption. Portland has very rich land on its coastal strips that is suitable for any kind of cultivation, so many domestic crops are grown. Manufacturing is a small sector of the economy, with about 18 factories.

Tourism

Portland by and large remains a playground for the wealthy, many of whom own property there. A number of tourist facilities exist, including Trident Villas and Hotel, Jamaica Palace, Dragon Bay Villas, Goblin Hill Hotel, Jamaica Crest, Fern Hill Club, and Mocking Bird Hill, which cater to people of varying wealth. There is a growing emphasis on eco-tourism, which could be sensitively developed in the parish.

Attractions

Because of its natural attractions, tourism has often flourished in the parish. It is noted for its fine beaches, such as Frenchman's Cove, Boston Beach, Winifred, and Dragon Bay. The very famous Blue Mountains are also located in Portland, as is the world-famous Blue Lagoon, which is believed to be the crater of an extinct volcano. The lagoon is an almost landlocked cove with approximately 55m (180 ft) of water. Rafting on the Rio Grande is also a tourist attraction.

Boston Jerk Centre in Portland is an area well known for its famous "jerked" foods, including chicken, fish and pork. Jerked foods are foods made with Jamaican jerk spice.

Other activities

Since the early 1950s, more than 782 film or screen productions have been shot in Portland. Two of the most popular are Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Walt Disney (USA) in 1954 and The Harder They Come by Vista Productions (Jamaica) in 1972. Scenes from the film Cocktail starring Tom Cruise were shot at the bar on the beach at the Dragon Bay resort. An early film edition of the 1963 version of Lord of the Flies was largely shot at Frenchman's Cove; the 1990 remake by Harry Hook was filmed largely at Frenchman's Cove and Snow Hill. Rihanna filmed the video for her song 'Man Down' in various locations throughout the parish in April/May 2011.

Places

Towns

Rivers

  • Buff Bay River
  • Daniels River
  • Rio Grande
  • Spanish River
  • Swift River
  • Reach Falls
  • Somerset Falls

Islands

Beaches

  • Boston Beach
  • Long Bay Beach
  • Frenchman's Cove
  • Winifred's Beach
  • San San Beach
  • san shy beach

Pt. Antonio Pier

Titchfield beach

Notable residents

Everal N. Murdock, Web Developer at fortbrooklyn Solutions.

Chantal Zaky Miss Jamaica Universe 2012

Dr. Kenneth Lee O'Neil Baugh is a former foreign minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica. He serves in the Parliament of Jamaica, was a former general secretary and former chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party.[1] In addition he has also served as Minister of Health.After his party lost the 2011 general election he serves only as Member of Parliament

CITATIONS National Medal for Science and Technology The late Hon. Dr. THOMAS P. LECKY O.M., O.B.E., B.Sc., Ph.D. 1904 - 1994

Dr. Thomas P. (T.P.) Lecky was the first Jamaican to receive a Ph.D. degree in agriculture, according to Pieces of the Past. Through his research, Lecky developed three breeds of cattle: the Jamaica Hope, the Jamaica Red and the Jamaica Black.

Governor-General, Jamaica His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen

Joyce Trotter, Former Miss Jamaica World in 1930's

Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970, is a reggae fusion singer-songwriter who specifically performed a mixture and fusion of R&B, reggae and dancehall. She was born to a Jamaica Indian father and an African mother

  • Edward Baugh (b. 1936) - Jamaican writer and lecturer, resided in Portland and attended the Titchfield High School.
  • Errol Flynn (1909–1959) - American film and screen star, made Portland his home with an expansive estate to the east of the parish. His wife Patrice still resides there.
  • Roy Reid (b. 1937) - Jamaican painter, grew up in Portland.
  • Dr. Samuel Street - Former chief medical officer (CMO) of Jamaica at the Ministry of Health and legendary surgeon.

In 1938, when he was one of two students awarded the Jamaica Scholarship for Boys, in 1944, achieving a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians and was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Britain. He was among pioneers credited with setting up the first urological clinic at KPH and in the treatment of renal disease. Dr. Street brought in the first dialysis machine in the 1970s. Dr. Street among three leading doctors who discovered in 1971 that extracts of the Jamaican bush known as "cerrasie" had anti-growth properties and had been shown to inhibit the anti-growth of plant and animal cells, as well as the growth of cancer cells under experimental conditions. Dr Street In his later years resided Windsor Forest, Portland where he operated a clinic catering to residents in his community, Hartford, Commodore, Fair Prospect, Long Bay and surrounding areas.

References

External links

Counties
Parishes

Coordinates: 18°08′N 76°32′W / 18.133°N 76.533°W / 18.133; -76.533

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