]! ^! 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. A referendum on independence was soundly defeated in 1995. 
]" ^" North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina (US) ^# 32 20 N, 64 45 W ^$ North America ^% `! 53.3 sq km `" 53.3 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& about one-third the size of Washington, DC ^' 0 km ^( 103 km ^) `$ 12 nm `a 200 nm ^* subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter ^+ low hills separated by fertile depressions ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Town Hill 76 m ^- limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism ^. `' 20% `( 0% `) 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2001) ^/ NA ^0 hurricanes (June to November) ^1 asbestos disposal; water pollution; preservation of open space; sustainable development ^2 consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 
]# ^3 65,365 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 18.9% (male 6,177/female 6,154) `+ 69.2% (male 22,422/female 22,828) `, 11.9% (male 3,378/female 4,406) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 39.76 years `- 38.78 years `. 40.58 years (2005 est.) ^6 0.64% (2005 est.) ^7 11.6 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 7.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.02 male(s)/female `0 1 male(s)/female `+ 0.98 male(s)/female `, 0.77 male(s)/female `1 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 8.53 deaths/1,000 live births `- 10.14 deaths/1,000 live births `. 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 77.79 years `- 75.7 years `. 79.91 years (2005 est.) ^= 1.89 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> NA ^? NA ^@ NA ^A `2 Bermudian(s) `3 Bermudian ^B black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census) ^C Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census) ^D English (official), Portuguese ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 98% `- 98% `. 99% (1970 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 none `5 Bermuda `X Somers Islands ^G overseas territory of the UK ^H parliamentary British overseas territory with internal self-government ^I Hamilton ^J 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick ^K none (overseas territory of the UK) ^L Bermuda Day, 24 May ^M 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 ^N English law ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002) `7 Premier William Alexander SCOTT (since 24 July 2003); Deputy Premier Ewart BROWN `8 Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor `9 none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor ^Q bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms) `9 last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held July 2008) `: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14 ^R Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts ^S Progressive Labor Party or PLP [William Alexander SCOTT]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Grant GIBBONS] ^T Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES] ^U Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO, Egmont Group, Caribbean Financial Action Task Force ^V none (overseas territory of the UK) ^W `N Deputy Chief of Mission Antoinette BOECKER `R Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 `[ P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 `P [1] (441) 295-1342 `Q [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233 ^X red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag 
]% ^Y Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, nearly equal to that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. The effects of 11 September 2001 have had both positive and negative ramifications for Bermuda. On the positive side, a number of new reinsurance companies have located on the island, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. On the negative side, Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - was severely hit as American tourists chose not to travel. Tourism rebounded somewhat in 2002-04. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited, only 20% of the land being arable. ^Z $2.33 billion (2003 est.) ^[ 2% (2003 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $36,000 (2003 est.) ^] `; 1% `< 10% `= 89% (2002 est.) ^^ 37,470 (2000) ^_ agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 22%, professional and technical 17%, administrative and managerial 13%, sales 8%, services 20% (2000 est.) ^` 5% (2002 est.) ^a 19% (2000) _! `> NA `? NA _" 3.3% (mid-2003 est.) _# `@ $671.1 million `A $594.6 million, including capital expenditures of $55 million (FY03/04) _$ bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products _% tourism, international business, light manufacturing _& NA% _' 643 million kWh (2002) _( 598 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ $879 million (2002) _0 reexports of pharmaceuticals _1 France 73.2%, UK 6.2%, Spain 2.4% (2004) _2 $5.523 billion (2002) _3 machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals _4 Kazakhstan 39.2%, France 16.2%, Japan 13.1%, Italy 9.2%, South Korea 8.8%, US 6.4% (2004) _5 $160 million (FY99/00) _6 NA _7 Bermudian dollar (BMD) _8 Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) _9 1 April - 31 March 
]& _: 56,000 (2002) _; 37,873 (2003) _< `B good `C fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic trunk lines `D country code - 1-441; 3 fiber optic submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _= AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2004) _> 4 (2004) _? .bm _@ 5,161 (2001) _A 34,500 (2003) 
]' _B `! 450 km `E 450 km `F 0 km note: public roads - 209 km; private roads - 241 km (2002) _C Hamilton, Saint George _K `! 108 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,845,326 GRT/6,501,782 DWT by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 6, container 22, liquefied gas 13, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7 `S 103 (Australia 2, Canada 20, Finland 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Hong Kong 5, Indonesia 1, Nigeria 8, Norway 5, Sweden 9, Switzerland 2, United Kingdom 27, United States 20) `\ 1 (2005) _D 1 (2004 est.) _E `! 1 `G 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Bermuda Regiment _N $4.03 million (2001) _O 0.11% (FY00/01) _G defense is the responsibility of the UK 
]) _H none 