Cockpit Country
Cockpit Country is a rugged, mountainous, almost inaccessible region in the interior of western Jamaica. It is characterized by cockpit karst, which consists of formations of steep-sided limestone hills and ridges punctuated with sinkholes (some up to 390 feet [119 meters] deep), valleys, and basins. The flat bottoms of the valleys and basins contain terra rosa soils, which are some of the most fertile and productive on the island.Because Cockpit Country could not be settled and the forests could not be cleared for agriculture, it remains the largest undisturbed contiguous rainforest in Jamaica. The mountainous region contains a unique environment, which is home to many species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects that are found nowhere else in the world. The area is so inaccessible, even by today's standards, that Barbecue Bottom Road is the only road that penetrates...










