New Providence is the most populous island in
the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the
national capital city of
Nassau. The island was originally under Spanish control following
Christopher Columbus's discovery of the
New World, but the Spanish government showed little interest in developing the island (and the Bahamas as a whole). Nassau, the island's largest city, was formerly known as Charles-town, but it was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684. It was laid out and renamed Nassau in 1695 by Nicholas Trott, the most successful
Lord Proprietor, in honor of the
Prince of Orange-Nassau who became
William III of England. The three branches of
Bahamian Government are all headquartered on New Providence: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. 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. 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, Deportee, Gambier, and Love Beach.