View source for Bermuda

{{Short description|British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic}}
{{About|the British Overseas Territory}}
{{Distinguish|Barbuda}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox dependency
 | name = Bermuda Islands
 | settlement_type = [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]]
 | image_flag = Flag of Bermuda.svg
 | flag_size = 150px
 | flag_link = Flag of Bermuda
 | image_seal = Coat of arms of Bermuda.svg
 | seal_size = 70px
 | seal_type = Coat of arms
 | seal_link = Coat of arms of Bermuda
 | motto = {{native phrase|la|"Quo Fata Ferunt"|italics=on}}<br />({{langx|en|"Whither the [[Fates]] carry (us)"}})<ref name="World Factbook">
{{cite web
 |title=Bermuda |series=North America |date=July 2018
 |website=[[The World Factbook]]
 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bermuda/
 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 February 2019
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109202200/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bermuda
 |archive-date=9 January 2021
}} {{CIA World Factbook}}
</ref>
 | anthem = "[[God Save the King]]"{{Efn|"God Save the King" is the [[national anthem]] by custom, not statute, and there is no authorised version. Typically only the first verse is usually sung, although the second verse is also often sung as well at state and public events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Anthem |url=https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/national-anthem |access-date=10 April 2024 |website=The Royal Family |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520130352/https://www.royal.uk/encyclopedia/national-anthem |url-status=live }}</ref> The words ''King, he, him, his'', used at present, are replaced by ''Queen, she, her'' when the monarch is female.}}<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:United States Navy Band - God Save the Queen.ogg|God Save the King / Queen <!-- Do not change file name due to computer error without ensuring that the file is playable. -->]]</div>
 | song_type = '''Territorial anthem'''
 | song = "[[Hail to Bermuda]]"<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:Hail to Bermuda.ogg]]</div>
 | image_map = {{switcher|[[File:United Kingdom on the globe (Bermuda special) (Americas centered).svg|250px]]|Show the Western Hemisphere|
[[File:Bermuda in United Kingdom.svg|250px]]|Show the North Atlantic}}
 | map_caption =
 | image_map2 =
 | mapsize2 =
 | map_caption2 =
 | subdivision_type = [[Sovereign state]]
 | subdivision_name = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
 | established_title2 = English settlement
 | established_date2 = {{start date and age|1609}} (officially becoming part of the [[Colony of Virginia]] in {{start date and age|1612}})
 | official_languages = [[English language|English]]
 | demonym = {{Hlist|[[Demographics of Bermuda|Bermudian]]}}
 | capital = [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]]
 | coordinates = {{Coord|32|17|46|N|64|46|58|W|type:city_region:BM}}
 | largest_city = [[St. George's, Bermuda|St. George's]]<br />{{coord|32|22|46|N|64|40|40|W|type:city_region:BM|display=inline}}
 | ethnic_groups = {{plainlist|
* 52% [[Black Bermudian|Black]]
* 31% [[White Bermudian|White]]
* 9% [[Multiracial]]
* 4% [[Asian Caribbean|Asian]]
* 4% others
}}
 | ethnic_groups_year = 2016<ref name="Bermuda 2016 Census">
{{cite web
 |title=Bermuda 2016 Census
 |date=December 2016
 |publisher=Bermuda Department of Statistics
