Bermuda

The World> Bermuda

Bermuda (officially, The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 km (1,100 mi) northeast of Miami, Florida and 1350 km (840 mi) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about 1030 km (640 mi) west-northwest. It is the oldest and most populous remaining British overseas territory, settled by England a century before the Acts of Union that created the British Empire.



Although commonly referred to in the singular, the territory consists of approximately 138 islands, with a total area of 53.3 km² (20.6 sq. mi.). 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\", three 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 (each known as St. George\'s), whereas 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 giving it the world\'s highest GDP per capita in 2005. It has a sub-tropical climate, pink beaches, and cerulean blue oceans.



Bermuda is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly 580 nautical miles (1070 km, 670 mi) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and roughly 590 nautical miles (1100 km, 690 mi) southeast of Martha\'s Vineyard (see map). It has 103 km (64 mi) of coastline. There are two incorporated municipalities in Bermuda: the City of Hamilton and the Town of St. George. Bermuda is divided into various \"Parishes\", in which there are some localities called \"villages\", such as Flatts Village, Tucker\'s Town and Somerset Village.



Although Bermuda\'s latitude is similar to that of Savannah, Georgia, the subtropical climate of Bermuda is warmed by the nearby Gulf Stream. The climate is humid and, as a result, the summertime heat index can be high, even though mid-August temperatures rarely exceed 30°C (86°F). Winters are mild, with average daytime temperatures in January and February around 20°C (68°F), although the occasional Atlantic winter storms can produce powerful winds and heavy rain, with the \"apparent air temperature\" feeling like 5°C (40°F), even though the actual temperature rarely drops 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.



Subdivisions of Bermuda



Bermuda is divided into nine parishes and two municipalities.



Bermuda\'s nine parishes are:



* Devonshire

* Hamilton

* Paget

* Pembroke

* St George\'s

* Sandys

* Smith\'s

* Southampton

* Warwick



Bermuda\'s two municipalities are:



* Hamilton (City)

* St. George\'s (Town)


This article is licensed under the GNU Licence

The regions of Bermuda

Members currently in Bermuda

Members from Bermuda

Last Yachts spotted in Bermuda

DateLocationYacht
2007-10-03Click here to see this country page. Saint GeorgeOctopus
2007-04-23Click here to see this country page. HamiltonDream

Last Blogs from Bermuda