Nassau, chief port and capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, still retains many vestiges of its British heritage. Among the city's colonial landmarks are the Court House and Parliament Building; Government House, the official residence of the governor-general; Fort Charlotte and Fort Fincastle; and Christ Church Cathedral.Visited by Columbus during his voyage of 1492, the area was not permanently settled by Europeans until 1656 who named the site Charles Towne. American revolutionaries held the island briefly in 1776, with the Confederate sympathizers using it as a supply base for blockade runners during the American Civil War.The Bahamas have been a popular tourist destination for many decades, offering excellent beaches, lush tropical surroundings and the resorts on Paradise Island just across the harbor.