Profile of Bermuda Paper Example

Introduction

Bermuda is a British overseas territory found in the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies approximately 1070 km southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; 1,759 km north of Cuba and 1,236 km south of Cape Island, Nova Scotia. The capital city of Bermuda is Hamilton. The island governs itself and has its constitution and local government that helps to enact laws. However, the United Kingdom holds the responsibility of providing defense and foreign relations.

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The two largest economic sectors in the island are offshore insurance, tourism and reinsurance. It recorded one of the world's highest GDP per capita in the 20th century. It has a subtropical climate and lies within the hurricane belt. As a result, it is prone to severe weather conditions. The island is protected by a coral reef that surrounds it. Its location at the north of the belt limits the adverse effects of any approaching storms.

History

The first European to reach the island of Bermuda was the Spanish sea captain Juan de Berudez in 1505, whom the island was named after. In 1609, an English Virginia Company established Jamestown in Virginia and settled permanently in Bermuda after a hurricane. The crew and the passengers of the sea venture steered the company to the surrounding reef to prevent it from sinking, causing them to land ashore. The island was then administered as an extension of Virginia in 1614 by the company. The English took over management from 1615 to 1684. It then became a British colony after the 1707 unification of parliaments of England and Scotland. Bermuda rose to be the oldest remaining overseas British territories after the Newfoundland was considered as part of Canada in 1949. It became the most populous and independent territory from 2002 overseas territory. St. George's was its first capital established in 1612.

Geography

Bermuda is a group of low-forming volcanoes in the Atlantic Ocean located near the western edge of the Sargasso Sea, east-southeast of Cape Hatteras and southeast of Martha's Vineyard of Massachusetts. The islands lie in the east of Fripp Island, southeast of New York City, west-northwest of Cape Verde, north of Cuba and the north-northwest of Brazil. It has a coastline of 103 km. The two municipalities that are incorporated in Bermuda include the Town of St George and the City of Hamilton. The island is divided into nine parishes with localities called villages such as the Somerset Village and the Flatts Village.

The territory is made up of 181 islands that are usually referred to in singular with a total area of 53.3 square kilometers. The largest is the main island that is in some cases referred to as Bermuda. Eight of the large islands are connected by bridges and are the most populated islands in the region. There exist two islands named the long island, three bays named long bays, two horseshoe bays, two cutting through roads called Khyber Pass, and two St. George's Towns, i.e. St. George's Parish and St. George's Island. In addition to the city of Hamilton, there exists Hamilton Parish. It is located in the northernmost point of the Bermuda Triangle.

Main sights

Bermuda contains various attraction sights that make the place worth visiting. It has pink sand beaches and clear, cerulean blue ocean water bodes that are prominent tourist attraction sites. Many of the Bermuda hotels are located along the southern shores of the island. Moreover, there is a myriad of sightseeing attractions in addition to its beaches. St. George's forms a designated world heritage site in the island. Scuba divers can explore numerous coral reefs and wrecks in relatively shallow water levels and virtually unlimited visibility. Moreover, the nearby reefs are easily visible and accessible from the shores by snorkelers at the Church Bay. The most popular tourist attraction in the region is the Royal Naval Dockyard that includes the Bermuda Maritime Museum, Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, Bermuda Aquarium, museum and zoo and the Botanical Gardens. Other attractions include Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, Crystal Caves with stalactites, lighthouses and underground saltwater pools (Rushe & Heaton).

Climatic conditions

Bermuda experiences a humid subtropical climate. It is warmed up by its low latitude and the nearby Gulf Stream. The islands experience modestly cooler temperatures in January, February and March averaging 17 degrees celsius. It never experiences snow, frost or freeze. The summertime heat index in the island can be high, though the temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees Celsius in mid-august. The only source of fresh water is rainfall and is collected in roofs and catchments and is stored in tanks (Rushe & Heaton). The average monthly rainfall is highest in October and lowest during April and May.

Flora and fauna

Bermuda is mostly dominated by mangrove marshes and Bermuda cedar located along its shores. The semi-tropical climate allows settlers to introduce various species of trees and plants to the island including fruit trees, palm trees and bananas that are highly grown. The indigenous mammals in Bermuda include bats and its national bird (the Bermuda petrel). Others include land vertebrates such as the Bermuda rock skink and the diamond terrapin.

Languages

The dominant language in Bermuda in the Bermudian English. It displays aspects of West Indian, British and American English. It is more closely related to the acrolectal English. Portuguese is also a prominent language in the island owing to immigrants from Portugal, Azores and Cape Verde (Rushe & Heaton).

Religion

Various religious bodies exist in Bermuda. They include Protestants, Seventh Day Adventist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of God, Salvation Army, Roman Catholic, Muslim and other Christians.

Works Cited

Rushe, George, and Pauline Heaton. "Bermuda | Geography, History, & Facts." Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., 2018. Web. 6 Aug. 2018.