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Bermuda

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

                      Bermuda

   Flag of Bermuda Coat of arms of Bermuda
   Flag            Coat of arms
   Motto: Quo Fata Ferunt  (Latin)
   "Whither the Fates Carry [Us]"
   Anthem: God Save the Queen (official)
   Hail to Bermuda (unofficial)
   Location of Bermuda
   Capital
   (and largest city) Hamilton
                      32°18′N 64°47′W
   Official languages English
   Government         UK overseas territory
    - Queen           HM Queen Elizabeth II
    - Governor        Sir John Vereker
    - Premier         Ewart Brown
      Independence    none ( overseas territory)
                       Area
    - Total           53.3 km² ( 224th)
                      20.6 sq mi
    - Water (%)       none
                    Population
    - 2006 estimate   65,773 ( 205th^1)
    - Density         1,234/km² ( 8th)
                      3,196/sq mi
       GDP ( PPP)     2004 estimate
    - Total           $4.5 billion ( 165th)
    - Per capita      $69,900 ( 1st)
      HDI  (2003)     n/a (unranked) ( n/a)
        Currency      Bermuda dollar^2 ( BMD)
       Time zone      Atlantic ( UTC-4)
      Internet TLD    .bm
      Calling code    + 1-441
   ^1 Rank based on 2005 figures.
   ^2 On par with US dollar.

   Bermuda (also known as The Bermuda Islands and formerly as The Somers
   Isles) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the North
   Atlantic Ocean, situated around 640 miles (1030 km) northeast of
   Florida and is actually about 667 miles (1073 km) east-southeast of
   Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (see Geography section below)—off the
   east coast of the United States. It is the oldest remaining British
   overseas territory, settled by England a century before the Acts of
   Union and two centuries before the creation of the United Kingdom.

   Although commonly referred to in the singular, the territory consists
   of approximately 138 islands, with a total area of 27.7 sq. mi.(71.7
   square kilometers). Compiling a list of these islands is often
   complicated, as many have more than one name (as does the entire
   archipelago, which, in addition to its two official names, has
   historically been known as "La Garza", "Virgineola", and the "Isle of
   Devils"). Despite the limited land mass, there has also been a tendency
   for place names to be repeated; there are, for instance, two islands
   named "Long Island", two bays known as "Long Bay" and the town of St.
   George is located within the parish of St. George on the island of St.
   George. Meanwhile, Bermuda's capital, the City of Hamilton, lies in
   Pembroke Parish, not Hamilton Parish, on the largest island, "Main
   Island", which itself is sometimes called "Bermuda" (or "Great
   Bermuda").

   Bermuda has a thriving economy, with a large financial sector and
   tourism industry. It is blessed with a warm, tropical climate and
   beautiful beaches. Bermuda is one of the few islands in the world to
   boast pink sand and turquoise oceans.
     * Wikimedia Atlas of Bermuda .

History

   "The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles",
   by Capt. John Smith.
   Enlarge
   "The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles",
   by Capt. John Smith.

   Bermuda was discovered by the early 1500s, probably in 1503, according
   to some sources. It was certainly known by 1511, when Peter Martyr
   d'Anghiera published his Legatio Babylonica, which mentioned Bermuda,
   and the island was also included on Spanish charts of this year. 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 and devils, now
   thought to have stemmed only from the callings of raucous birds (most
   likely the Bermuda Petrel), and of perpetual, storm-wracked conditions
   (most early visitors arrived under such conditions), kept them from
   attempting any permanent settlement on the Isle of Devils.

   Bermudez and Gonzales Ferdinando d'Oviedo ventured to Bermuda in 1514
   or 1515 with the intention to drop off a breeding stock of hogs on the
   island as a future stock of fresh meat for passing ships. The inclement
   weather prevented them landing however.

   Some years later, a Portuguese ship on the way home from San Domingo
   wedged itself between two rocks on the reef. The crew tried to salvage
   as much as they could and spent the next four months building a new
   hull from Bermuda cedar to return to their initial departure point. One
   of these stranded sailors is most likely the person who carved the
   initials "R" and "P", "1543" into Spanish Rock. The initials probably
   stood for "Rex Portugaline" and later were incorrectly attributed to
   the Spanish, leading to the misnaming of this rocky outcrop of Bermuda.

