Nassau on New Providence

1 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  18 minutes

Nassau welcome gateway © BrokenSphere/cc-by-3.0

Nassau welcome gateway © BrokenSphere/cc-by-3.0

Nassau is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. With a population of 274,400 as of 2016, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas (≈391,000), Nassau is commonly defined as a primate city, dwarfing all other towns in the country. It is the centre of commerce, education, law, administration, and media of the country. Lynden Pindling International Airport, the major airport for the Bahamas, is located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of the city centre of Nassau, and has daily flights to major cities in Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and the United States. The city is located on the island of , which functions much like a business district. Nassau is the site of the House of Assembly and various judicial departments and was considered historically to be a stronghold of pirates. The city was named in honour of William III of England, Prince of Orange-Nassau.   read more…

Cozumel in Mexico

5 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

San Miguel de Cozumel © Harpqueen

San Miguel de Cozumel © Harpqueen

Cozumel is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico‘s Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The municipality is part of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The economy of Cozumel is based on tourism, with visitors able to benefit from the island’s balnearios, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel.   read more…

Eleuthera in the Bahamas

7 February 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Sunset explored at Tippy's Beach © flickr.com - Trish Hartmann/cc-by-2.0

Sunset explored at Tippy’s Beach © flickr.com – Trish Hartmann/cc-by-2.0

Eleuthera refers both to a single island in the archipelagic state of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and to its associated group of smaller islands. Eleuthera forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island of Eleuthera incorporates the smaller Harbour Island. Known in the 17th century as Cigateo, it lies 80 km (50 miles) east of Nassau. It is long and thin—180 km (110 miles) long and in places little more than 1.6 km (1.0 mile) wide. Its eastern side faces the Atlantic Ocean, and its western side faces the Great Bahama Bank. The topography of the island varies from wide rolling pink sand beaches to large outcrops of ancient coral reefs, and its population is approximately 11,000. The principal economy of the island is tourism.   read more…

Willemstad on Curaçao

27 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Penha Building from 1708 © Evandria/cc-by-sa-4.0

Penha Building from 1708 © Evandria/cc-by-sa-4.0

Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 150,000. The historic centre of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters, which are across from each other on the smaller Waaigat harbour. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   read more…

Paradise Island in the Bahamas

29 November 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels Reading Time:  9 minutes

© flickr.com - Derek Key/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Derek Key/cc-by-2.0

Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of New Providence. It is best known for the sprawling resort Atlantis with its extensive water park rides, pools, beach, restaurants, walk-in aquarium and casinos. Paradise Island is connected to the island of New Providence by two bridges that cross Nassau Harbour. The first was built in 1966 by Resorts International, and the second in the late 1990s.   read more…

Viñales Valley in Cuba

9 September 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Kirua

© Kirua

Viñales Valley (Valle de Viñales) is a karstic depression in Cuba. The valley has an area of 132 km² (51 sq mi) and is located in the Sierra de los Órganos mountains (part of Guaniguanico range), just north of Viñales in the Pinar del Río Province.   read more…

Bimini in the Bahamas

16 August 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Alice Town - Bimini Craft Centre © flickr.com - Pietro/cc-by-sa-4.0

Alice Town – Bimini Craft Centre © flickr.com – Pietro/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately 210 km (130 mi) west-northwest of Nassau. The population is 1,988 as of the 2010 census.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico – Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean

12 July 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - dronepicr/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – dronepicr/cc-by-2.0

Isla Mujeres (“Women Island”) is an island in the Gulf of Mexico, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) off the Yucatán Peninsula coast. The island is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long and 650 metres (2,130 ft) wide. To the east is the Caribbean Sea with a strong surf and rocky coast, and to the west the skyline of Cancún can be seen across the clear waters. The namesake town on the island has a population of 13,000 inhabitants. The island is part of the Isla Mujeres Municipality in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico.   read more…

Hispaniola in the Caribbean

10 July 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Haiti - Jacmel Seaside © Port-au-princien/cc-by-sa-3.0

Haiti – Jacmel Seaside © Port-au-princien/cc-by-sa-3.0

Hispaniola is an island in the Caribbean island group known as the Greater Antilles. It is the second largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba, and the most populous island in the Caribbean; it is also the eleventh most populous island in the world.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top