 |url=https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/2016%20Census%20Report.pdf
 |url-status=live |access-date=22 March 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715222940/https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/2016%20Census%20Report.pdf
 |archive-date=15 July 2020
}}
</ref>
 | government_type = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary]] [[dependent territory|dependency]] under a [[constitutional monarchy]]
 | leader_title1 = [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|Monarch]]
 | leader_name1 = {{Current UK monarch |Charles III}}
 | leader_title2 = [[Governor of Bermuda|Governor]]
 | leader_name2 = [[Andrew Murdoch (civil servant)|Andrew Murdoch]]
 | leader_title3 = [[List of premiers of Bermuda|Premier]]
 | leader_name3 = [[David Burt (politician)|David Burt]]
 | legislature = [[Parliament of Bermuda|Parliament]]
 | upper_house = [[Senate of Bermuda|Senate]]
 | lower_house = [[House of Assembly of Bermuda|House of Assembly]]
 | national_representation = [[Government of the United Kingdom]]
 | national_representation_type1 = [[Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories|Minister]]
 | national_representation1 = [[Stephen Doughty]]
 | area_km2 = 53.2
 | area_sq_mi = 20.54
 | area_rank = <!-- Area rank should match List of countries and dependencies by area:none -->
 | percent_water = 27
 | elevation_max_m = 79{{efn|On [[Town Hill, Bermuda|Town Hill]]}}
 | population_estimate = 63,913<ref name="Bermuda {{!}} Data">
{{cite web
 |title=Data
 |series=Bermuda
 |publisher=World Bank
 |url=https://data.worldbank.org/country/BM
 |url-status=live |access-date=9 August 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809152352/https://data.worldbank.org/country/BM
 |archive-date=9 August 2021
}}
</ref>
 | population_estimate_year = 2019
 | population_estimate_rank = 205th
 | population_census = 63,779
 | population_census_year = 2016
 | population_density_km2 = 1,338
 | population_density_sq_mi = 3,489
 | population_density_rank = 10th
 | GDP_nominal = US$7.484&nbsp;billion<ref name="Bermuda {{!}} Data" />
 | GDP_nominal_rank = 161st
 | GDP_nominal_year = 2019
 | GDP_nominal_per_capita = US$117,097
 | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 4th <!-- not listed by IMF; rank based on CIA Factbook -->
 | Gini =
 | Gini_year =
 | Gini_change = <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
 | Gini_ref =
 | HDI_year = 2013 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
 | HDI_change = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
 | HDI =0.981
 | HDI_ref =
 | HDI_rank =
 | currency = [[Bermudian dollar]] ($)
 | currency_code = BMD
 | timezone = [[Atlantic Time Zone|AST]]{{efn|
Standard time in Bermuda is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Time Zone Act
 |url=http://www.bermudalaws.bm/laws/Consolidated%20Laws/Time%20Zone%20Act%201929.pdf
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020203134/http://www.bermudalaws.bm/laws/Consolidated%20Laws/Time%20Zone%20Act%201929.pdf
 |archive-date=20 October 2020
}}
</ref>
UTC is not permitted to drift more than 0.9&nbsp;seconds from GMT.
}}
 | utc_offset = – 04:00
 | timezone_DST = [[Atlantic Time Zone|ADT]]
 | utc_offset_DST = – 03:00
 | date_format = dd/mm/yyyy
 | drives_on = left
 | calling_code = [[North American Numbering Plan|+1]]
 | iso_code = {{hlist|[[ISO 3166-2:BM|BM]]|[[ISO 3166-1 alpha-3|BMU]]}}
 | cctld = [[.bm]]
 |website=https://www.gov.bm/|common_languages=[[Bermudian English]]|native_name=|native_name_lang=}}

