Bermuda

For other uses, see Bermuda (disambiguation).

Bermuda

(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Quo Fata Ferunt (Latin: Whither the Fates carry [us])
Official language	English
Political status	Overseas territory of the UK
Capital	Hamilton
Governor and Commander-in-Chief	Sir John Vereker
Premier	Alex Scott
Area	58.8 km²
Population -Total(2003 E)  - Density	64,482 1 096/km²
Currency	Bermuda dollar on par with US dollar
Time zone	UTC -4
National anthem	God Save the Queen
Internet TLD	.bm
Calling Code	1-441

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic, situated around 600 miles off the coast of the United States. It consists of around 138 islands, of total area 53.3 sq km. The largest island, known as the Main Island, is where the capital, Hamilton is located. Bermuda has one of the most advanced economies in the world, with a large financial sector. It is also a popular tourist destination.

History

Main article: History of Bermuda

Bermuda was discovered by the early 1500s, probably in 1503, although the evidence for the exact year, and the identity of the discoverer, is sketchy. It was certainly known by 1511, when Peter Martyr published his Legatio Babylonica, which mentioned Bermuda. The discovery is attributed to a Spanish explorer, Juan de Bermudez. Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot for fresh meat and water, but legends of spirits, now thought to have stemmed only from the callings of raucous birds, kept them from attempting any permanent settlement. William Shakespeare set the location of his play, "The Tempest" on the island in that early period.

The island became permanently inhabited when the Sea Venture, on its way to the new colony in America, was wrecked off Bermuda (as depicted on the territory's Coat of Arms), and left the first colonists in possession of a new territory. The land was claimed by the British Crown and control was granted to a company in order to produce tobacco for the markets in London. The islands gained the name the Somers Isles, named after Sir George Somers, the captain of the Sea Venture.

Soon the colony of Virginia far surpassed Bermuda in both quality and quantity of tobacco produced. After the decline of the Somers Isle Company, life petered along until a period of boat building became prevalent on the island due to the large amounts of good juniper (Juniperus bermudiana, Bermuda cedar) woods that grew thickly over the whole island. After the American Revolution, the British Royal Navy began improving the harbours and built a large dockyard on Ireland Island, in the west of the chain. Thereafter the navy used the bases as a strategic asset which later benefited the USA as well (see below).

In the early 20th century, as modern transport and communication systems developed, Bermuda became a popular destination for wealthy US, Canadian and British tourists. In addition, the tariff Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act enacted by the United States against its trading partners in 1930 cut off Bermuda's once-thriving agricultural export trade - primarily fresh vegetables to the US - spurring the overseas territory to develop its tourist industry, which is second behind international business in terms of economic importance to the island.

Bermuda had been a strategically important military base since the war of 1812, but it became particularly important during World War II, because of its central location in the north Atlantic Ocean. In 1941, the United States signed a lend-lease agreement with the United Kingdom giving the British surplus US Navy destroyers in exchange for 99-year lease rights to establish naval and air bases in Bermuda. The bases consisted of 5.8km Â² (2.25 mi²) of land largely reclaimed from the sea. The US Naval Air Station (Kindley Air Force Base) was on St. David's Island, while the US Naval Air Station Annex was at the western end of the main island in the Great Sound.

Both bases were closed on 1 September 1995, as were British and Canadian bases on the island. Unresolved issues concerning the 1995 withdrawal of US forces - primarily related to environmental factors - delayed the formal return of the base lands to the Government of Bermuda, which finally happened in 2002.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Bermuda

Executive authority in Bermuda is invested in The Queen and is exercised on her behalf by the Governor. The Governor is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the British Government. Defence and Foreign Affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom.

The Constitution of Bermuda came into force on June 1, 1968, amended in 1989 and 2003. The Head of Government is the Premier. A cabinet is nominated by the Premier and appointed officially by the Governor. The legislative branch consists of a bicameral parliament. The Senate is the Upper House and consists of 11 members appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition. The House of Assembly is Lower House and the 36 members are elected to serve a 5 year term.

The current Governor Sir John Vereker, appointed on April 11, 2002. The Premier is currently Alex Scott following the election victory of the Progressive Labour Party in the July 2003 elections.

