Clarendon Parish, Jamaica

Clarendon is a county ( parish ) in the south of Jamaica. Capital is May Pen

History

Clarendon is named after the Lord Chancellor and Earl of Clarendon, Sir Edward Hyde. There was previously a Parish with that name. From this and from the districts of Saint Dorothy's and Vere today Clarendon emerged.

The capital May Pen was founded in 1660-1683 by English settlers.

Geography

Clarendon is bordered to the west by Manchester, to the east by Saint Catherine and Saint Ann on the north by. On a peninsula Portland Point, the southernmost point of Jamaica. At 1196 km ² lived in 2001, 215 515 people, of whom 49,928 in the capital.

The predominant part of the Parish is a vast plain, bounded by rivers. One of the rivers is the Rio Minho, Clarendon flows along its entire length. In the north, the 900 -meter high Bullhead Mountain chain, which is considered to be the geographical center of Jamaica is located.

Economy

Most of the Jamaican tobacco comes from Clarendon. Besides cotton, pimento, ginger, bananas, cocoa, and the dye indigo are still grown. Livestock and fish farming also play an important role. There are large deposits of bauxite. A port in the south has specialized in the export. At times, also copper was mined.