The town of Port Royal is located at the mouth of Kingston Harbour in southeastern Jamaica. It was a major 17th-century English port city. A devastating earthquake in 1692 submerged much of the town under water and sand. Today, its terrestrial and underwater remains offer rare insights into urban colonial life. Once a key hub for transatlantic trade—including the trade of enslaved Africans—Port Royal featured a deep-water port and six defensive forts, some now submerged. Archaeological evidence reveals a well-preserved layout of residential, religious, and administrative buildings, serving as a distinctive marker of British colonial presence in the Caribbean.
- Country
- Jamaica
- Region
- North America
- Category
- Cultural
- Inscribed
- 2025
- UNESCO reference
- 1595
- Area
- 27 ha
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Counts are based on Zikzak's current UNESCO World Heritage dataset, sourced from UNESCO. Last updated 7 August 2026. UNESCO insights