The Bermudian Government supports independence from the United Kingdom, although polls indicate that this is not supported by the population. A referendum in 1995 on independence was defeated.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Bermuda

Map of Bermuda

Bermuda is located roughly 580 miles (933 kilometers) off the coast of North Carolina, U.S.A., in the North Atlantic Ocean. (See map.) There are two incorporated municipalities in Bermuda; the City of Hamilton, and the Town of St George. There are also a number of localities which are sometimes termed villages, among them Flatts Village, Tucker's Town and Somerset. Contrary to common misperception, Bermuda is not located within the tropics. The subtropical climate is obviously influenced by trade winds as any island geography would entail. Winter evenings can get decidely cool, however summer days are rarely very hot.

• Subdivisions of Bermuda
• Flora and fauna in Bermuda

Economy

Main article: Economy of Bermuda

Bermuda has a highly developed economy focused on international business and tourism. Its per capita income is approxiamtely equivalent to the United States. CIA data shows a GDP of $2.33 billion in 2003, per capita, $36,000.

Bermuda is regarded as an offshore tax haven, with no taxes in personal income, or corporations. Many international banks have offices in Bermuda. The Bank of Bermuda is one of the many Bermudian banks with an international presence.

Tourism is the second largest industry, with the island attracting most of its visitors from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The currency used is the Bermuda dollar which is pegged to the US dollar.

Demographics

More than half of the population is black and more than a third is white.

Main article: Demographics of Bermuda

copyright

Miscellaneous topics

Bermuda is one of the three vertices bordering the Bermuda Triangle, an allegedly paranormal region of the Atlantic Ocean.

• Places of interest in Bermuda
• Communications in Bermuda
• Transportation in Bermuda
• Military of Bermuda
• Holidays in Bermuda

Famous residents

Bermudians of note:

• Clarence Hill (Boxing - Olympic Bronze Medal Winner)
• Clarence "Nicky" Saunders (High Jump - Commonwealth Games Gold Medal Winner)
• Johnny Barnes
• Clyde Best
• Heather Nova
• Gina Swainson (former Miss World 1979-1980)
• Shaun Goater (Former Manchester City striker)

Famous Residents - Current and Past

• Mark Twain
• Georgia O'Keefe
• Ross Perot
• Silvio Berlusconi Italian Prime Minister
• Michael Bloomberg Mayor of New York City
• Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
• David Bowie and Iman
• Twiggy
• Patrick Rafter
• Sir William Stephenson (Famous WWll Canadian Spymaster "Intrepid")
• Ian Fleming creator of James Bond
• Frederick Buechner (as a child)
• Noël Coward - playwrite and actor/singer.

As a sidenote, most famous people live on Tucker's Peninsula, part of Tucker's Town, an exclusive playground for the rich and famous there. Michael Bloomberg, Silvio Berlusconi, and Ross Perot all live near each other and are friends.

Reference

• ^  Non-Self-Governing Territories listed by General Assembly in 2002. United Nations Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization. URL accessed on March 10, 2005.
• The New American Desk Encyclopedia, edition 3 (1993). Article: Bermuda. ISBN 0-451-17566-2.

External links

• Travel guide to Bermuda from Wikitravel
• Bermuda's Portal - The concise online information portal on Bermuda
• The Royal Gazette - A weekdaily newspaper with online content
• Bermuda 4U - A comprehensive and independent guide to Bermuda
• Bermuda Online - A privately-maintained site which contains much useful material
• Insiders Guide to Bermuda - A good visitor-oriented site
• A Limey In Bermuda - Life in Bermuda from the perspective of a British expat
• Politics.bm - Christian Dunleavy's blog on Bermuda politics
• Envirotalk.org - A discussion forum focusing on environmental issues in Bermuda and around the world.
• Poker in Bermuda - a source for local poker events, results, and info.
• Flickr.com: Bermuda Images A photo gallery of Bermuda images.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela
¹ member of the community but not the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy.	edit

edit	British dependencies
Overseas territories: Anguilla | Bermuda | British Antarctic Territory | British Indian Ocean Territory | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Falkland Islands | Gibraltar | Montserrat | Pitcairn Islands | Saint Helena (Ascension, Tristan da Cunha) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Crown dependencies: Guernsey | Jersey | Isle of Man
UK Sovereign Base Areas: Akrotiri and Dhekelia (in Cyprus)