'''Bermuda'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|b|ər|ˈ|m|j|uː|d|ə}}}}{{efn|Historically known as '''the Bermudas''' or '''Somers Isles'''; the latter name is still bore by the official title of the [[Governor of Bermuda]] as "Governor and Commander-in-Chief of ''the Somers Isles'' (alias the Islands of Bermuda)".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/58869/map-of-bermuda-islands-alias-somers-islands-prepared-by-perm- |title=Map of Bermudas Islands alias the Somers Isles |access-date=8 May 2025 |archive-date=17 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250917002016/https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/58869/map-of-bermuda-islands-alias-somers-islands-prepared-by-perm- |url-status=live }}</ref>}} is a [[British Overseas Territories|British Overseas Territory]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]. The closest land outside the territory is in the [[U.S. state|US state]] of [[North Carolina]], about {{convert|1035|km|0|abbr=on}} to the west-northwest.

Bermuda is an [[archipelago]] consisting of [[List of islands of Bermuda|181 islands]], although the most significant islands are connected by bridges and appear to form one landmass. It has a land area of {{convert|54|km2|sqmi}}. Bermuda has a tropical climate, with warm winters and hot summers. Its climate also exhibits [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] features similar to other coastal areas in the [[Northern Hemisphere]] with warm, moist air from the ocean ensuring relatively high humidity and stabilising temperatures. Bermuda is prone to severe weather from [[Westerlies#Interaction with tropical cyclones|recurving]] [[tropical cyclones]]; however, it receives some protection from a coral reef and its position north of the [[Main Development Region]], which limits the direction and severity of approaching storms.

Divided into [[Administrative divisions of Bermuda|nine parishes]], Bermuda is a self-governing [[parliamentary democracy]] with a [[Parliament of Bermuda|bicameral parliament]] located in the capital [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]]. The [[House of Assembly of Bermuda|House of Assembly]], which is the lower house of the Parliament, dates from 1620, making it one of the world's oldest legislatures. The [[Premier of Bermuda|premier]] is the head of government and is formally appointed by the [[Governor of Bermuda|governor]], who is nominated by the British government as the representative of the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|King]]. The United Kingdom is responsible for foreign affairs and defence. An [[1995 Bermudian independence referendum|independence referendum]] was held in 1995 with a large majority voting against independence.

As of 2019, Bermuda had a population of around 64,000 people, making it the second-most populous of the British Overseas Territories. [[Black Bermudians]], a diverse population primarily of any mixture of African, European, and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] ancestry,<ref>{{cite book |author=indexed by A. C. Hollis Hallett. Updated by: C. F. E. Hollis Hallett |date=2005 |title=19th Century Church Registers of Bermuda |url=https://nmb.bm/member-portal/product/19th-century-church-registers-of-bermuda-pdf |location=Bermuda |publisher=Juniperhill Press and Bermuda Maritime Museum Press |at=Page x, Guide to the Use of this Index: Coloured and White |isbn=0-921992-23-8 |quote=Today, the term 'Coloured' as a racial distinction referring to the Black population is no longer used, but in the period covered by this index it was the usual term and has been retained......We suspect that the clergy generally made a decision whether they would describe a person as 'White', and the 'Coloured' designation was used for everyone not described as 'White'. Users of this index should not confine themselves to 'White' or 'Coloured' registers (where they are separated) but should look at both. They should also not take too seriously the indication 'Col.' or 'Wh.' that appears often under Comments; these were occasionally written into the margins of the register by the clergyman or parish clerk. |archive-date=7 April 2024 |access-date=7 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407163518/https://nmb.bm/member-portal/product/19th-century-church-registers-of-bermuda-pdf/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.21588 |title=Genetic Ancestry and Indigenous Heritage in a Native American Descendant Community in Bermuda |year=2011 |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |volume=146 |issue=3 |pages=392–405 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.21588 |pmid=21994016 |access-date=7 April 2024 |quote=the non-white population....we analyzed genetic variation among members of this community....Our results reveal that the majority of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplotypes are of African and West Eurasian origin. However, unlike other English-speaking New World colonies, most African mtDNA haplotypes appear to derive from central and south-east Africa, reflecting the extent of maritime activities in the region........RESULTS: mtDNA diversity...The majority of mtDNA lineages observed in Bermudians (68%) originated in Africa....West Eurasian haplogroups comprised 31% of the Bermudian mtDNA haplotypes..... Y-chromosome diversity...one-third of the Bermudian male participants, had three NRY haplogroups of African ancestry...West Eurasian haplogroups accounted for the majority of the male participants and the vast majority of their Y-chromosomes....More than two-thirds of the mtDNAs (68%) are of African origin, and approximately one-third of them (31%) are of European origin. By contrast, Native American lineages constitute less than 1% of Bermudian mtDNAs, somewhat less was expected based on oral histories and archival data....The NRY haplogroup data likewise reveal clear contributions from the same two major source areas. However, the trend is reversed, with European lineages accounting for 66% of St. David's Islander Y-chromosomes and African lineages accounting for 32% of them. Native American haplogroups comprised only 2% of Bermudian Y-chromosomes, less than anticipated based on oral history and archival data. |issn=0002-9483 |last1=Gaieski |first1=Jill B. |last2=Owings |first2=Amanda C. |last3=Vilar |first3=Miguel G. |last4=Dulik |first4=Matthew C. |last5=Gaieski |first5=David F. |last6=Gittelman |first6=Rachel M. |last7=Lindo |first7=John |last8=Gau |first8=Lydia |last9=Schurr |first9=Theodore G. |author10=((Genographic Consortium)) |bibcode=2011AJPA..146..392G |url-access=subscription |archive-date=7 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407172445/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.21588 |url-status=live }}</ref> make up around 50% of the population, while [[White Bermudians]], primarily of British, Irish and Portuguese descent, make up 30% of the population. There are smaller groups from other races or identifying as mixed race and about 30% of the population is not Bermudian by birth. The last remaining territory in the former [[British North America]] (following the 1867 [[Confederation of Canada]] and the [[Colony of Newfoundland]] becoming the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]] in 1907), Bermuda has [[Bermudian English|a distinct dialect]] of English and historically had strong ties with other English-speaking countries in the Americas, including the United States, Canada, and the [[Commonwealth Caribbean]]. It is an associate member of the [[Caribbean Community]].

