How you want to plunge into the warm ocean waters and soak up the sun on a slushy and cloudy day at least for a day! Fortunately, modern man is free in his movements and can go to any paradise on the planet. Recently, Russians, already fed up with the resorts of Turkey, Egypt and Thailand, are in search of something new and exotic. The capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, will be able to give them this. The island on which this beautiful city is located has been a stronghold of piracy and robbery since ancient times. But let's talk about everything in order.
Place name game: what are you, Nassau?
If you start looking on the map of Nassau and are very careful, you will most likely find two geographical objects with exactly the same names, but they are located in different parts of the world. In one case, we are talking about the capital of the Bahamas, but in the other, Nassau is an island in the Pacific Ocean. The latter also deserves a detailed description.
Nassau - an island lost in the ocean
There are many lost archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean that have not changed their appearance for many centuries. Nassau belongs to this category. The island is part of the Cook Islands group and has amazing pristine beauty. It is almost completely overgrown with coconut palms, which are the only income of a few local residents.
One of the features of the island, the natives consider its shape. The fact is that Nassau has practically no bays and lagoons - it is completely open to storms and winds. This significantly complicates the life of the islanders, who constantly fall under the destructive effect of cyclones and typhoons. After each rampage of the elements, they have to restore almost completely destroyed houses.
Description of the island
Nassau has a very small size, it is more correct to call it an atoll, not an island. It is only 1200 meters long and 800 meters wide. The shape of a regular, slightly elongated oval provided Nassau with no lagoons, which, in turn, significantly complicates the approach to the atoll. It is surrounded on all sides by coral reefs. In some places they are more than one meter wide.
A few years ago, a project to build a convenient harbor was actively discussed, which would give impetus to the development of tourism on the island, but the significant cost of this project prevents its implementation.
Many tourists would like to spend their holidays in secluded Nassau: the climate on the atoll is conducive to lazy andrelaxing holiday. The average temperature all year round is kept within 25 degrees, which would be very comfortable for vacationers. However, you will not see tourists on Nassau. There is absolutely no infrastructure for this on the island, and no development of this industry is currently expected on the atoll.
History of the island
Initially, the atoll was inhabited by natives from the nearby island of Pukapuka. It is worth noting that even now Nassau belongs to the population of this atoll.
Europeans discovered the island only at the beginning of the 19th century, but it did not make much of an impression on them. For literally 70 years, Nassau has been periodically rediscovered by the French, the British, and whaling ship captains.
At the end of the 19th century, the atoll was occupied by the Americans, later it came under the jurisdiction of the British Empire, and only in the middle of the last century it was bought by the inhabitants of Pukapuk.
Population of Nassau
According to the latest data, only 70 people live on the atoll, and more than half of them are school-age children. All the islanders live in a single village, which does not even have a name. As we have already mentioned, frequent typhoons cause significant damage to the dwellings of the islanders, so they make their houses as simple as possible, the roofs of such huts are made of palm leaves and branches, which allows them to be quickly restored after the next hurricane.
In the middle of the last century, a school was opened in Nassau. It still works, which is very convenient.for locals who don't need to leave their land to get an education.
Can I buy tours in Nassau? Unfortunately no. In the best case, if you come to the Cook Islands, you will be able to get to the atoll as a guest with the help of local residents. But you are unlikely to be able to stay here for the night - the islanders are not too fond of foreigners.
But what about the capital of the Bahamas, because we talked about it at the beginning of our article? Take your time, we will definitely tell you about another Nassau now.
City of Nassau: Description
The capital of the Bahamas is located on the island of New Providence. The city occupies almost the entire territory and is the cultural center of the Bahamas. The total area of the island is approximately 20 sq. km, on which the most beautiful villas, excellent harbors, entertainment centers and magnificent beaches are spread. All this is available to tourists day and night.
The city itself resembles the buildings of stiff England. And this is not surprising, because for a long time the island was under the rule of the British. Most of the buildings belong to the 19th century, many of them are historical monuments.
In recent decades, the city has replenished with modern entertainment centers and casinos. The newly built Cable Beach area is amazing with bright signs and an abundance of people, because this is where all the nightlife of Nassau is concentrated.
History of the city
In the 17th century, it was the British who founded the city here, but in those days it bore the proud name of Charlestown. Although with such a beautifulthe name it existed for several years, and already in the 90s of the 17th century it was renamed Nassau. Under this name, the city developed further.
It is worth noting that its history is very eventful. For a long time, New Providence was the main base of the pirates of the Caribbean. They hid their ships in numerous bays and enjoyed life in drinking establishments.
For many years, the British, the Spaniards and even the Americans fought for power over the city. Nassau saw many bloody battles and deaths until the power of the British crown was established on it. But at the end of the 19th century, the island became of great interest to Americans. They began to come here on vacation, and during the Prohibition period, many smugglers smuggled alcohol through Nassau.
Now the city is the capital of tourism in the Bahamas, vacationers bring to the budget up to half of all incoming funds. The development of Nassau is proceeding at a rapid pace, the city quickly adapts to the needs of vacationers, which is very valuable for them.
When can I go on vacation to the Bahamas?
The climate of Nassau is subequatorial. This is very conducive to the development of tourism, the average temperature rarely drops below 25 degrees. In winter (February, March) the tourist flow decreases a little, but the Russians can rest easy even at this time of the year. After all, by our standards, a water temperature of twenty degrees is quite acceptable for swimming.
Hurricanes and typhoons are common in the Bahamas during the summer, so this is not the best time to relax. The high season in Nassau starts in September and lasts until February.
City of Nassau Attractions
Usually small islands don't have a lot of sights and monuments, but the capital of the Bahamas doesn't fall into this category. So, what can you advise tourists who come to Nassau? What to see first?
As a rule, guests go to Parliament Square. There is a large monument to Queen Victoria and almost all the buildings of the colonial era. They are distinguished by their special architecture and character.
Among the numerous museums in the Bahamas, the Pirate Museum is the most popular. It is dedicated to that period in the history of the island, when the power of reckless corsairs was established on it. The exhibits of the museum are very interesting, the collection is periodically replenished with new finds.
Tourists are also interested in ancient forts designed to protect Nassau from the water. Many vacationers enjoy visiting the aquarium, which contains all the inhabitants of the underwater world of the Bahamas.
Excursions in Nassau have a different focus. They are divided into historical and entertainment. The first category includes viewing the British heritage of the island. But the entertainment excursion program includes various sports, boat trips and, of course, visits to nightlife, of which there are a great many in Nassau.
Beach area of the island
Nassau's beaches are beautiful and varied, but most touristsprefer to spend their time on Paradise Island. This small piece of land, literally covered with white sand, is located very close to New Providence and is even connected to it by bridges. The most luxurious hotels are located here, and you can find a lot of interesting activities to make the day as fun and eventful as possible.
The most popular resort on Paradise Island is called Atlantis and is often compared to Las Vegas. Once it served only as a haven for local fishermen, but in just two decades it has turned into a luxurious and fashionable resort.
There are no direct flights from Russia to Nassau, but with the help of transit routes, our compatriots will also be able to experience the pleasure of contemplating the beauties of the Bahamas and see all the sights of their capital.