   For the next century the island was probably visited frequently but not
   settled. The first two British colonies in Virginia had failed, and a
   more determined effort was initiated by King James I of England and VI
   of Scotland, who granted a Royal Charter to The Virginia Company. In
   1609, a flotilla of ships left England under the Company's Admiral, Sir
   George Somers, to relieve the colony of Jamestown, settled two years
   before. Somers had previous experience sailing with both Sir Francis
   Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. The flotilla was broken up by a storm,
   and the flagship, the Sea Venture, was wrecked off Bermuda (as depicted
   on the territory's Coat of Arms), leaving the survivors in possession
   of a new territory. (William Shakespeare's play The Tempest may have
   been influenced by William Strachey's account of this shipwreck.) The
   island was claimed for the English Crown, and the charter of the
   Virginia Company was extended to include it. In 1615, the island was
   passed to a new company, the Somers Isles Company (The Somers Isles
   remains an official name for the Colony), formed by the same
   shareholders. The first British coins in America were struck here.

   Most of the survivors of the Sea Venture had carried on to Jamestown in
   1610 aboard two Bermuda-built ships. Among these was John Rolfe, who
   left a wife and child buried in Bermuda, but in Jamestown would marry
   Pocahontas, a daughter of Powhatan. Rolfe was also single-handedly
   responsible for beginning Virginia's tobacco industry (the economic
   basis of the Colony had been intended to be lumber). Deliberate
   settlement of Bermuda began with the arrival of the Plough, in 1612.

   With its limited land area, Bermuda has had difficulty ever since with
   population growth. In the first two centuries of settlement, it relied
   on steady emigration to keep the population manageable. Before the
   American Revolution, more than ten thousand Bermudans emigrated,
   primarily to the American South, where England (later, Britain) was
   displacing Spain as the dominant European imperial power. A steady
   trickle of outward migration continued as, by the end of the eighteenth
   century, with seafaring being the only real industry, at least a third
   of the island's manpower was at sea at any one time.

   In the seventeenth century, however, the Somers Isles Company
   suppressed shipbuilding as it needed Bermudians to farm if it was to
   generate any income from the land. Bermuda was not a great success as
   an agricultural colony. The Bermuda cedar boxes it shipped tobacco to
   England in were reportedly worth more than their contents. The colony
   of Virginia far surpassed Bermuda in both quality and quantity of
   tobacco produced. After the dissolution of the Somers Isle Company,
   Bermudians rapidly abandoned agriculture for ship-building, replanting
   farmland with the native juniper ( Juniperus bermudiana, also called
   Bermuda cedar) trees that grew thickly over the whole island.
   Establishing effective control over the Turks Islands, Bermudians
   deforested their landscape to begin the salt trade that would become
   the world's largest, and remained the cornerstone of Bermuda's economy
   for the next century.

   Bermudian sailors would turn their hands to far more trades than
   supplying salt, however. Whaling, privateering, and the merchant trade
   were all pursued vigorously. The Bermuda sloop became highly regarded
   for its speed and maneuverability. Indeed, at the end of the Battle of
   Trafalgar, the Bermuda sloop HMS Pickle, one of the fastest vessels in
   the Royal Navy, raced back to England with news of the victory and the
   death of Admiral Lord Nelson.

   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). Bermuda was a point
   where Confederate States blockade runners could touch before heading to
   the South, and a small museum in Hamilton preserves the office of the
   CSA agent who coordinated their activities.

   In the early twentieth century, as modern transport and communication
   systems developed, Bermuda became a popular destination for wealthy US,
   Canadian and British tourists. In addition, the 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.

Politics

   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, which also
   retains responsibility to ensure good government. It must approve any
   changes to the Constitution of Bermuda.

   The Constitution of Bermuda came into force on June 1, 1967 and has
   been 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 eleven members appointed
   by the Governor on the advice of the Premier and the Leader of the
   Opposition. The House of Assembly is the Lower House and the thirty-six
   members are elected democratically to serve a five-year term.

   The current Governor is Sir John Vereker, appointed on April 11, 2002.
   Following his victory over former Premier Alex Scot at the Progressive
   Labour Party delegates' conference in October 2006, the current Premier
   is Ewart Brown. The United Bermuda Party serves in opposition.

   The Progressive Labour Party leadership supports independence from the
   United Kingdom, although polls continue to indicate that this is not
   supported by the population. A referendum in 1995 on independence, held
   by the United Bermuda Party, was defeated.

Military

   Remembrance Day Parade, Hamilton, Bermuda.
   Enlarge
   Remembrance Day Parade, Hamilton, Bermuda.

   The defence of Bermuda remains the responsibility of the British
   Government. Until the American Revolutionary War, during which time
   Bermuda became the Royal Navy's Western Atlantic headquarters, the
   Bermudan Government had maintained militia for the defence of the
   colony. Once the Royal Navy established a base and dockyard defended by
   regular soldiers, however, these militias became superfluous and were
   disbanded following the War of 1812. At the end of the nineteenth
   century, the colony did raise volunteer units to form a reserve for the
   military garrison.

   Due to its near central location in the North Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda
   again became an important location during World War II. In 1940, the
   Destroyers for Bases Agreement allowed the US military a presence in
   Bermuda. The US built new bases there in 1941 under a 99-year lease,
   operating them until the end of the Cold War. The bases consisted of
   5.8 km² (2.25 mi²) of land, largely reclaimed from the sea.

   For many years, the Americans used the airport as a forward point for
   aircraft looking for submarines, first German and later Soviet. Canada
   also established a radio-listening post on the northern tip of the
   islands during this time.

   In the 1950s, after the end of World War II, the Royal Naval dockyard
   and the military garrison were closed. A small supply base continued to
   operate within the dockyard area until it, too, was closed in 1995,
   along with the American and Canadian bases. The US bases closed on 1
   September, but unresolved issues concerning the withdrawal of the
   American forces (primarily related to environmental factors) delayed
   the formal return of the bases' land to the Bermudan Government until
   2002.

   Today, the only military unit remaining in Bermuda is the Bermuda
   Regiment, an amalgam of the voluntary units originally formed toward
   the end of the nineteenth century.

Geography

   Map of Bermuda.
   Enlarge
   Map of Bermuda.

   Bermuda is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly 580 nautical
   miles (1074 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras on the Outer
   Banks of North Carolina and roughly 590 nautical miles (1093
   kilometers) southeast of Martha's Vineyard (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 called "villages", among them Flatts Village, Tucker's Town
   and Somerset Village.

   Contrary to common misconception, Bermuda is not located within the
   tropics. The subtropical climate is strongly influenced by the Gulf
   Stream which flows nearby. Bermuda has a very humid climate and, as a
   result, the summer-time heat index can be very high, even when the
   actual temperature seems moderate. Winters are mild with average
   daytime temperatures in January and February around 20 °C (68 °F). The
   powerful winds and heavy rain mean that the felt temperature can fall
   below freezing, even though the actual temperature may rarely drop much
   below 10 °C (50 °F). The only source of fresh water in Bermuda is
   rainfall, which is collected on roofs and catchments (or drawn from
   underground lenses) and stored in tanks. Each dwelling usually has at
   least one of these tanks forming part of its foundation.

Economy

   As the offshore domicile of many foreign companies, Bermuda has a
   highly-developed international business economy; it is a financial
   exporter in insurance and other financial services. Tourism forms the
   other major part of Bermuda's income. Bermuda's per-capita income is
   approximately 50% higher than that of the United States; CIA data shows
   a GDP of $4.5 billion in 2004, implying a per-capita amount of $69,900.
   Based on 2004 data, this gives Bermuda the highest GDP per capita in
   the world.

   Bermuda is regarded as a premier offshore business jurisdiction, with
   no direct taxes on personal or corporate income. The local tax system
   is based upon import duties, payroll taxes and consumption taxes. Such
   are the numbers of leading international insurance companies based in
   Bermuda that the territory is considered the world's reinsurance
   centre. Those internationally owned and operated businesses that are
   physically based in Bermuda – of which there are around four hundred –
   are represented by the Association of Bermuda International Companies
   (ABIC). In total, over 1,500 exempted or international companies are
   currently registered in Bermuda.

   Tourism is the second largest industry, with the island attracting most
   of its visitors from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
   Much of this traffic arrives at Bermuda International Airport, the
   territory's air link to the outside world.

   The currency is the Bermuda dollar, which is pegged to the US dollar.
   US notes and coins are used interchangeably with Bermudian notes and
   coins within the islands. Bermudian notes carry the image of HM Queen
   Elizabeth II.

Demographics

   54.8% of the population is listed as black, 34.1% as white and 6.4% as
   multiracial. The island has a growing Asian community. A significant
   segment of the population is also of Portuguese heritage, the result of
   immigration from Portuguese-held islands (especially the Azores) during
   the past century. Its beginnings may be traced to several Madeiran
   families in the 1840s.

   During the last census, racial identification became a point of
   controversy; the demographic descriptions used in the previous
   paragraph, for example, may be considered misleading. A small minority
   of the island's black population has a diverse ancestry, including
   significant European and Native American bloodlines. Portuguese
   Bermudans are often thought of as constituting a separate racial group,
   in similar fashion to Hispanics in the USA. Immigrants from Portuguese
   islands included blacks from the Cape Verde Islands, and many
   Portuguese intermarried with "black" and "white" Bermudans.
   Consequently, there are many islanders with Portuguese ancestry,
   heritage, and names who are not considered among the ten or so percent
   of the population typically listed as "Portuguese".

   Resurgent interest in the island's Native American past, especially in
   St. David's, is leading many to identify themselves with the various
   Algonquian peoples sold into slavery on the island during its first
   century of settlement.

   In addition to large-scale Portuguese immigration, there has been
   sustained immigration from the West Indies during the past century.

Visitor attractions

   St. David's Lighthouse, one of Bermuda's visitor attractions.
   Enlarge
   St. David's Lighthouse, one of Bermuda's visitor attractions.

   Some of Bermuda's visitor attractions:
     * Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo
     * Bermuda Maritime Museum
     * Botanical Gardens
     * City Hall
     * Crisson Jewellers
     * Crystal, Fantasy and Leamington Caves

                                              * Gibbs Hill Lighthouse
                                              * Royal Naval Dockyard
                                              * St. David's Lighthouse
                                              * St. George's
                                              * St. Peter's Church
                                              * Swizzle Inn

Holidays

   Date Holiday Notes
   1 January New Year's Day
   varies Good Friday Bermudans fly home-made kites to celebrate Easter
   24 May Bermuda Day Originally celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday as
   Empire Day; later changed to "Bermuda Day" to provide an official
   opportunity to celebrate the islands' heritage and culture
   Second Monday in June Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday
   varies* Emancipation Day First day of Cup match
   First Friday in August Somer's Day Second day of Cup match
   First Monday in September Labour Day
   November 11 Remembrance Day
   December 25 Christmas Day
   December 26 Boxing Day

   * Last Thursday in July if 31 July, otherwise first Thursday in August.

Culture

   Bermuda's culture is strongly influenced by the British colonists who
   came to the island, establishing most of its traditions and customs;
   but also by its closest geographical neighbour, the United States. A
   large proportion of Bermuda's population is descended from
   African-American slaves.

   Dance and music are two important elements in Bermuda's culture. Many
   dances were influenced by imported Native American and African slaves.
   Caribbean influences dominate the musical scene on the island.

Notables

   (alphabetically by surname)
     * Clyde Best, a pioneering English footballer of the late 1960s and
       1970s.
     * Donald Henry "Bob" Burns, holder of the Guinness World Record for
       the loudest human voice.
     * G. K. Butterfield, US Congressman (D-NC), former Superior Court
       judge and state Supreme Court justice.
     * Earl Cameron, actor.
     * Diana Dill, actress and mother of Michael and Joel Douglas.
     * Michael Douglas, actor/director.
     * Major-General Glyn Charles Anglim Gilbert, highest-ranking Bermudan
       soldier.
     * Shaun Goater, former Manchester City F.C. striker.
     * Edward Harris, archaeologist and creator of the Harris matrix
       method of archaeological stratigraphy.
     * Lance Hayward, jazz pianist.
     * Clarence Hill, Olympic boxing bronze-medal winner.
     * Heather Nova, musician.
     * Mary Prince, slave whose narrative History of Mary Prince helped to
       end slavery in the British Empire.
     * Arthur Rankin, Jr., film producer, director and co-founder of the
       Rankin/Bass production company.
     * Clarence "Nicky" Saunders, Commonwealth high jump gold-medal
       winner.
     * Gina Swainson, former Miss World 1979-1980.
     * Edward "Teddy" Tucker, diver and treasure hunter.
     * David B. Wingate, naturalist.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