==Human history==
{{main|History of Bermuda}}

===Discovery===
[[File:Map of Bermuda 1511 legatio babylonica.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[Peter Martyr map|First map of]] the islands of Bermuda in 1511, made by [[Peter Martyr d'Anghiera]] in his book ''Legatio Babylonica''|alt=]]
Bermuda was discovered in the early 1500s by Spanish explorer [[Juan de Bermúdez]] and named after him.<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Bermuda |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica|Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda |access-date=23 August 2019 |edition=online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528082525/https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda |archive-date=28 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Morison1974">{{Cite book |last=Morison |first=Samuel Eliot |authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison |title=The European Discovery of America: The southern voyages, 1492–1616 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-19-501377-1 |location=New York, NY |language=en}}</ref> It had no Indigenous population when it was discovered.{{sfn|McGovern|Harris|2018|p=10}} It was mentioned in ''[[Legatio Babylonica]]'', published in 1511 by historian [[Pedro Mártir|Pedro Mártir de Anglería]], and was included on Spanish charts of that year.<ref name="Frommers - History of Bermuda">{{Cite web |title=History in Bermuda |url=https://www.frommers.com/destinations/bermuda/in-depth/history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823091941/https://www.frommers.com/destinations/bermuda/in-depth/history |archive-date=23 August 2019 |access-date=23 August 2019 |website=Frommer's}}</ref> Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot to take on fresh meat and water. Shipwrecked Portuguese mariners are now thought to have been responsible for the 1543 inscription on [[Spittal Pond Nature Reserve|Portuguese Rock]], previously called Spanish Rock.<ref>{{cite web |title=Portuguese Rock |website=communityandculture.bm |place=Bermuda |publisher=Department of Community & Cultural Affairs |url=http://www.communityandculture.bm/pages/portuguese-rock |url-status=live |access-date=1 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017030428/http://www.communityandculture.bm/pages/portuguese-rock |archive-date=17 October 2018}}</ref> Legends arose of spirits and devils, now thought to have stemmed from the calls of raucous birds (most likely the [[Bermuda petrel]], or ''cahow'')<ref>{{cite news |title=The cahow: Saved from hog, rat, and man |date=2 December 1973 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/02/archives/no-longer-extinct-the-cahow-saved-from-hog-rat-and-man-cahow-david.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820015736/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/02/archives/no-longer-extinct-the-cahow-saved-from-hog-rat-and-man-cahow-david.html |archive-date=20 August 2019}}</ref> and loud nocturnal noises from introduced wild hogs.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 June 2016 |title=Haunted Bermuda: 5&nbsp;ghosts you might meet on the island |website=gotobermuda.com |publisher=Bermuda Tourism Authority |url=https://www.gotobermuda.com/list/haunted-bermuda-5-ghosts-you-might-meet-on-the-island |url-status=live |access-date=13 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919190805/https://www.gotobermuda.com/list/haunted-bermuda-5-ghosts-you-might-meet-on-the-island |archive-date=19 September 2020}}</ref> With its frequent storm-racked conditions and dangerous reefs, the archipelago became known as the "Isle of Devils".<ref>{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Juanae |date=31 October 2014 |title=Looking at the tale of the "Isle of Devils" |website=[[Bernews]] |url=http://bernews.com/2014/10/looking-tale-isle-devils/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811032854/http://bernews.com/2014/10/looking-tale-isle-devils/ |archive-date=11 August 2018}}</ref> Neither Spain nor Portugal attempted to settle it.

