 Satellite image | |
 | |
  New Providence | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 25°1′48″N 77°24′18″W / 25.03000°N 77.40500°W |
| Archipelago | The Bahamas |
| Area | 207 km2 (80 sq mi) |
| Length | 34 km (21.1 mi) |
| Width | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Administration | |
Bahamas | |
| Largest settlement | Nassau |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 296,522[1] (2022) |
| Pop. density | 1,325.6/km2 (3433.3/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | African 89%, European 8%, Asian and Hispanic 3%[citation needed] |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) | |
| ISO code | BS-NP |
New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population.[2] On the eastern side of the island is the national capital city of Nassau; it had a population of 246,329 at the 2010 Census, and a population of 292,522 at the 2022 census. Nearly three quarters of The Bahamas's population lives in New Providence. [3][4][5][6]
The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus's purported discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed little interest in developing the island (and The Bahamas as a whole).[7] Nassau, the island's largest city, was formerly known as Charles-town, but it was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684.[8] It was laid out and renamed Nassau in 1695 by Nicholas Trott, the most successful Lord Proprietor, in honour of the Prince of Orange-Nassau who became William III of England.
The three branches of Bahamian Government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary, are all headquartered on New Providence. New Providence functions as the main commercial hub of The Bahamas. It is also home to more than 400 banks and trust companies, and its hotels and port account for more than two-thirds of the four million-plus tourists who visit The Bahamas annually. New Providence is the only part of The Bahamas that lacks local government. Local affairs are handled by the national government, but the island is divided into 24 supervisory districts.
Other settlements on New Providence include Grants Town, Bain Town, Fox Hill, Adelaide, Yamacraw, South Beach, Coral Harbour, Lyford Cay, Paradise Island, Sea Breeze, Centreville, The Grove (South) and The Grove (West Bay), Cable Beach, Delaporte, Gambier, Old Fort Bay, Carmichael Road, and Love Beach.[9]
- ^ "Census population and housing" (PDF). Bahamas Gov. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ 2010 Census of Population and Housing: New Providence (PDF) (Report). Department of Statistics of the Bahamas. August 2012. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
- ^ https://www.blurtit.com/q702844.html Archived March 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Nassau, the capital city is located on New Providence island
- ^ "CIA Factbook". 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "World Atlas – Where is Nassau?". Archived from the original on 2018-06-22. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- ^ "Commonwealth of The Bahamas - Census of Population and Housing 2022" (PDF). April 2023.
- ^ Bruce Taylor (September 1997). "Review of Johnson, Howard, The Bahamas From Slavery to Servitude, 1783–1933". H-Lat Am, H-Net Reviews. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
- ^ http://www.bahamasfinder.com/nassau.html Archived 2015-08-28 at the Wayback Machine Nassau was formerly known as Charles Town but was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684.
- ^ "New Providence". Government of the Bahamas. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-09-11.