Kingston (Jamaica)

Kingston (Jamaica), largest city, capital, and chief seaport of Jamaica, on a deep harbor on the southeastern coast of the Caribbean island, at the foot of the lushly vegetated Blue Mountains. It is the island nation's chief transportation, commercial, and manufacturing center. Many tourists visit the area. The large harbor, protected to the south by the Palisadoes, a long sandspit, is a major port of call for Caribbean tourist and trading vessels. Exports include sugar, coffee, rum, molasses, and bananas. Among the manufactures in the city, produced mainly along the waterfront, are textiles, petroleum products, clothing, and processed food. The College of Arts, Science, and Technology (1958) is here, and the University of the West Indies (1948) is in suburban Mona. Also near the city, at the entrance to the harbor, are the partly submerged ruins of old Port Royal, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1692. In the following year, Kingston was founded by the British to replace Port Royal. The city flourished in the 18th century as a port for slave traders, and in 1872 it succeeded Spanish Town as the island's capital. Kingston was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1907. It became the capital of independent Jamaica in 1962. Population (1995) 538,100.