===Settlement by the English===
[[File:The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles by Captain John Smith.jpg|thumb|[[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]] wrote one of the first [[The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles|histories of Bermuda]] in 1624 (combined with [[Virginia]] and [[New England]]).]]
For the next century, the island was frequently visited but not settled. The English began to focus on the [[New World]], starting British colonisation in North America by establishing a colony at [[Jamestown, Virginia]] in 1607. Two years later, a [[flotilla]] of seven ships left England with several hundred settlers, food, and supplies to relieve the Jamestown colony.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicholls |first=Mark |date=3 May 2011 |title=Sir George Somers (1554–1610) |website=Encyclopedia Virginia |url=http://encyclopediavirginia.org/Somers_Sir_George_1554-1610 |url-status=live |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709030535/http://encyclopediavirginia.org/Somers_Sir_George_1554-1610 |archive-date=9 July 2012}}</ref> However, the flotilla was broken up by a storm and the flagship, the ''[[Sea Venture]]'', drove onto Bermuda's reef to prevent her sinking, resulting in the survival of all her passengers and crew.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lefroy |first=John Henry |title=Memorials of the Discovery and Early Settlement of the Bermudas or Somers Islands 1515–1685, Volume I |date=1981 |publisher=The Bermuda Historical Society and The Bermuda National Trust (the first edition having been published in 1877, with funds provided by the Government of Bermuda), printed in Canada by The University of Toronto Press |location=Bermuda |page=49}}</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/> The settlers were unwilling to move on, having now heard about the true conditions in Jamestown from the sailors, and made several attempts to rebel and stay in Bermuda. They argued that they had a right to stay and establish their own government. The new settlement became a prison labour camp and built two ships, the ''Deliverance'' and the ''Patience''.<ref name="Kelly">{{cite web |last=Kelly |first=Joseph |date=24 June 2019 |title=How the survivor of a 1609 shipwreck brought democracy to America: Stephen Hopkins, colonist at both Jamestown and Plymouth, proposed a government based on consent of the governed |url=https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2019/06/24/how-the-survivor-of-a-1609-shipwreck-brought-democracy-to-america/ideas/essay/ |access-date=19 February 2022 |website=zocalopublicsquare.org |type=essay |archive-date=26 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626112345/https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2019/06/24/how-the-survivor-of-a-1609-shipwreck-brought-democracy-to-america/ideas/essay/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1612 the English began settlement of the archipelago, officially named Virgineola,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sir George Somers |department=History of England |website=Historic-uk.com |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sir-George-Somers/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127044729/https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sir-George-Somers/ |archive-date=27 January 2021}}</ref> with arrival of the ship the ''Plough''. New London (renamed St George's Town) was settled that year and designated as the colony's first capital.<ref name=Smithsonian>{{cite magazine |title=Bermuda – history and heritage |date=6 November 2007 |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/destination-hunter/bermuda-history-heritage.html |access-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120524174308/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/destination-hunter/bermuda-history-heritage.html |archive-date=24 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="Frommers - History of Bermuda"/> It is the oldest continuously inhabited English town in the [[New World]].<ref name=Smithsonian/> In 1616 and 1620 acts were passed banning the hunting of certain birds and young [[sea turtle]]s.<ref>{{cite report |author=Meggs, Martin |title=Developing a Small Island GIS: the Bermuda Experience |publisher=Bermuda Department of Planning}}</ref> The archipelago's limited land area and resources led to the Bermuda Assembly passing ''An Act Agaynst The Killing Of Ouer Young Tortoyses'', which may be the earliest conservation law in the [[New World]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carr |first1=Archie |title=So Excellent A Fishe |date=1967 |publisher=The Natural History Press |isbn=0-292-77595-4 |page=n7 |url=https://archive.org/details/soexcellentfishe0000unse/page/n7/mode/2up?q=bermuda |access-date=25 July 2025}}</ref>

