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New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas
The Bahamas

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent, sovereign, English language-speaking country consisting of two thousand cays and seven hundred islands that form an archipelago....
. While the first Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an visitors to the Bahama Islands were Bermudian
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
 salt rakers gathering sea salt
Sea salt

Sea salt, obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. Historically called bay salt, its mineral content gives it a different taste from table salt, which is pure sodium chloride, usually refined from mined rock salt or from sea salt....
 in Grand Turk
Grand Turk Island

Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands with 18 square kilometres. It contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town and the JAGS McCartney International Airport....
 and Inagua
Inagua

Inagua is the southernmost Districts of the Bahamas comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua.Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas at 596 sq mi and lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba....
 after 1670, the first lasting occupation was on Eleuthera
Eleuthera

See also: EleutheraeEleuthera is an island in the Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau, Bahamas. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide....
 and then New Providence shortly thereafter. The attraction of New Providence was one of the best sheltered natural small vessel harbor
Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. Harbors can be man-made or natural....
s in the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
.

Because of the harbor and near adjacency to the Florida Strait, New Providence became a nest of pirates preying on mainly Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 shipping returning to Spain with gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
, silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
, and other wealth.






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New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas
The Bahamas

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent, sovereign, English language-speaking country consisting of two thousand cays and seven hundred islands that form an archipelago....
. While the first Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an visitors to the Bahama Islands were Bermudian
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
 salt rakers gathering sea salt
Sea salt

Sea salt, obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. Historically called bay salt, its mineral content gives it a different taste from table salt, which is pure sodium chloride, usually refined from mined rock salt or from sea salt....
 in Grand Turk
Grand Turk Island

Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands with 18 square kilometres. It contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town and the JAGS McCartney International Airport....
 and Inagua
Inagua

Inagua is the southernmost Districts of the Bahamas comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua.Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas at 596 sq mi and lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba....
 after 1670, the first lasting occupation was on Eleuthera
Eleuthera

See also: EleutheraeEleuthera is an island in the Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau, Bahamas. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide....
 and then New Providence shortly thereafter. The attraction of New Providence was one of the best sheltered natural small vessel harbor
Harbor

A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. Harbors can be man-made or natural....
s in the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
.

Because of the harbor and near adjacency to the Florida Strait, New Providence became a nest of pirates preying on mainly Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 shipping returning to Spain with gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
, silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
, and other wealth. The apex of pirate activity there was from 1715 to 1725, after which the British
Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a country in North-West Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801....
 government established a formal colony and military headquarters centered on the small city of Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau is the Capital , largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 260,000 , nearly 80 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas ....
 fronting the New Providence harbor.

History

In February 1776, American
Patriot (American Revolution)

Patriots was the name the colonists of the Kingdom of Great Britain Thirteen Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution called themselves....
 Esek Hopkins
Esek Hopkins

Esek Hopkins , was Commander in Chief of the Fleet throughout the American Revolutionary War.Esek Hopkins was born in what is now Scituate, Rhode Island....
 led a squadron of over seven ships in an effort to raid the British
Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a country in North-West Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801....
-held island in order to secure supplies and munitions. The Battle of Nassau, On March 3rd and 4th, Hopkins landed the first-ever amphibious assault
Amphibious warfare

Amphibious warfare is the utilization of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain....
 by American military forces
Military of the United States

The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified armed forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War....
 consisting of 250 Marines
Continental Marines

The Continental Marines were the Marine corps of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War. The corps was formed by the Continental Congress in November 10, 1775 and was disbanded in 1783....
 and Sailors
Continental Navy

The Continental Navy was formed during the American Revolution in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's apparent patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial when considering the limitations imposed upon the Patriot supply pool....
. Under the covering fire of the (12) and Hornet (1775)
USS Hornet (1775)

The first USS Hornet was a merchant sloop chartered from Captain William Stone in December 1775 to serve under Stone as a unit of Esek Hopkins' Fleet....
 (10), the attackers overwhelmed Fort Montagne. The British retreated to Fort Nassau, but then surrendered to Continental forces. The Americans managed to secure 88 cannon
Cannon

A cannon is any tubular piece of artillery, that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile over a distance....
 and 15 mortars
Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is a Muzzleloader indirect fire weapon that fires shell at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing Ballistics trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
, but most of the badly desired gunpowder
Gunpowder

Gunpowder, also called black powder, is an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, KNO3 that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks....
 was evacuated before capture. Hopkins spent two weeks loading his ships with the booty before finally returning home. In 1782 the island was captured by Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 forces under Bernado Galvez.

After the American Revolution
American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
, several thousand Tories and their slave
Slavery

Slavery is a form of forced labor where a person is compelled to Labor for another . Slaves are held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase, or birth, and are deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive Remuneration in return for their labor....
s emigrated to New Providence and nearby islands, hoping to re-establish plantation
Plantation

A plantation is usually a large farm or Estate , especially in a tropical or semitropical country, like Brazil or Nicaragua on which cotton, tobacco, lice coffee, sugar cane and the like are cultivated, usually by resident laborers....
 agriculture. The shallow soils and sparse rainfall doomed this activity to failure, and by the early 19th century the Bahamas had become a nearly vacant archipelago
Archipelago

An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian language arcipelago , derived ultimately from Greek language arkhon and pelagos ....
. Salt raking continued here and there, wreck gleaning was profitable in Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying just 55 mi off the state of Florida....
, but New Providence was the only island with any prosperity because of the large British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 military establishment. The fortresses began to crumble and were abandoned by 1850. New Providence had two periods of high economic success during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 and during Prohibition
Prohibition

Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, refers to a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol....
, when it was a smuggling center.

Since 1960, New Providence has become an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 vacation destination with many tourist facilities, including a deepened harbor for short-visit cruise ship
Cruise ship

File:MSMajestyOfTheSeasEdit1.JPGA cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience....
 visitors and hotels offering gambling. Two-thirds of the 300,000 Bahamians live on New Providence, although this proportion has fallen somewhat with the development of Freeport
Freeport, Bahamas

Freeport is a city and free trade zone on the island of Grand Bahama, located approximately 100 mi east-northeast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Florida and is a Districts of the Bahamas....
 on Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying just 55 mi off the state of Florida....
.

External links