Nassau City Map Poster

About Nassau

The city was formerly named "Charles Town", in honour of Prince Charles, the Duke of York and Albany. It was built on the site of a former Spanish fort which had been called "Santa Maria". The name Nassau derives from the House of Nassau and ultimately from the town (now a suburb) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany from which it originates. In 1697 Sir Nicholas Trott ordered that all inhabitants be relocated to his newly built Fort Charlotte; they were resettled by British authorities at New Providence Island (which became a colony separate from Jamaica). He believed that some type of fortification was needed for protection against pirates increasingly active in these waters. Initially known as "Fort Nassau", it was renamed Fort Charlotte after Queen Charlotte, who later became Queen Consort to King George III.