978-1-4222-3316-0

(Opposite) The harbor at Hope Town, on Elbow Cay. (Right) A small town on Man o’ War Cay. Both are part of the Abaco Islands group in the Bahamas. 5

Cities and Districts

THERE ARE TWO major cities in the Bahamas: Nassau and Freeport. Nassau, the nation’s capital, is located on New Providence Island. Home to about 250,000 residents, it is the largest city in the Bahamas. Nassau was once infamous for its resident pirates and privateers. Today, though it is a world-recognized financial center, Nassau is also known as a center for money laundering —the moving of cash through a series of trans- actions designed to conceal the fact that it was made through illegal activities such as drug trafficking. Freeport, the second-largest city in the Bahamas, is located on Grand Bahama Island. Among the city’s attractions is the Garden of Groves, which features 5,000 plants and shrubs. Rand Memorial Nature Center is a great

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