New Providence Island
New Providence Island, principal island of The Bahamas, West Indies. It is located between Andros Island (west) and Eleuthera Island (east). The island has a length of 21 miles (34 km) and a width of 7 miles (11 km) and is mostly flat, with swamps and several shallow lakes. Nassau is the island’s chief city and also the capital of The Bahamas.
New Providence’s name supposedly derives from a 17th-century governor’s thanks to Divine Providence for surviving a shipwreck: the “New” was added later to avoid confusion with Old Providence, a pirate stronghold off British Honduras (now Belize). The island was settled in the late 17th century with the establishment of several British forts. Agriculture and fishing are important factors in the local economy; the island’s rum reaches an international market. A world-famous tourist area has developed around the city of Nassau. Area 80 square miles (207 square km). Pop. (2000) 210,832; (2010) 246,329.