ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

The Hundred Parishes

A long time ago, there was a place called Jamaica. Jamaica used to be owned by the British. When the British came to Jamaica, there were lots of farms and houses in Jamaica, but people didn't live there in one big group like they do in cities, they lived spread out in villages and small towns all over the place.

Someone decided that Jamaica should be split into different areas called parishes, just like how your bedroom can be split into different sections like the bed area, the toy area, and the book area. The people decided to split Jamaica into 14 parishes.

But, after some time, more people started moving to Jamaica, and the British needed to build more homes and farms. They made more villages and towns, and Jamaica started growing bigger and bigger. As a result, they added more parishes and the number grew to 22.

In the year 1867, the government wanted to create jobs for the people and decided to make 100 different areas or parishes within Jamaica. These parishes were smaller areas that helped the government to keep track of what was happening, like how mommy knows where all her cooking spices are in the kitchen.

These parishes have been around for a very long time, and even today, they help the people of Jamaica know which part of the country they live in and which parish they can go to vote in. It's like how you know which part of your school you’re in when you go to class or which door to go through when you enter the classroom. So, the hundred parishes simply mean 100 different areas or parts of Jamaica, which help the government to make important decisions and to help people know where they live.