New Providence

New Providence is the most populated island the Bahamas. It is on this island that the capital of the Bahamas is, Nassau, which almost entirely occupies it.

The first Europeans who visited the islands of the the Bahamas were the marine salt collectors come from the islands of Grand Turk and Inagua towards 1670. The first true occupation of the islands will start with Eleuthera, then New Providence some time afterwards. New Providence was the port for small ships best sheltered the Caribbean .

This port, as well as the proximity with the strait of Florida, made of New Providence a harbor for the Pirate S, aiming mainly the Spanish ships travelling towards the Spain, in charge with gold, money and other richnesses. Of 1715 with 1725, it was the apogee of piracy on the island, after which the British government established a more traditional colony and military general headquarters in the small town of Nassau, vis-a-vis the port of New Providence.

After the American revolution, several thousands of loyal supporters and their slaves emigrated in New Providence and the close islands, in the hope to recreate their plantations there. The little adapted grounds and misses it precipitations condemned their activities to the failure: thus the the Bahamas were emptied gradually of their population until the XIXe century. The salt collection continued here or there, the plundering of wrecks was profitable on the island of Grand Bahama, but New Providence remained the only really prosperous island, primarily thanks to the soldiers installed. The fortresses started to fall in ruins and were abandoned in 1850. New Providence will know two other periods of great economic activity thanks to smuggling: the American Civil War and the Prohibition.

Since 1960, New Providence became a destination of holidays, with many installations for the tourists. One can visit the port in boat and play in casinos. Two thirds of Bahamiens live on the island of New Providence, but this proportion is changing because of the development of Freeport on the island of Grand Bahama.

Lastly, vis-a-vis the increasing installation of the policies of control of immigration in the Western countries, clandestine immigration is a extralégale activity in full rise.

District

New Providence is one of the 32 districts of the the Bahamas. The district is only consisted of the island of New Providence and carries the reference mark NP on the chart.

It is the district more populated the Bahamas and the only district with being directly managed by the central government.

The district, the island and the town of Nassau merge.

Sources

Government bahaméen - New Providence

External bonds

New Providence seen of the sky on Google Maps

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