View source for Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica

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|+<big><big>'''Saint Thomas'''</big></big>
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| align="center" width="250px" | [[Image:Jamaica-Saint Thomas.png|200px]]
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|-
|'''Location'''
|  [[latitude]] 18°05'N, <br>[[longitude]] 76°40'W
|-
| '''[[Capital (political)|Capital City]]'''
| [[Morant Bay]]
|-
| '''Major towns'''
| [[Port Morant]], [[Yallahs]], [[Bath, Jamaica|Bath]], [[Seaforth, Jamaica|Seaforth]], [[Golden Grove, Jamaica|Golden Grove]]
|-
| '''[[County]]'''
| Surrey
|-
| '''Area'''
| 742.8 [[square kilometres]] <br>(286.8 square [[mile]]s) 
|-
| '''Rank'''
| Jamaica's ninth largest [[parish]]
|-
| '''[[Population]]'''
| 100,000 in 2008
|-
| '''[[Commerce]]'''
| [[Agriculture]], [[Factory|Manufacturing]]
|}

'''Saint Thomas''' is a suburban [[Parishes of Jamaica|parish]] that is situated at the south eastern end of [[Jamaica]], in the [[county]] of Surrey. It is the birth place of The right Honorable [[Paul Bogle]], one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes. [[Morant Bay]], its chief town and [[Capital (political)|capital]], is the home of the [[Morant Bay Rebellion]], of which Bogle and [[George William Gordon]] were leaders.

==Brief history==
Saint Thomas was densely populated by the [[Tainos]]/[[Arawaks]] when [[Christopher Columbus]] first came to the island in 1494. The [[Spaniards]] established [[cattle]] [[ranches]] at Morant Bay and Yallahs. In 1655, when the [[England|English]] captured [[Jamaica]], residents from other British [[colonies]] were invited to settle here. About 1600 [[colonists]], mainly from [[Saint Kitts and Nevis|Nevis]] &mdash;including the Governor of Nevis, his wife, children &mdash; settled there. In a short time, however, two-thirds of them died of [[fevers]]. 

In 1674, the [[France|French]] [[Admiral]] Du Casse, sailed from [[Santo Domingo]] and landed at Morant Bay on June 17. For a month, he wrought havoc on the settlers there, killing many and carrying off their slaves. Later, bands of [[Maroon (people)|Maroons]] settled in the [[mountains]] of St Thomas and they eventually joined with the Maroons in [[Portland, Jamaica|Portland]] to form the Windward Maroons.

===The Morant Bay rebellion===
{{main|Morant Bay rebellion}}

St Thomas is also the home of the famous Morant Bay Rebellion, in 1865. The ex-slaves all over [[Jamaica]] were discontented about the injustices being meted out to them, particularly on the question of land [[tenure]]. [[Paul Bogle]] led a delegation of small farmers that walked {{convert|45|mi|km}} to present their grievances to [[Governor]] Eyre in [[Spanish Town]], but they were denied an audience. On October 11, Paul Bogle and his followers armed with sticks and [[machetes]] went to the Court House where a [[vestry]] meeting was being held.  The [[Riot Act]] was read, but was virtually ignored. A few people began to throw stones at the volunteers, who fired into the crowd killing seven people. Later the [[Crowd|mob]] reorganized and returned, setting fire to the [[Court]] House and nearby buildings. When the custos Maximillian von Ketelhodt and others tried to leave the burning building, they were killed by the mob. 

[[George William Gordon]], who was in touch with Paul Bogle, tried to improve the lot of the workers by speaking out in the [[House of Assembly]]. However, he was taken by boat to Morant Bay, where he was tried for [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] and [[hanged]] on October 23. The following day Bogle was captured by the Maroons, handed over to the authorities, and hanged.

Over 430 people were killed or executed by soldiers in the rebellion, and over 1,000 homes were burned to the ground. Public outcry led to the appointment of a [[Royal Commission]] to investigate the events. In 1969, the Right Excellent [[Paul Bogle]] was named a National Hero, along with [[George William Gordon]], [[Marcus Garvey]], [[Sir Alexander Bustamante]] and [[Norman Washington Manley]].

==Geography and Demography==
Saint Thomas is located at [[latitude]] 18°05'N, [[longitude]] 76°40'W, to the south of [[Portland, Jamaica|Portland]], and the east of [[Saint Andrew, Jamaica|St. Andrew]]. With an area of 742.8 [[square kilometres]] (286.8 square [[mile]]s), it ranks as Jamaica's ninth largest parish. It is a very mountainous parish, and the ranges include the Port Royal Mountains, stretching from above Newcastle in St Andrew, to Albion in St Thomas; the Queensbury Ridge, between Yallahs and Negro River; and to the extreme south, an isolated ridge called Yallahs Hill, with its highest elevation {{convert|2394|ft|m}} above [[sea level]]. Its northern border is the Blue Mountains. 

There are large wetland areas, which include the coastal area between Morant Bay and Hector's River.  There are also many cliffs and beaches.

There are three main rivers in the parish; the Yallahs River, 36.9 [[kilometre]]s (22.9 [[mile]]s long, the Morant River, 21.9 kilometres (16.1 miles), and the Plantain Garden River, 34.9 kilometres (21.9 miles) long. The latter is the only one in the island to flow eastward.

Saint Thomas is divided into the following: 88.2% black, 7.6% Asians, 3.2% whites and 1% others

==Commerce==
[[Bauxite]] mining and tourism are the major source of Jamaica GDP. [[Agriculture]] plays a vital part in the [[economy]]. [[Sugar]] and [[banana]]s are the main items produced for [[export]]. Most small farmers produce domestic and orchard crops and this is the main source of employment. Serge Island Dairies is also found in the parish. St. Thomas also has many [[factories]] for food processing and electrical equipment. Current efforts are being made by [[Upliftmentjamaica.org]] to create, support and provide opportunities to the people of St. Thomas, and continue on going transformation in the community and the country as a whole. Over 10,000 people benefit annually from this organization, via year round projects and events, with numbers rapidly increasing daily.

==Transportation==
===Road===
The coast of St. Thomas is skirted by the [[Roads_in_Jamaica#A_Roads|A4]], which runs from [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]] to [[Annotto Bay]].  The primary secondary road runs east to west along the foot of the Blue Mountains from [[Golden Grove, Jamaica|Golden Grove]] to [[Richmond Vale]], with north-south connecting roads linking it to the A4 at [[Plesant Hill]], [[Port Morant]], [[Morant Bay]], [[Church Corner]], [[Belvedere, Jamaica|Belvedere]], [[Yallahs]], [[Albion]] and [[Eleven Mile]].<ref>Esso 1:400,000 Road Map of Jamaica, 1967.</ref>

===Rail===
Rail transport in St. Thomas was limited to estate light railways such as the one serving the former [[Bowden]] banana shipment port.<ref>[http://wikimapia.org/#lat=17.885088&lon=-76.3170111&z=17&l=0&m=b&v=8 Aerial view].</ref> All are now closed.

===Sea===
The [[Morant Point Lighthouse]] guards the easternmost tip of the parish and the island.

==See also==
*[[Aeolus Valley]]

==References==
*[http://www.jamlib.org.jm/stthomas_history.htm Parish Information]
*[http://www.statinja.com/ The statistical Institute of Jamaica]
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.discoverjamaica.com/gleaner/discover/geography/polgol.htm Political Geography]

{{Parishes of Jamaica}}

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[[Category:Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica| ]]
[[Category:Parishes of Jamaica]]

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