ResourcesOverview
Bermuda is an isolated group of 150 limestone islands in the Sargasso Sea area of the Western North Atlantic Ocean more than 1 000 kilometers from continental USA. Most of the land area is represented by five islands which are joined together by causeways. These islands are the high points of the Bermuda Platform – the nearby Plantagenet and Challenger Banks rise to 50 meters below sea level. Together the three banks crown the Bermuda Rise, a midplate hotspot of similar origin to Hawai‘i, although geologically older. Water in excess of 8 000 meters depth occurs just 6 kilometers to the northwest of Bermuda, as the sides of the Bermuda Rise fall steeply to the ocean floor.
The Bermuda Platform is 1 400 kilometers from the nearest hermatypic coral reefs, in Florida and the Bahamas, yet supports the northernmost coral reefs of the Atlantic. A sub-tropical climate maintains shallow water temperatures above 19°C in winter, with a summer maximum of 27°C. The northerly occurrence of such warm temperatures, at a similar latitude to the Canary Islands, is due to the Gulf Stream which passes to the north and west of Bermuda.
Bermuda has a very high human population density. It also enjoys one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world, through both the provision of financial services and the development of luxury tourist facilities for 600 000 annual visitors. The tourist industry accounts for an estimated 28 percent of gross domestic product and attracts 84 percent of its business from North America. The industrial sector is small, and agriculture is severely limited by a lack of suitable land. Domestic waste is the main source of terrestrial pollution. The occasional grounding of large vessels is also a problem for the reefs. Queen conch are reported to be commercially extinct, but other reef fisheries are at a low level and appear to be sustainable. In general, marine conservation enjoys priority status, with a high level of protection afforded to about a quarter of the Bermudan coral reefs through two coral reef preserves, three seasonally protected no-take fishing areas, nine large protected dive sites and a further 20 smaller ones. The latter are mostly wrecks on the reef substrate, and many are now important reef habitats in their own right. All fishing is prohibited in these areas. Recreational fishers elsewhere have bag limits, and commercial trap fishing for finfish was totally banned in 1990. Recently the number of convictions for use of illegal fish traps has increased in Bermuda.
Geography
Area: 58.8 sq. km. (22.7 sq. mi.).
Cities: Capital--Hamilton (pop. 1,100). Other city--St. George (pop. 1,650).
Terrain: Hilly islands.
Climate: Subtropical.
People
Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12% definition: age 12 and over can read and write
total population: 95% black (predominant), mulatto, white
male: 95%
female: 95% (1984 est.)
Economy
GDP: Estimated at $3.4 billion; 7% ($220 million) of GDP comes from tourism and 14% ($468 million) from international companies.
GDP growth rate: 3.8%. (Real GDP is expected to contract by 1.5% in 2002)
Per capita GDP: $54,291.
Inflation rate: 2.9% (2001).
Natural resource: Limestone, used primarily for building.
Agriculture: Products--semitropical produce, dairy products, flowers.
Industry: Types--finance, insurance, structural concrete products, paints, perfumes, furniture.
Trade: Exports (../../includes re-exports)--$36.1 million: semitropical produce, light manufactures. Imports--$720 million: chemicals, food and live animals, machinery/transport, miscellaneous manufactures. Major suppliers--U.S. 74%, U.K. 5%, Canada 7%, Caribbean countries 3% (mostly
Profile
Because Bermuda is a British overseas territory, U.S. policy toward the United Kingdom is the basis of U.S.-Bermudian relations. In the early 20th century, as modern transportation and communication systems developed, Bermuda became a popular destination for wealthy U.S., British, and Canadian tourists. In addition, the tariff enacted by the U.S. against its trading partners in 1930 cut off Bermuda's once-thriving agricultural export trade--primarily fresh vegetables to the United States--and helped spur the overseas territory to develop its tourist industry, which is second behind international business in terms of economic importance to the island.
History
Bermuda is an archipelago consisting of seven main islands and many smaller islands and islets lying about 1,050 kilometers (650 mi.) east of North Carolina. The main islands--with hilly terrain and subtropical climate--are clustered together and connected by bridges; they are considered to be a geographic unit and are referred to as the Island of Bermuda.
Bermuda was discovered in 1503 by a Spanish explorer, Juan de Bermudez, who made no attempt to land because of the treacherous reef surrounding the uninhabited islands. In 1609, a group of British colonists led by Sir George Somers was shipwrecked and stranded on the islands for 10 months.
Their reports aroused great interest about the islands in England, and in 1612 King James extended the Charter of the Virginia Company to include them. Later that year, about 60 British colonists arrived and founded the town of St. George, the oldest continuously inhabited English-speaking settlement in the Western Hemisphere. Representative government was introduced to Bermuda in 1620, and it became a self-governing colony.
Due to the islands' isolation, for many years Bermuda remained an outpost of 17th-century British civilization, with an economy based on the use of the islands' cedar trees for shipbuilding and the salt trade. Hamilton, a centrally located port founded in 1790, became the seat of government in 1815.
Slaves from Africa were brought to Bermuda soon after the colony was established. The slave trade was outlawed in Bermuda in 1807, and all slaves were freed in 1834. Today, about 60% of Bermudians are of African descent.
In the early 20th century, Bermuda's tourism industry began to develop and thrive; Bermuda has prospered economically since World War II. Internal self-government was bolstered by the establishment of a formal constitution in 1968; debate about independence has ensued, although a 1995 independence referendum was defeated.
Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center,
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