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City of Nassau
City of Nassau
	— City —
	Atlantis
	Map of the Bahamas show Nassau
Country
Island	New Providence
Rebuilt/Renamed	1695
	Population (2008)
- Total	260,000
- Metro Density	1,019/km2 (2,639.2/sq mi)
Area code(s)	242

Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 260,000 (2008 census), nearly 80 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas (330,000). Lynden Pindling International Airport, the major airport for The Bahamas, is located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of Nassau city centre, and has daily flights to major cities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The city is located on the island of New Providence, which functions much like a federal district. While there is no local government, it is governed directly as an administrative division of the national government. Nassau is considered a historical stronghold of pirates.^[1]

[edit] History

See also: Piracy in the Caribbean

Nassau was formerly known as Charles Town; it was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684, but later rebuilt and renamed Nassau in 1695 in honour of Dutch King William III of England and Ireland from the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau. In 1703 Spanish and French allied forces briefly occupied Nassau.

By 1713, the sparsely settled Bahamas had become a pirate rendezvous. English pirate chieftains Thomas Barrow and Benjamin Hornigold proclaimed Nassau a pirate republic, establishing themselves as governors, and were joined by Charles Vane, Calico Jack Rackham, and Edward Teach, the infamous "Blackbeard", along with women pirates such as Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

In 1718, the crown sought to regain control and appointed Captain Woodes Rogers General and Governor in chief in and over the Bahama islands. He ousted Blackbeard from his position as Magistrate of the "Privateers Republic", reformed the civil government and successfully expelled the pirates. Rogers cleaned up Nassau and rebuilt the fort, even going as far to use his own money to try to overcome problems. In 1720 the Spanish made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Nassau.

In 1776 the Battle of Nassau resulted in occupation by the Americans during the American War of Independence: in 1778 an overnight invasion saw the Americans leaving with ships, gunpowder and military stores after remaining in Nassau for only two days. In 1782 Spain captured Nassau, for the last time when Don Juan de Cagigal, Governor General of Cuba and the Havana attacked New Providence with 5000 men. Andrew Deveaux set forth to recapture Nassau with only 220 men and 150 muskets to face a force of 600 trained soldiers. Deveaux forced the Spanish to surrender on April 17, 1783, without a single shot fired. When Deveaux took down the Spanish flag, it marked the last time that a foreign banner was to fly over the Bahamian capital Nassau as a symbol of dominion.

Lord Dunmore governed the colony from 1787 to 1796 and oversaw the construction of Fort Charlotte in Nassau.

Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Centre was opened in 1982 and was the first zoo in The Bahamas. It had previously been open as gardens in Nassau since 1937.

[edit] Geography

Prince George Wharf in Nassau Harbor

Located on New Providence Island, Nassau has an attractive harbor, a colorful blend of old world and colonial architecture and a busy port. The tropical climate and natural beauty of the Bahamas has made Nassau a popular tourist destination, with a reputation for relaxing days and an exciting nightlife.

The city's proximity to the United States (290 km east-southeast of Miami, Florida) has also contributed to its popularity as a holiday resort, especially after the banning of American travel to Cuba. The Atlantis resort on nearby Paradise Island accounts for more tourist arrivals to the city than any other hotel property. The mega-resort also employs over 6,000 Bahamians, the largest outside of government.

[edit] Climate

Nassau features a tropical monsoon climate with relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year. Summertime temperatures rarely exceed 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) and the winter months have daytime temperatures between 68 and 80 °F (20 and 27 °C), rarely falling below 50 °F (10 °C).

Climate data for Nassau
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high °C (°F)	22.8 (73)	23.2 (74)	24.6 (76)	26.5 (80)	27.7 (82)	29.5 (85)	29.9 (86)	28.3 (83)	26.4 (80)	24.8 (77)	22.5 (73)	21.5 (71)
Average low °C (°F)	16.8 (62)	17.0 (63)	19.9 (68)	21.6 (71)	23.1 (74)	24.5 (76)	25.0 (77)	24.6 (76)	22.8 (73)	20.4 (69)	17.9 (64)	16.2 (61)
Precipitation mm (inches)	54.7 (2.15)	51.7 (2.04)	53.8 (2.12)	52.4 (2.06)	65.6 (2.58)	92.9 (3.66)	114.3 (4.5)	155.5 (6.12)	175.8 (6.92)	109.1 (4.3)	68.5 (2.7)	56.9 (2.24)
Source: National Weather Service 2007

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of The Bahamas

[edit] Junkanoo

Junkanoo Participant in costume during the 2006 Parade

The city boasts of Junkanoo, an energetic, colourful street parade of brightly costumed people dancing to the rhythmic accompaniment of cowbells, drums and whistles. The celebration occurs on December 26 and January 1, beginning in the early hours of the morning (1:00 a.m.) and ending around 10 a.m. In addition, the city celebrates Junkanoo in June, a month-long festival akin to Mardi Gras. Festivities begin at sundown.

[edit] Surrey Rides

Though Surrey or Horse and Carriage rides are almost entirely executed for tourists, they still maintain strong roots in Bahamian Culture. It reflects the former British rule over the islands and provides a good example the Nassau was then and still is a Melting Point: with African and European influences on the culture.

[edit] In popular culture

Nassau has featured as an important location in numerous James Bond novels and films. The most notable of the Bond films in Nassau is Thunderball, released in 1965. Most of the movie was based in Nassau, and the Junkanoo festival also figures prominently in the film, which starred Sean Connery. Nassau was again the location for the 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again, (a remake of Thunderball) also starring Sean Connery, and it is the setting for part of the action in the 2006 Bond film Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig.

In 1981, it was used as a location for the ocean scene (in the film portrayed as being in Greece) in For Your Eyes Only, where Kristatos (Julian Glover) attempted to eliminate Bond (Roger Moore) and Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) by tying them to his boat and dragging them through coral and shark infested waters. [1]

Nassau was also featured in the famous Beatles movie Help!.

At least one ship and one airplane from various James Bond movies has been sunk in the waters of Nassau. Stuart Cove offers dives to these.

Nassau is also heavily featured in the novel Tobin in Paradise by Stanley Morgan. The story is centered around the visit by the main character, Russ Tobin, to Nassau and Paradise Island, and the comedic events that ensue.

Nassau has also been the setting for several other recent movies including After the Sunset, Into the Blue and Flipper.

The capital hosted the games of the 2004 World's Strongest Man contest. Atlantis Paradise Island was the venue for the 2009 Miss Universe pageant.

[edit] See also

List of Caribbean Cities and Towns by population

[edit] References

^ Klausmann, Ulrike; Meinzerin, Marion; Kuhn, Gabriel (1997) (book). Women Pirates and the Politics of the Jolly Roger (1st ed.). C.P. 1258 Succ. Place du Parc Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2W2R3: Black Rose Books Ltd.. p. 192. ISBN 1-55164-058-9.