====Slavery in Bermuda====
{{main|Slavery in British America}}

In 1615 the colony, which had been renamed the Somers Isles in commemoration of Sir [[George Somers]], was passed on to the [[Somers Isles Company]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bermuda's 400th birthday |date=11 February 2009 |website=Bearboa.files.wordpress.com |url=http://bearboat.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/tvlbt-bda-bd-11feb09_sailingtravel1.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=8 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221215346/http://bearboat.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/tvlbt-bda-bd-11feb09_sailingtravel1.pdf |archive-date=21 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Somers Garden |website=Bermuda-attractions.com |url=http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_0002ae.htm |url-status=live |access-date=8 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103145820/http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda_0002ae.htm |archive-date=3 November 2012}}</ref> As Bermudians settled the [[Carolina Colony]] and contributed to establishing other [[British colonization of the Americas|English colonies in the Americas]], several other locations were named after the archipelago. During this period the first [[Slavery|slaves]] were held and trafficked to the islands. These were a mixture of native [[indigenous people of Africa|Africans]] who were trafficked to the Americas via the [[Atlantic slave trade|African slave trade]] and [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] who were enslaved from the new world colonies.<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/> The first two slaves arrived in Bermuda in 1616, not from Africa but from the West Indies, one being Black and the other Native American, after Bermuda Governor Tucker had sent the ship "''Edwin''" to the West Indies to find slaves to dive for pearls in Bermuda.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=23 February 2025 |title=Bermuda's Black History: The 17th and 18th Centuries |url=https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/bermudas-black-history-the-17th-and-18th-centuries |website=The Bermudian magazine |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermudian |access-date=27 February 2025 |archive-date=27 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227121734/https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/bermudas-black-history-the-17th-and-18th-centuries/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There proved to be no pearls to dive for. More black slaves were later trafficked to the island in large numbers, originating from America and the Caribbean.<ref name="slavery">{{cite web |title=History and Culture |url=https://bdalondonoffice.co.uk/discover-bermuda/history-and-culture/#:~:text=The%20first%20slaves%20were%20brought,Colony%20to%20import%20Black%20people. |website=bdalondonoffice.co.uk |publisher=Government of Bermuda |access-date=4 October 2024}}</ref>

As the black population grew, so did the fear of insurrection among the white settlers. In 1623 a law was passed that forbade blacks to buy or sell, barter or exchange tobacco or any other produce for goods without the consent of their master. Unrest among the slaves predictably erupted several times over the next decades.  Major rebellions occurred in 1656, 1661, 1673, 1682, 1730 and 1761. In 1761 a conspiracy was discovered that involved the majority of the blacks on the island. Six slaves were executed and all black celebrations were prohibited.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slavery in Bermuda |url=https://www.sankofabermuda.com/time-line |website=sankabermuda |publisher=Sankofa Bermuda |access-date=4 October 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007093922/https://www.sankofabermuda.com/time-line |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Slavery in Bermuda |url=https://historiclandlosscoi.bm/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AL39-Bhattacharya-2017.pdf |website=bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2 |publisher=Bermuda Attractions |access-date=4 October 2024 |archive-date=14 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114175410/https://historiclandlosscoi.bm/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AL39-Bhattacharya-2017.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===English Civil War===
{{main|English overseas possessions in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms}}

