Nassau is a busy seaport city found on New Providence Island. The Bahamas is comprised of over 700 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean and located northeast of Cuba and southeast of Florida.
The Bahamian economy is rooted in tourism and financial services. So, it should come as no surprise that Nassau is home to the University of the West Indies Center for Hotel and Tourism Management.
Research website numbeo ranks Nassau in the bottom third compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. However, Nassau scored relatively well on index factors such as climate, lower pollution, property price to income ratio and traffic commute time.
Nassau is sometimes called by the Bahamas’ nickname the “Isle of June” –a moniker reflecting the mild, June-like climate that Bahamians enjoy year-round. Nassau also benefits from this tropical marine climate moderated by the Gulf Stream’s warm water and cool breezes off the Atlantic Ocean.
Nevertheless, Nassau is prone to tropical storms and hurricanes which occur about once every 9 years.
Nassau was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the site where Nik Wallenda performed the world’s highest tightrope crossing via bicycle. That feat was accomplished at a height of 238 feet (72.5 meters) on August 28, 2010.
Besides tourism and financial services, the Bahamas also participates in international trade exporting an estimated US$1.5 billion worth of exported goods during 2019. The most valuable exports from the Bahamas are ships and other seaworthy vessels (42.5% of its global total), medium petroleum oils (6%), heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen (5.8%), frozen rock lobster and similar sea crawfish (5.1%), expansible polystyrene (4.5%), petroleum oil residues (2.9%), floating platforms (2.9%), pebbles, gravel and crushed stone (2.3%), and salts (2.1%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Nassau, Bahamas: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Queen’s Staircase, Christ Church Cathedral, Fort Fincastle, National Public Library and Museum, Parliament Square, Government House and the Crystal Palace Casino
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Nassau, Bahamas.
- Mychal Thompson, former NBA basketball player (born Jan. 30, 1955)
- Ryan Sweeting, professional tennis player (born Jul. 14, 1987)
- Ramon Miller, Olympic gold relay racer (born Feb. 17, 1987)
- Perry Gladstone Christie, former prime minister (born Aug. 21, 1943)
- Dretti Bain, Olympic sprint medalist (born Dec. 1, 1985)
- Shakara Ledard, model & actress (born Feb. 21, 1980)
- Herbert Hugh Thompson, computer security expert (born May 7, 1976)
- Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Olympic swimmer (born Mar. 4, 1990)
- Patrice Washington, pioneering pilot (born Sep. 11, 1961)
- Steve Larrimore, Olympic boxer (born Feb. 14, 1963)
- Rick Carey, singer (born Dec. 21, 1977)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a resident of the Bahamas: Bahamian
Population: 227,940 (Nassau) at July 12, 2020
Density: 2,849 people per square mile (1,101 per square kilometer)
Population: 393,374 (Bahamas) at July 12, 2020
Density: 102 people per square mile (39 per square kilometer)
Median age for the Bahamas: 32.3 years old
Financial
GDP: US$12.7 billion for 2019 (Bahamas)
GDP per person: $33,333
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Nassau were unavailable.
Official currency used in Nassau: Bahamian dollar
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Highest tightrope crossing by bicycle.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, The Government of the Bahamas.
The World Factbook, Central America and Caribbean: Bahamas, The, Central Intelligence Agency.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Nassau, Bahamas.
Wikipedia, The Bahamas.
WorldOMeter, Bahamas Population.
The Bahamas won its independence from the United Kingdom on July 10, 1973. Each July 10 is celebrated as an Independence Day holiday in the Bahamas.
Nassau’s land area measures 80 square miles (207 square kilometers) with an estimated population of 227,940 residents as of July 12, 2020.
At the country level, the Bahamas’ population was 393,374 inhabitants as of July 2020. Bahamians occupy a total land mass of 3,865 square miles (10,010 square kilometers).
Population density is more concentrated for Nassau with an average 2,849 inhabitants per square mile (1,101 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to the overall land boundaries for the Bahamas, the nation’s population density dilutes to an average 102 people per square mile (39 per square kilometer).
