Saint Thomas (St. Thomas) is one of the fourteen parishes that make up the island of Jamaica. In terms of size it ranks way down the list, coming in at number nine. Located in the county of Surrey, St. Thomas is bordered by two other parishes, namely Portland and Saint Andrew. The Capital of this parish is Morant Bay, which featured prominently in an uprising in the country back in 1865.
The bulk of the parish consists mainly of mountainous terrain but there are also considerable wetland areas. The Queensbury Ridge, the Yallahs Hills, and the Port Royal Mountains are the topographical standouts of the parish. Cliffs and beaches punctuate the coastal sections of the parish. Similar to most of the other parishes in the island, rivers traverse the parish of St. Thomas. The ones worthy of note are the Yallahs River, the Morant River, and the Plantain Garden River.
Yallahs High, Morant Bay High, Seaforth High, and Happy Grove High School are some of the better-known educational institutions in the parish. The Princess Margaret Hospital provides health services for those who need it and this is a public facility. At the time of writing accessing the services there is free but the opposition party has indicated that if it were to come to office that could change. Clinics, as well as doctors in private practices around the parish provide additional support to the health sector. To move around the parish taxis and buses are the preferred choices but rental cars can be had if visitors so wish. Accommodations that are competitively priced are readily available in the parish at hotels, guesthouses, and bed and breakfast type lodgings. One of these is the Bath Fountain Hotel and Spa.
Although at one point in time the mining of bauxite played a significant role in the economy of the parish of St. Thomas this has greatly diminished, and it would not surprise many to learn that gypsum has overtaken bauxite in that regard. A significant amount of sugar cane farming is done and there is a sugar factory, The St. Thomas Sugar Factory, operating in the parish. The planting of bananas and a few other cash crops are done in the parish but not on any large scale. Some rearing of livestock takes place there too, as well as a bit of fishing. At the top of the list however, stands tourism.
One of the things that the parish of St. Thomas is known the world over for is its Blue Mountain Coffee, which is ranked among the world’s top three. Among the major attractions that St. Thomas has on offer is hiking in the Blue Mountains and the mineral bath in the parish. Visitors come from far and wide to make use of the therapeutic properties of these waters. Those seeking to delve into history and past eras will have a field day in St. Thomas as at one time or another the area has been inhabited by the Arawaks, the Spaniards, the English, and the Maroons. Two of the country’s seven national heroes emerged from events that took place in this parish. They are Paul Bogle and George William Gordon.