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 the east of St Mary in Surrey county. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica and is known for its great beaches and natural beauty.
Geography & 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 (7,400 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 82000, 15,000 of whom live in the capital town. black 89.8%, 1.2% white, 5.3% Asians 2.6% mixed race and 1.1% other.
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 the richest land on its coastal strips suitable for any kind of cultivation so lots of domestic crops are produced. 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 like Trident Villas and Hotel, Jamaica Palace, Dragon Bay Villas, Goblin Hill Hotel, Jamaica Crest, Fern Hill Club, Mocking Bird Hill, which cater to a variety of pockets. The emphasis seems to be now 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, 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 River is also a tourist attraction.
Boston Jerk Centre is an area in Portland that is 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, over 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 1954 and The Harder They Come by Vista productions Ja 1972. Scenes from the film "Cocktail" starring Tom Cruise were shot at the bar on the beach at the Dragon Bay resort while an early film edition of "The Lord of the Flies" was largely shot at Frenchmans Cove.
