General Information: According to A2zdirectory, Bermuda was first settled by shipwrecked English colonists heading for Virginia in 1609. Tourism for those wishing to take a break from the North American winter began to develop already in the Victorian era. Bermuda has also been successful in establishing an offshore financial centre. The majority of those who took part in the 1995 referendum spoke out against independence. Geography
Geography
Location: North America, a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of North Carolina (USA).
Geographic coordinates: 32° 20′ N. latitude, 64° 45′ W
Reference map: North America.
Area: total: 58.8 km2; land surface area: 58.8 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: about 0.3 the area of Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 103 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing rights zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: subtropical; soft, wet; storms and strong winds are not uncommon in winter.
Terrain: Low hills separate fertile plains.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m; highest point: Town Hill 76 m.
Natural resources: limestone, pleasant climate conducive to tourism.
Land use: arable land: 6%; cultivated land: 0%; pasture: 0%; forests and plantations: 0%; others: 94% (55% built-up, 39% rural/open) (1997 est.).
Irrigated land: no data.
Natural Hazards: Hurricanes (June to November).
Current environmental issues: asbestos disposal; water pollution; preservation of free spaces.
International environmental agreements:
Geography note: consists of approximately 360 small coral islands with adequate rainfall but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some tracts of drained and other land were leased by the US government from 1941 to 1995.
Population
Population: 63,503 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 19.4% (male 6,091; female 6,230); 15 to 64 years old: 69.43% (male 21,783; female 22,309); over 65: 11.17% (male 3,073; female 4,017) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 0.74% (2000 est.).
Birth rate: 12.16 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 7.42 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: 2.66 /1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 0.94 male/female; up to 15 years: 0.98 male/female; 15 to 64 years old: 0.98 male/female; over 65: 0.76 male/female; for the general population: 0.95 male/female (2001 est.).
Child mortality: 9.55 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 77.12 years; men: 75.04 years; women: 79.06 years (2001 est.).
General birth rate: 1.81 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
Mortality due to AIDS: no data available.
Nationality: noun: Bermuda; adjective: Bermudian.
Ethnic groups: black 58%, white 36%, other 6%.
Believers: Protestant (non-Anglican) 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 19%.
Language(s): English (official), Portuguese.
Literacy: definition: persons aged 15 and over who can read and write; for the general population: 98%; men: 98%; women: 99% (1970 est.). State Name:
Politics
Common long form: no;
Common short form: Bermuda. Dependency State: British Overseas Territory.
State structure: Parliamentary British Overseas Territory with internal self-government.
Capital: Hamilton.
Administrative division: 9 districts and 2 municipalities*: Hamilton, Hamilton*, Devonshire, Page, Pembroke, Southampton, St. George, St. George*, Smith, Sandys, Warwick.
Independence: none (overseas territory of Great Britain).
National holiday: Bermuda Day, 24 May.
Constitution: adopted June 8, 1968, amended in 1989
Legal system: English law.
Suffrage: from 18 pet; general
head of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Thorold MASEFIELD (since June 1997);
head of government: Prime Minister Jennifer SMITH (since 10 November 1998)
Government: cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the governor; elections: no; hereditary monarchy; the governor is appointed by the monarch; the governor invites the leader of the party with the largest faction in Parliament to form a government as prime minister.
Legislature: the bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 members appointed by the governor) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members are elected by popular vote for five years); elections: last held 9 November 1998 (next to be held November 2003); election results: distribution of votes between parties; PLP 54%, UBP 44%, NLP 1%, independents 1%; distribution of seats among parties: PLP26, UBP 14.
Judiciary: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, lower courts.
Political parties and leaders: National Liberal Party (NLP) (Dessaline WALDRON); Progressive Labor Party (PLP) (Jennifer SMITH); United Bermuda Party (UBP) (Pamela GORDON).
Political influence groups and their leaders: Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) (Derrick BURGESS); Bermuda Public Service Association (BPSA) (Betty CHRISTOPHER).
Participation in international organizations: Ca-ricom (observer), CCC, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC.
Diplomatic representation in the United States: none (overseas territory of Great Britain).
US Mission: Chief of Mission: Consul General Lawrence OWEN; consulates general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire, Hamilton; mailing address: R. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-5300; phone: [1] (441) 295-1342; fax: [1] (441) 295-1592.
Flag Description: red, with the flag of Great Britain in the upper left part and the coat of arms of Bermuda (a white and blue shield with a red lion holding a scroll depicting the sinking ship “Sea Venture”, lost off Bermuda in 1609) in the center of the outer part of the flag.
