Jamaica’s South Coast spans the parishes of St. Elizabeth
and Manchester and the south eastern portion of Westmoreland. The landscape
includes pockets of rich farmland, dry savanna, and several mountains
rangers. The coastline is sparsely
populated compared to the North Coast, with small fishing villages scattered
along Route A2, the coastal highway.
A journey to the South Coast or the other side of Jamaica as
it is called by many will have you engaged a bit more into what rural living is
about. Getting there is an excursion by itself, many cannot get over the winding
roads that toddles though small rustic towns and communities.
Another distinctiveness of the South Coast is its ethnic
diversity, with descendants of German and Scottish settlers mixing with those
of Miskito Indians from Central America., brought here during colonial days to
help subdue the native maroon population. Until modern time, the South Coast
remained relatively isolated from the rest of the country contributing to the
area’s uniquely relaxed atmosphere.
Two major population centers in the region are Mandeville,
in the Don Figuerero Mountain Range, and the coastal community of Black River.
The latter is at the mouth of the Black River, Jamaica
longest, which drains
one of Jamaica’s most interesting natural environments, the black river great
Morass, with its resident crocodiles paddling through mangrove thickets.