Hanover Parish

Hanover is a county ( parish ) in the northwest of Jamaica. Capital is Lucea. With the exception of Kingston Hanover Parish is the smallest of the island. The national hero Sir William Alexander Bustamante was born here.

History

Hanover was formed on 12 November 1723. Received the name from the House of Hanover, which also included the then King of England. Middle of the 18th century developed Lucea become the center of a sugar cane growing region, and was a free port. At times, it was busier than Montego Bay. Jews from Europe settled in the Parish. After the end of slavery in 1834 now free peasants supplied large parts of Jamaica with food. Until the 1960s, Lucea was used as a port for exporting bananas. A Tiefwasserpier is no longer in use today. 1983, the port was finally closed completely.

Geography

Hanover is located north of Westmoreland and west of Saint James. At 430 km ² 67 176 people lived in 1999, of which 5,739 in the capital. The terrain is mountainous, the highest point is Dolphin 's Head which serves as a landmark for ships. Like the surrounding Parishes is crisscrossed the limestone floor of caves.

Economy

Agriculture is the main industry, in particular sugar cane, yams, ginger, rice, allspice, turmeric, breadfruit and arrowroot are grown. In addition, Hanover is known for its livestock.

Unlike many other Parishes Tourism plays only a minor role. Nevertheless, there are 25 kilometers east of Lucea in Hopewell a tourist center with several large hotels.