Nassau, Bahamas

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Country	Commonwealth of the Bahamas
Nassau
Harbor at Nassau
Map of the Bahamas show Nassau
Island	New Providence
Rebuilt/Renamed	1695
Population (2000)
- Total	210,832
- Metro Density	2,639.2/sq mi (1,019/km²)

For other uses of "Nassau", see Nassau (disambiguation).

Nassau is the capital, largest 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.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Junkanoo
4 In popular culture
5 Sister cities
6 See also
7 References
8 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 Dutch House of Orange-Nassau).

[edit] Junkanoo

Junkanoo

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] In popular culture

Nassau has been an important location for numerous James Bond novels and films. The most notable is Thunderball released in 1965 where most of the film was based in Nassau and the Junkanoo festival also featured in the film with Sean Connery. Nassau was again the location for the 1983 unofficial remake of the film Never Say Never Again and more recently Nassau featured in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale