Bermuda (/bɜrˈmjuːdə/ "Ber-myu-dah"; officially,the Bermudas orSomers Islands) is aBritish overseasterritory in the NorthAtlantic Ocean. The land has one mainisland and 180 smaller islands. Bermuda is a populartourist place, with mildweather during the winter months.
Bermuda was discovered in 1505 by Spanish navigatorJuan de Bermúdez (who said it to be inhabited only withpigs), after whom the islands are named. Bermúdez claimed it for theSpanish Empire. Unoccupied, the island was settled by England in 1609, making it the oldest and mostpopulous remaining British overseas territory. Its first capital, St George's, was founded in 1612 and is the oldest continuously inhabited English town in theAmericas.[4]
The territory has 181 islands. The total area is 53.3 square kilometres (20.6 sq mi). The largest island isMain Island, sometimes itself calledBermuda.
Bermuda has a subtropicalclimate.[5] The weather ishumid and, as a result, thesummertime heat index can be high, even though mid-Augusttemperatures rarely exceed30 °C(86 °F). Winters are mild, with average daytime temperatures in January and February around20 °C (68 °F). The temperature rarely drops below 10 °C(50 °F).
Bermuda is very likely to be affected byhurricanes. The island's small size means that directlandfalls are rare. The last hurricane to cause significant damage to Bermuda wascategory 3Hurricane Fabian on 5 September 2003.
The only source offresh water in Bermuda is rainfall. It is collected on roofs and catchments and stored in tanks. Each home usually has at least one of these tanks forming part of its foundation.
When discovered, Bermuda had no people. It was mostly covered by forests ofBermuda cedar, withmangrovemarshes along its shores. Only 165 of the island's current 1000vascular plantspecies are considerednative. Of those 15, including the cedar, areendemic.
Many species of palm trees have been introduced to Bermuda.Coconut palms grow there, making it the furthest north place for the natural growth of this species. While coconuts grow on Bermuda, the lack of heat does not usually let them properly set fruit.
Despite their names, Jones Village (in Warwick), Cashew City (St. George's), Claytown (Hamilton), Middle Town (Pembroke) andTucker's Town (St. George's) are merely neighborhoods. Dandy Town and North Village are sports clubs and Harbour View Village is a smallpublic housing development.
Bermuda has awealthyeconomy, withfinance as its largest sector, followed bytourism.[4][7] In 2005, Bermuda was even claimed to have the world's highestGDPper capita, yet thesestatistics are hard to verify as Bermuda is not classified as a country but rather as aterritory of the U.K.
Map ofBermuda, showing many of the islands (right-click map to enlarge).
One of Bermuda's pink sand beaches, at Astwood Park
Bermuda's pink sand beaches and clear,cerulean blue ocean waters are popular with tourists. Many of Bermuda's hotels are along the south shore of the island. In addition to its beaches, there are a number of sightseeing attractions. Historic St George's is aWorld Heritage Site.Scuba divers can explore manywrecks andcoral reefs in shallow water (typically 30–40 feet (9.1–12.2 m) in depth) with nearly unlimited visibility. Many nearby reefs are easy to access from shore bysnorkellers, especially atChurch Bay.
Bermuda's most popular visitor attraction is the Royal Naval Dockyard. It includes the Bermuda Maritime Museum. Other attractions include theBermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo,[8] Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the Botanical Gardens, lighthouses, and the Crystal Caves with its impressivestalactites and underground saltwater pools.
It is not possible to rent a car on the island. However, visitors can hire motorscooters for use as private transport, or use public transport.
Music and dance are important in Bermuda. Noted musicians have included local iconsThe Talbot Brothers, who performed for many decades both in Bermuda and the United States, and were onEd Sullivan's televised variety show. Other musicians are jazz pianistLance Hayward, singer-songwriterHeather Nova and her brother,Mishka,tenorGary Burgess, classical musician and conductorKenneth Amis, and more recently, dancehall artistCollie Buddz.
Bermuda's national cricket team was in theCricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies. Their most famous player isDwayne Leverock. Also very well known isDavid Hemp. The yearly "Cup Match" cricket tournament between rival parishes St George's in the east and Somerset in the west is the time for a popular national holiday.
In 2007 Bermuda hosted the 25thPGA Grand Slam of Golf. The event returned to Bermuda again in 2008 and 2009. Bermudian Quinn Talbot was once the World one-armed golf champion.
At the2004 Summer Olympics, Bermuda competed in sailing, athletics, swimming, diving, triathlon and equestrian events. In those Olympics, Bermuda'sKatura Horton-Perinchief made history by becoming the first black female diver in the Olympic Games. Bermuda has had one Olympic medallist,Clarence Hill,. Hill won a bronze medal in boxing. Bermuda also was in Men'sSkeleton at the2006 Winter Olympics inTurin,Italy.Jillian Teceira was in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Bermuda also competes in the biennialIsland Games. It will host in 2013.
Bermuda has a proudRugby Union community. The Bermuda Rugby Union team won the 2011 Caribbean championships – defeatingGuyana in the final.
Bermuda is the easternmost point of the so-called "Bermuda Triangle"– a region of sea in which a number ofaircraft andships have allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Some people think there is apattern to the disappearances, while other people think it is onlycoincidence.
↑"Bermuda 2010 Census"(PDF). Bermuda Department of Statistics. December 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 28 February 2013. Retrieved20 November 2012.
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