๐ฏ๐ฒ Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland on the north-eastern coast of Jamaica, about 100ย km (60 miles) from Kingston. It is the island's third largest port, famous as a shipping point for bananas and coconuts, as well as one of its most important tourist attractions, tourism being a major contributor to the townโs economy.
1History Port Antonio was a settlement first established in Spanish Jamaica, when it was known as Puerto Anton.
Portland formally became a parish in 1723 by order of the Duke of Portland, the then-Governor of Jamaica after whom it is named. The existing port was to be called Port Antonio and was slated to become a naval stronghold. To that end, by 1729, the colonial government began to build Fort George on the peninsula separating the twin East and West harbors known as the Titchfield promontory. The fort was intended to protect settlers from attacks by the Spanish from the sea, and from the Jamaican Maroons who lived in the mountains.
In the 1880s, Lorenzo Dow Baker started the banana trade in Jamaica and successfully promoted Port Antonio as a destination for wealthy American travelers. "Portie" became a boom town. The banana trade and the tourists who came in the banana boats, was once so large that at one time, weekly sailing from Port Antonio was greater than weekly sailing from the English port of Liverpool.
The island was glamorized by Hollywood as a model of paradise in movies of the 1940s and 1950s, and in later movies such as Club Paradise and Cocktail. This image was added to by the arrival of movie star Errol Flynn in 1946 when his yacht, the Zaca washed ashore in bad weather. He subsequently bought nearby Navy Island, part of historic Fort George in Port Antonio as well as hundreds of acres of farmland along the Portland coast.
1Tourist destinations A popular sight in this area is the Blue Lagoon, Jamaica, which owes its colour to its depth of 60ย m (200 feet). Other sights include the secluded Frenchman's Cove Beach, the ruins of Folly Mansion and the historic DeMontevin Lodge. The Rio Grande, Boston Bay and Reach Falls are nearby. In addition there is the Bay View Eco Resort located on a former coconut plantation and Pimento Lodge in Long Bay.
1Transport: Bus Port Antonio is a hub for bus transport in the north-eastern part of the island.
1Transport: Rail Port Antonio was the terminus of the now abandoned railway from Kingston via Spanish Town and Bog Walk, which was primarily built to serve the banana export trade.
1Port Antonio has a population of over 13,246 people. Port Antonio also forms the centre of the wider Portland Parish which has a population of over 82,183 people.
To set up a UBI Lab for Port Antonio see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Twin Towns - Sister Cities Port Antonio has links with:
๐บ๐ธ Inglewood, USA๐ฏ๐ฒ Savanna-la-Mar 18.217
๐ฎ๐ณ Srikakulam 18.3
๐ฒ๐ฝ Coatzacoalcos 18.144
๐ฎ๐ณ Vizianagaram 18.116
๐ฒ๐ท Nouakchott 18.092
๐ฏ๐ฒ Manchester 18.05
๐ฏ๐ฒ St. Elizabeth 18.05
๐ฏ๐ฒ Mandeville 18.033
๐บ๐ธ Bloomsburg -76.45
๐บ๐ธ Lexington Park -76.45
๐บ๐ธ Newport News -76.43
๐ฏ๐ฒ Morant Bay -76.326
๐บ๐ธ Stevensville -76.317
๐บ๐ธ Chesapeake -76.302
๐บ๐ธ California -76.483
๐จ๐ด Santander de Quilichao -76.483
๐จ๐ด Santiago de Cali -76.532
๐บ๐ธ Chesapeake Beach -76.533
Locations Near: Port Antonio -76.45,18.1667
๐ฏ๐ฒ Morant Bay -76.326,17.894 d: 33.1
๐ฏ๐ฒ Kingston -76.783,18.008 d: 39.3
๐ฏ๐ฒ Portmore -76.874,17.954 d: 50.7
๐ฏ๐ฒ Spanish Town -76.955,17.996 d: 56.7
๐ฏ๐ฒ May Pen -77.245,17.965 d: 87
๐ฏ๐ฒ Saint Ann Parish -77.259,18.323 d: 87.2
๐ฏ๐ฒ Clarendon -77.283,18 d: 90
๐ฏ๐ฒ Mandeville -77.5,18.033 d: 112
๐ฏ๐ฒ Manchester -77.533,18.05 d: 115.2
Antipodal to: Port Antonio 103.55,-18.167
๐ฎ๐ฉ Singaparna 108.11,-7.35 d: 18714.9
๐ฎ๐ฉ Sukabumi 106.926,-6.921 d: 18712.3
๐ฎ๐ฉ Cilacap 109,-7.733 d: 18713.7
๐ฎ๐ฉ Tasikmalaya 108.198,-7.316 d: 18707.8
๐ฎ๐ฉ Ciamis 108.333,-7.317 d: 18702.2
๐ฎ๐ฉ Cimahi 107.555,-6.871 d: 18686.2
๐ฎ๐ฉ Bandung 107.571,-6.877 d: 18686.3
๐ฎ๐ฉ Bogor 106.797,-6.597 d: 18681.3
๐ฎ๐ฉ Kebumen 109.661,-7.671 d: 18673.7
๐ฎ๐ฉ Purwokerto 109.23,-7.42 d: 18671.2