Nassau, Bahamas

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Nassau
Image:Nassau01.jpg The famous Atlantis
Image:Bf-map.png Map of the Bahamas show Nassau
Country	Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Island	New Providence
Rebuilt/Renamed	1695
Population (2000)
- Total	210,832
- Metro Density	2,639.2/sq mi (1,019/km²)

Nassau is the capital city and commercial center of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 210,832 (2000 census), nearly 70 percent of the entire population of the Bahamas (303,611). Lynden Pindling International Airport, the major airport for the Bahamas, is located about 16 kilometres or 10 miles west of downtown Nassau, and has daily flights to major cities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, 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.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Miscellaneous 4 Sister cities 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Geography

Located on New Providence island, Nassau has an attractive harbour, a colourful 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.

Summertime temperatures rarely exceed 33 degrees Celsius (92 degrees Fahrenheit) and the winter months have daytime temperatures between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 80 °F), rarely falling below 10 °C or 50 °F.

The city's proximity to the United States (180 miles or 290 km east-southeast of Miami, Florida) has also contributed to its popularity as a vacation spot, especially after the banning of American travel to Cuba. The world famous 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] History

Nassau was formerly Charles Town; it was burnt to the ground by the Spanish in 1684, but later rebuilt and renamed Nassau in 1695 to honor King William III of England (from the House of Orange-Nassau).

[edit] Miscellaneous

The city also 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 26th and January 1st, beginning in the early hours of the morning (1:00 a.m.) and ending around 10 a.m.

[edit] Sister cities

Nassau has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):^[1]

• Image:Flag of the United States.svg Albany, New York, USA
• Image:Flag of the United States.svg Detroit, Michigan, USA
• Image:Flag of the United States.svg Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

[edit] See also

• Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island
• Queen's College
• Nassau agreement
• Compass Point Studios

[edit] References

1. ^ "Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)." Retrieved February 24, 2007.

[edit] External links

Find more information on The Bahamas by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
Image:Wiktionary-logo-en.png	Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
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Image:Wikiversity-logo-Snorky.svg	Learning resources from Wikiversity

• Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board - Official Nassau Paradise Island Travel Guide
• BahamasB2B.com: The #1 News Website of The Bahamas
• Official Website for Bahamas Government
• Bahamas-Travel.info
• Bahamas Community Message Board
• Satelite

• Nassau, Bahamas is at coordinates 25°03′36″N 77°20′42″W / 25.06, -77.345Coordinates: 25°03′36″N 77°20′42″W / 25.06, -77.345

v • d • e Capitals of North America

Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe – Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis – Belmopan, Belize – Bridgetown, Barbados – Castries, Saint Lucia – Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands – Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos – Fort-de-France, Martinique – George Town, Cayman Islands – Guatemala City, Guatemala – Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy – Hamilton, Bermuda – Havana, Cuba – Kingston, Jamaica – Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Managua, Nicaragua – Marigot, Saint-Martin – Mexico City, D.F., Mexico – Nassau, Bahamas – Nuuk, Greenland – Oranjestad, Aruba – Ottawa, Canada – Panama City, Panama – Philipsburg, Sint Maarten – Plymouth, Montserrat – Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Road Town, British Virgin Islands – Roseau, Dominica – Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon – San José, Costa Rica – San Juan, Puerto Rico – San Salvador, El Salvador – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – St. George's, Grenada – St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda – Tegucigalpa, Honduras – The Valley, Anguilla – Washington, DC, United States – Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles

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