During the late 1600's and early 1700's pirates roamed the island of Bahamas, preying upon Spanish galleons loaded with gold from the New World. Behind them they left only ruins, death and stories of buried treasure.
Nassau became a tropical paradise for many famous pirates such as Blackbeard. Pirates used the Bahamas as their main port because of the many small islands, shallow waters and coves, which made for perfect hiding places. The waters were too shallow for large man-of-war ships but were perfect for the smaller, faster boats used by pirates.
Nassau, on New Providence Island, was at the heart of piracy, with the most pirates anywhere in the world. The Bahamas islands were chosen by pirates because they were close to major shipping routes, and pirates could easily rob and plunder merchant ships.
Many said that when a pirate died he did not want to go to heaven, instead he wanted to go back to Nassau.