New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau. The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed little interest in developing the island (and the Bahamas as a whole). Nassau, the island's largest city, was formerly known as Charles-town but was burned to the ground by the Spanish in 1684.