Montego Bay, Jamaica

Doctor's Cave Beach, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DoctorsCaveBeach.jpeg
Author: Ezhiki


Montego Bay is the second biggest city in Jamaica. It is located on the opposite side of the island from the capital Jamaica. The city is the capital of St James Parish. It has a population of about 100,000 people (2011 estimate) within a parish that has a population of 180,000 people. Montego Bay received city status in 1980. Cradled by hills, Montego Bay is today a popular tourist destination with excellent beaches and scenic views.

Montego Bay has a long history going back to the arrival of Christopher Columbus there in 1494. He named the bay Golfo de Buen Tiempo, meaning "gulf of fair weather", but it became know today as Montego Bay, whose name is a corruption of the Spanish word manteca, meaning "lard", due to the amount of lard, leather and beef being exported from there.

Montego Bay, as was the whole of Jamaica, was ruled by Spain from 1511 until 1655, when the Spanish were ousted by Oliver Cromwell's Caribbean expedition, which planted British authority on Jamaica.

Sugar plantations were established on the island, and these employed slave labor. A major slave revolt of 1831-32, led by Samuel Sharpe, was suppressed, and Sharpe for hanged in 1832 for his role. In 1975, the Jamaican government proclaimed him as a national hero, and renamed the main square of Montego Bay after him.

Sam Sharpe Monument, Montego Bay
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samsharpe.JPG
Author: Pozole

Visiting Montego Bay

Most people reach Montego Bay by road from Kingston. There are buses and mini buses connecting the two cities. You can of course also take a taxi. You can also fly from Kingston to Montego Bay's Sir Donald Sangster International Airport (MBJ), which also receives flights from Amsterdam, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Brussels, Calgary, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Düsseldorf, Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Grand Cayman, Havana, Houston, Lisbon, London-Gatwick, Madrid, Miami, Milan, Montreal, New York-JFK, Orlando, Ottawa, Panama City, Philadelphia, Quebec City, Rome, Santiago de Cuba, Toronto and Winnepeg, among others.

Places of Interest in Montego Bay

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