[[File:Bermuda Coronelli.jpg|thumb|Map of Bermuda by [[Vincenzo Coronelli]], 1 January 1692]]
In 1649 King [[Charles I of England|Charles&nbsp;I]] was beheaded in [[Palace of Whitehall|Whitehall]], London, in the wake of the English Civil War. The conflict spilled over into Bermuda, where most of the colonists developed a strong sense of devotion to the Crown. The royalists ousted the Somers Isles Company's Governor and elected John Trimingham as their leader (see [[Governor of Bermuda]]). Bermuda's civil war was ended by militias and dissenters were pushed to settle [[The Bahamas]] under [[William Sayle]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Forbes, Keith Archibald |title=Bermuda's History from 1500 to 1699 |website=bermuda-online.org |url=http://www.bermuda-online.org/history.htm |access-date=22 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715004332/http://bermuda-online.org/history.htm |archive-date=15 July 2017}}</ref>

The rebellious [[cavalier|royalist]] colonies of Bermuda, Virginia, [[Barbados]] and [[Antigua]] were the subjects of a punitive [[An Act for prohibiting Trade with the Barbadoes, Virginia, Bermuda and Antego|Act of the Rump Parliament of England]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Act for prohibiting Trade with the Barbadoes, Virginia, Bermuda, and Antego |date=October 1650 |website=British History Online (british-history.ac.uk) |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/acts-ordinances-interregnum/pp425-429 |url-status=live |access-date=15 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110023102/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/acts-ordinances-interregnum/pp425-429 |archive-date=10 January 2021}}</ref> The royalist colonies were also threatened with invasion. The Government of Bermuda eventually reached an agreement with the Parliament of England that retained the status quo in Bermuda. In 1655 fifty-four Bermudians became the first English subjects to settle permanently on the Island of [[Jamaica]], followed by a further (200) Bermudians in 1658, following [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell's]] [[Invasion of Jamaica]].<ref>Kennedy, Jean (1971). "The Isle of Devils: Bermuda under the Somers Island Company 1609 – 1685." London: Collins. pp. 215, 266.</ref><ref>Wilkinson, Henry (1933). "The Adventurers of Bermuda: A history of the island from its discovery until the dissolution of the Somers Island Company in 1684." London: Oxford University Press. pp. 300–301.</ref><ref>Jarvis, Michael J. (2010). "In the Eye of All Trade: Bermuda, Bermudians, and the Maritime Atlantic World, 1680–1783." Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 45, 67.</ref>

===Later 17th century===
[[File:Bermuda Gazette - 12 November 1796.jpg|thumb|right|''Bermuda Gazette'' of 12&nbsp;November 1796, calling for [[privateer]]ing against Spain and its allies; it has advertisements for crew for two privateer vessels.]]
In the 17th&nbsp;century, the Somers Isles Company suppressed shipbuilding, as it needed Bermudians to farm to generate income from the land. The [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia colony]], however, far surpassed Bermuda in quality and quantity of [[tobacco]] produced. Bermudians began to turn to maritime trades relatively early in the 17th&nbsp;century, but the Somers Isles Company used all its authority to suppress turning away from agriculture. This interference led to islanders demanding, and receiving, revocation of the company's charter in 1684, and the company was dissolved.<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/>

Bermudians rapidly abandoned agriculture for shipbuilding, replanting farmland with the native juniper trees (''[[Juniperus bermudiana]]'', called Bermuda cedar). Establishing effective control over the [[Turks Islands]], Bermudians deforested their landscape to begin the salt trade. It became the world's largest and remained the cornerstone of Bermuda's economy for the next century. Bermudians also vigorously pursued [[whaling]], [[privateering]], and the merchant trade.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Henry Campbell |title=Bermuda from sail to steam: the history of the island from 1784 to 1901 |date=1973 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-215932-8 |location=London}}</ref>