Economy
Economy Overview: Bermuda has one of the highest per capita income levels in the world as the country capitalizes on its position by offering financial services to international corporations and providing luxury travel services to 360,000 people annually. The tourism industry, which provides approximately 28% of GDP, receives 84% of its income from North Americans. The industrial sector is small and agriculture is limited by the lack of suitable land. About 80% of food products are imported. International business makes up about 60% of Bermuda’s economy; the vote against independence in a referendum at the end of 1995 can be explained in part by a desire not to scare away foreign companies. The economic priorities of the government are the further development of tourism and the financial services sector.
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity $2.1 billion (2000 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: 1.5% (2000 est.).
GDP per capita: Purchasing Power Parity $33,000 (1999 est.)
The composition of GDP by sectors of the economy: agriculture: 1%; industry: 10%; services: 89% (1995 est.).
Proportion of the population below the poverty line: no data available.
Percentage distribution of household income or consumption: 10% of the poorest households account for: n/a; 10% of the wealthiest families account for: no data.
Inflation rate at consumer prices: 2.7% (2000 est.).
Labor force: 35,296 people (1997).
Employment structure: employees 23%, service workers 22%, workers 17%, skilled professionals and technicians 17%, administrative workers and managers 12%, employed in trade 7%, employed in agriculture and fishing 2% (1996).
Unemployment rate: negligible (1995).
Budget: revenues: $504.6 million; expenses: $537 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (FY97-98).
Economic sectors: tourism, finance, insurance, production of concrete structures, paints, perfumery, pharmaceutical industry, ship repair.
Growth in industrial production: no data available.
Electricity generation: 550 million kWh (1999).
Sources of electricity generation: fossil fuel: 100%; hydropower: 0%; nuclear fuel: 0%; others: 0% (1998).
Electricity consumption: 511.5 million kWh (1999)
Electricity export: 0 kWh (1999).
Electricity import: 0 kWh (1999).
Agricultural products: bananas, vegetables, citrus fruits, flowers; dairy.
Export: $56 million (2000 est.)
Export items: re-export of medicines.
Export partners: UK 29.5%, US 9.8% (1997).
Imports: $739 million (2000 est.)
Imports: machinery and transport equipment, building materials, chemicals, foodstuffs and live animals.
Import partners: US 34%, UK 9%, Mexico 8% (1997).
External debt: no data. Economic aid recipient: $27.9 million (1995)
Economic aid donor:
Currency: Bermuda dollar.
Currency code: BMD.
Exchange rate: BMD/USD – 1.0000 (fixed exchange rate).
Fiscal year: April 1-March 31.
Telecommunications
Telecommunications Telephone lines: 52,000 (1997).
Mobile Cell Phones: 9,980 (1997).
Telephone system: internal: modern, fully automated telephone system; international: 3 submarine cables; ground satellite stations – 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean).
Broadcast stations: AM – 5, FM – 3, shortwave – 0 (1998).
Radio receivers: 82,000 (1997).
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1997).
TVs: 66,000 (1997).
Internet country code: bm
Internet service providers: 20 (2000).
Number of users: 25,000 (2000).
Transport
Transport Railways: 0 km.
Motorways: total: 225 km; coated: 225 km; unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.); note: in addition there are 232 km of privately owned paved and unpaved roads.
Ports and harbors: Hamilton, St. George.
Merchant navy: total: 105 ships (displacement 1,000 tons or more) with a total displacement of 5,836,538 gross register tons / 9,728,045 long tons of carrying capacity; ships of various types: bulk carriers – 27, cargo ships – 4, container ships – 15, liquefied gas tankers – 7, passenger ships – 2, oil tankers – 23, refrigerated ships – 16, ferries for the transport of loaded vehicles – 8, coastal passenger ships – 3; note: includes foreign ships registered here for flag of convenience reasons: UK 10, Canada 10, Hong Kong 10, USA 7, Nigeria 4, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, Saudi Arabia 1, Japan 1 (2000 est.).
Airports: 1 (2000 est.).
Airports with paved runways: total: 1; from 2438 TO 3047 m: 1 (2000 est.).
Airports with unpaved runways:
Armed Forces
Branches of the Armed Forces: Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police, Bermuda Reserve Police.
Conscription age:
Total military manpower:
Eligible for military service:
Number of persons reaching draft age each year:
Military spending in dollar terms: not available.
Military spending as part of GDP: no data available. Armed Forces – Note: Defense is the responsibility of the UK.
International Issues
International issues International disputes: no.
