Info for Bermuda

The Parliamentary British Colony of Bermuda, situated in the western Atlantic Ocean 1,062 km. east of North Carolina, has an area of 53.3 sq. km. and a population of 66,500. Capital: Hamilton. Concentrated essences, beauty preparations, and cut flowers are exported. Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue.