St Andrew is a parish in the southern section of the island. It is located in the county of Surrey, bordered by the parishes of St Mary and Portland to the north, St Thomas to the east, St Catherine to the west and Kingston to the south.
The parish is administered by one parochial board, the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC).
Land Area: 455 sq km (176 sq mi)
Capital Town: Half Way Tree
St Andrew was one of the first parishes in Jamaica to be established by law in 1867. Before being established, it was known as ‘Liguanea’, the Taino word for iguana. St. Andrew lies to the north, west and east of Kingston. As Kingston grew in popularity wealthy residents of Kingston began buying old “pens” in St. Andrew. “Pen” originally referred to a farm where livestock was kept, and until recently, many areas in St. Andrew were still called pens. “Pen” soon came to be considered a derogatory term for places where people lived and many of these pens were renamed “gardens”.
