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Library of Congress · 2021668489

Railway Map of Jamaica.

chamber of commerce of the united states of america. transportation and communication department
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Description

This map, produced in the 1920s by the Transportation Department of the United States Department of Commerce, shows the railroads and rail stations of Jamaica, at that time a crown colony within the British Empire. Also shown are the island's main roads and its three counties--Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey--and their borders. The scale of the map is in statute miles (1 mile = 1.61 kilometers). The Western Jamaica Connecting Railway was built in 1845. Running from Kingston to Angels, a distance of some 23 kilometers, it was the first railroad constructed anywhere outside Europe or North America. The Jamaican railroad system was expanded throughout the 1900s, mainly for the purpose of bringing sugar and other products to the ports of Kingston, Port Antonio, and Montego Bay. Expansion of the railway in the late-19th century opened up the interior of the country to farming and the establishment of banana and citrus plantations. The map is held in the Columbus Memorial Library of the Organization of American States (OAS). After approximately 300 years of British rule, Jamaica gained its independence in 1962. It joined the OAS in 1969.

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great britainrailroads1920 to 1929jamaicacoloniesmapworld digital library - partner itemscatalogcolumbus memorial library, organization of american statesworld digital library

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chamber of commerce of the united states of america. transportation and communication department. 1920-01-01. Railway Map of Jamaica.. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668489/

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Railroad Map of British Honduras.

This map, produced in the 1920s by the Transportation Department of the United States Department of Commerce, shows the railroad network of British Honduras (present-day Belize). Under the Treaty of Versailles of 1783, the Spanish Empire granted Britain the right to harvest timber in the region between the Hondo and Belize Rivers. In 1862 the crown colony of British Honduras was established. Apart from British Guiana, it was the only British possession on the mainland of Latin America. The colony was important to Britain chiefly as a source of logwood and, later, mahogany. The railroads shown on the map are all quite small and were used primarily to transport lumber, sugar cane, and bananas to the coast. A proposed longer line from the port of Belize to Guatemala is indicated but was never built. The map also shows the colony's six administrative districts and the small number of towns and cities. British Honduras achieved full independence in 1981, becoming the country of Belize.

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