Lacovia

Lacovia is the longest village in Jamaica, laid out for more than five miles on either side of the South Coast highway and the Black River, both of which divide the community into East and West Lacovia. Throughout the 18th century, Black River and Lacovia alternated as the capital of the parish of St Elizabeth. At one point in time, the river was the main transportation route for the parish, as road travel through the dense and humid mangrove swamps was treacherous at worst, miserable at best. The name Lacovia seems to be derived from the Spanish name for mahogany – la caoba –  when the main industry was the logging of mahogany trees, which were floated down the river to the wharf for export. Today the cashew nut has replaced mahogany lumber as the prime export of the area, and the Black River is no longer used to transport goods to the parish capital.