Bermuda
Geography
The Bermudas comprises a group of small
islands in the west Atlantic Ocean located
965.6km east of North Carolina and 1,241km
southeast of New York. The Bahamas lie
about 1,609km to the south. Bermuda
should not be confused with either the
West Indies or Caribbean.
There
are about 150 islands which evolved
from the remnants of a thick layer of
aeolin limestone. The islands are warmed
by the Gulf Stream; the coral deposits
found there are the most northerly in
the world. An extinct volcano lies submerged
along the islands' southeastern perimeter
in the shape of a fish hook. The islands
are hilly and the highest point is 79.9
metres at Town Hill in Smith's Parish.
A
series of bridges connect the main islands
which cover a total area of 52km sq.
There are no rivers or fresh water lakes
in the Bermudas. The rainfall is sufficient
for local agriculture and falls evenly
over the year. Most buildings store
rainwater in underground tanks and supplies
will be further boosted after proposed
desalination plants are completed.
The
climate is mild and humid with an average
minimum temperature of 8.3C and maximum
of 32.1. There is no frost and sea breezes
provide relief from the high temperatures.
Vegetation is lush despite the shallow
soil distributed over the islands. The
ever increasing population is rapidly
taking over the arable land.
Bermuda
Population, Language and Culture
Since
1950 the resident civilian population
has steadily increased (see table) to
65,773 people in July 2006 of mostly English,
Portuguese and West Indian descent.
| 1950 |
37,403 |
| 1960 |
42,640 |
| 1970 |
52,330 |
| 1980 |
54,050 |
| 1991 |
58,640 |
| 2001 |
64,000 |
| 2003 |
64,500 |
2005 |
65,365 |
2006 |
65,773
|
2007 |
66,163
|
2009 |
67,800 |
Population density
is around 3,160 persons per square
mile. Bermuda Standard Time is 1 hour
ahead of US Eastern Time, and 4 hours
behind GMT. There is daylight saving
time from April to October.
English
is the official language; Portuguese
is also spoken but to a lesser degree.
The Bermudas were once referred to
as the Isle of Devils because of the
many ships wrecked there. William
Shakespeare based his play "the Tempest"
on the wreck of the British flagship,
"Sea Venture" which set sail in 1609
carrying supplies to the Virginia
Colony. The ship was wrecked near
the shores of Bermuda during a storm
and the survivors discovered the island,
its lush fruits and wildlife.
The
islands were colonised by the British
in 1612 as the "Key to the West Indies".
Three years later the founders of
the Bermuda Company assumed the island's
administration and divided it up into
parishes named after the company's
principal investors. Bermuda is the
oldest British colony and has the
oldest Parliament in the Western Hemisphere.
In
1670 the rule of the Bermuda company
ended and the King of England took
direct control. Bermuda has since
developed as a tropical haven for
tourists with beautiful beaches, gardens,
golf courses and quaint harbours.
Nightlife centres around the larger
towns of Hamilton and St George. Bermudians
like to boast that there is no illiteracy,
no unemployment and no income tax.
Bermuda
Government
Bermuda is a self-governing British Crown
Colony and forms part of the Commonwealth.
Its legal system is based on English common
law. The Crown appoints the Governor and
Britain is responsible for the Island's
external affairs, defence, internal security
and the police. Bermuda has an elected
House of Assembly and an appointed Upper
House (Senate).
Parliamentary
elections in December 2007 returned the
Progessive Labour Party to power with
22 seats to the United Bermuda Party's
14. The Progressive Labour Party was fighting
for a third consecutive term while the
United Bermuda Party was bidding to return
to power after a decisive defeat ended
a 30-year term of power.
The
Premier, since 30 October, 2006, has been
Ewart Brown, and the Deputy Premier is
Paula Cox.
In
a 1995 vote, the island's population rejected
a proposal to become independent, partly
perhaps out of concern for Bermuda's highly
successful financial services industry.
However, agitation for independence continues.
In
2005 the
UK government hinted that its preferred
method of settling the question of independence
for Bermuda would be to hold a referendum
on the subject. UK Overseas Territories
Minister at the time, Bill Rammell explained
that: "As the grant of independence by
the UK requires the prior approval of
Parliament, the UK Government needs to
be satisfied that, if a territory moves
to independence, it does so on the basis
of the clearly and constitutionally expressed
wish of the people."
He
went on to add: “The move to independence
is a fundamental step. Increasingly in
the UK, major constitutional issues of
this kind are being put to a referendum.
At this time, the presumption of the UK
Government is that a referendum would
be the way of testing opinion in those
territories where independence is an option.
But a final decision on whether to go
the referendum route, and what form the
referendum might take, would need to be
determined by the UK on a case-by-case
basis, reflecting the uniqueness and individual
characteristics of each territory.”
The
Bermudian government however is known
to favour deciding the sovereignty question
via a General Election.
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