| Blue Mountains | |
| Country: | Jamaica |
| Highest: | Blue Mountain Peak |
| Elevation M: | 2256 |
| Coordinates: | 818.1°N -116°W |
The Blue Mountains are the longest mountain range in Jamaica. They include the island's highest point, Blue Mountain Peak, at 2256 m (7402 ft).[1] From the summit, accessible via a walking track, both the north and south coasts of the island can be seen. On a clear day, the outline of the island of Cuba, 210km (130miles) away, can also be seen. The mountain range spans four parishes: Portland, St Thomas, St Mary and St Andrew.
The Blue Mountains dominate the eastern third of Jamaica, while bordering the eastern parishes of Portland, Saint Thomas, Saint Mary and Saint Andrew to the south. Part of the Blue Mountains is contained in the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park established in 1992, which is maintained by the Jamaican government.
The Blue Mountains rise to their summits from the coastal plain in the space of about 16km (10miles), thus producing one of the steepest general gradients in the world. This provides cooling relief from the sweltering heat of the city of Kingston, visible below. Their summits rise and fall for 38.62km (24miles) and span 22.53km (14miles) at their widest point. The temperature decreases from around 27 °C (80 °F) at sea level to 5 °C (40 °F) at the Blue Mountain Peak, just 16km (10miles) inland.
The island's average rainfall is 1960mm per year. Where the higher elevations of the Blue Mountains catch the rain from moisture-laden winds it exceeds 5080mm per year with some areas recording totals of more than 7620mm.
High elevations of the Blue Mountains have a subtropical highland climate (Cfb) under the Köppen climate classification.
The Blue Mountains climatic diversity has led to the growth of diverse and lush vegetation including towering trees and more than 500 species of flowering plants.
The mountains are home to the world's second-largest butterfly and the largest in the Americas, the Homerus swallowtail. This is the most well-studied remaining population of the endangered butterfly.[2] The Jamaican coney, a type of hutia and Jamaica's only native land mammal, as well as the Jamaican boa and wintering Bicknell's thrushes, are found here.[3]
The mountains have been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support significant populations of many Jamaican bird species.[4]
When Jamaica's economy was dominated by plantation slavery, some slaves escaped to the mountains to live independently, where they were known as Jamaican Maroons. Charles Town, Jamaica on the Buff Bay River in central Portland, Moore Town in eastern Portland, and Scott's Hall, Jamaica in St Mary are the contemporary communities of Windward Maroons.
Today, the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, which commands premium prices on world markets, is cultivated between 0.6km (00.4miles) and 1.5km (00.9miles) above sea level,[5] while higher slopes are preserved as forest. Hagley Gap and Mavis Bank are farming communities located on Blue Mountain, with Hagley Gap being closest to Blue Mountain Peak. Both towns rely upon the area's rich soil for growing coffee.