Jamaica Parishes

Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean, south of Cuba and west of Hispaniola, and a regular in GeoGuessr rounds of the Caribbean. Its parishes are the level of government that road signs, addresses and the news all go by, so naming the parish is how a Jamaican place is pinned down.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: The three historic counties: Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey
In the game: 14 parishs

Start

What you are looking at

The fourteen parishes of Jamaica, which together cover the whole island. Kingston is the capital and the smallest parish, a patch on the south coast that Saint Andrew wraps around on every side but the harbour.

The three counties are the oldest layer of the map. They were laid down by the English in 1758 and have no administrative role today, but they are still a handy way to cut the island into a west, a centre and an east, and the quiz uses them as groups. Cornwall is the west, Middlesex the middle, and Surrey the east, with Kingston and Saint Andrew in it.

How to place one

Start with the corners. Hanover is the island's north west tip and Portland its north east, with Saint Thomas below it at the south east end.
Take the capital next. Kingston and Saint Andrew sit at the head of Kingston Harbour in the south east, and Saint Catherine is the large parish just to the west of them.
Fill in the west and the middle. Westmoreland is the south west corner, with Saint Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon in a row along the south coast. On the north coast Saint James and Trelawny sit between Hanover and Saint Ann.

Every parish, by county

Cornwall (west)5 parishs: Hanover, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Trelawny, Westmoreland
Middlesex (centre)5 parishs: Clarendon, Manchester, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Mary
Surrey (east)4 parishs: Kingston, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas

Worked examples

Kingston

The capital

Kingston is the smallest parish by far, a small shape on the south coast tucked into Saint Andrew. If you cannot see it, look for the harbour.

Saint Elizabeth

The south west

Saint Elizabeth is the big parish on the south coast, west of Manchester, and the one most often confused with Westmoreland beside it.

Portland

The north east

Portland is the wet green parish at the north east end of the island, above Saint Thomas.

Frequently asked questions

How many parishes does Jamaica have?

Fourteen: Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny and Westmoreland.

Are Kingston and Saint Andrew separate?

Yes. They are two parishes with their own boundaries, though they share a municipal corporation, the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation. The map draws them separately.

What are the counties?

Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey, the three counties created in 1758. They no longer govern anything, so the groups here are a way to learn the map a piece at a time rather than a current division.