Some islanders, especially in [[St. David's Island, Bermuda|St David's]], still trace their ancestry to Native Americans, and others are unaware that they have such ancestry. Hundreds of Native Americans were shipped to Bermuda. The best-known examples were the [[Algonquian peoples]] such as Pequots, Wampanoags, Podunks, Nipmucks, Narragansetts and others who were exiled from the [[New England]] colonies and sold into slavery in the seventeenth century, notably in the aftermaths of the [[Pequot War]] and [[King Philip's War]]; some are believed to have been brought from as far away as [[Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bialuschewski |first=Arne |last2=Fisher |first2=Linford D. |date=2017-01-01 |title=Guest Editor’s Introduction: New Directions in the History of Native American Slavery Studies |url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/ethnohistory/article/64/1/1/63076/Guest-Editor-s-Introduction-New-Directions-in-the |journal=Ethnohistory |language=en |volume=64 |issue=1 |pages=1–17 |doi=10.1215/00141801-3688327 |issn=0014-1801|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===American War of Independence===
Bermuda's ambivalence towards the [[American Rebellion|American rebellion]] changed in September&nbsp;1774, when the [[Continental Congress]] resolved to ban trade with Great Britain, Ireland, and the West Indies after 10&nbsp;September 1775. Such an embargo would mean the collapse of their inter-colonial commerce, famine and civil unrest. Lacking political channels with Great Britain, [[Henry Tucker (President of the Council of Bermuda)|the Tucker Family]] met in May&nbsp;1775 with eight other parishioners and resolved to send delegates to the [[Continental Congress]] in July, aiming for an exemption from the ban. Henry Tucker noted a clause in the ban which allowed the exchange of American goods for military supplies. The clause was confirmed by [[Benjamin Franklin]] when Tucker met with the [[Pennsylvania]] [[Committees of safety (American Revolution)|Committee of Safety]]. Independently, others confirmed this business arrangement with [[Peyton Randolph]], the Charlestown Committee of Safety, and [[George Washington]].<ref name=Jarvis>{{cite book |last=Jarvis |date=2010 |first=Michael |title=In the Eye of All Trade |place=Chapel Hill, NC |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-0-8078-7284-0 |pages=385–389}}</ref>

Three American boats, operating from Charlestown, [[Philadelphia]] and Newport, sailed to Bermuda, and on 14&nbsp;August 1775, 100&nbsp;barrels of gunpowder were taken from the Bermudian magazine while Governor [[George James Bruere]] slept, and loaded onto these boats. As a consequence, on 2&nbsp;October the Continental Congress exempted Bermuda from their trade ban, and Bermuda acquired a reputation for disloyalty. Later that year, the British Parliament passed the [[Prohibitory Act]] to prohibit trade with the American rebelling colonies and sent HMS ''Scorpion'' to keep watch over the island. The island's forts were stripped of cannons. Yet, wartime trade of contraband continued along well-established family connections. With 120 boats by 1775, Bermuda continued to trade with [[St. Eustatius]] until 1781 and provided salt to North American ports.<ref name=Jarvis/>{{rp|389–415}}

In June&nbsp;1776, HMS ''Nautilus'' secured the island, followed by {{HMS|Galatea|1776|6}} in September. Yet, the two British captains seemed more intent on capturing prize money, causing a severe food shortage on the island until the departure of ''Nautilus'' in October. After France's entry into the war in 1778, [[Henry Clinton (British Army officer, born 1730)|Henry Clinton]] refortified the island under the command of Major [[William Sutherland (British Army officer)|William Sutherland]]. As a result, 91&nbsp;French and American ships were captured in the winter of 1778–1779, bringing the population once again to the brink of starvation. Bermudian trade was severely hampered by the combined efforts of the Royal Navy, the British garrison and [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|loyalist privateers]], such that famine struck the island in 1779.<ref name=Jarvis/>{{rp|416–427}}

Upon the death of George Bruere in 1780, the governorship passed to his son, George&nbsp;Jr., an active loyalist. Under his leadership, smuggling was stopped, and the Bermudian colonial government was populated with like-minded loyalists. Even Henry Tucker abandoned trading with the United States, because of the presence of multiple privateers.<ref name=Jarvis/>{{rp|428–433}}

''[[The Bermuda Gazette]]'', Bermuda's first newspaper, began publishing in 1784.<ref name=Stark>{{cite book |last=Stark |first=James Henry |year=1897 |title=Stark's Illustrated Bermuda Guide |quote=A description of everything on or about these places of which the visitor or resident may desire information, including their history, inhabitants, climate, agriculture, geology, government, and resources |publisher=J.H.&nbsp;Stark |place=Bermuda Island (Bermuda Islands) |page=250 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T11qAAAAMAAJ&q=1784%20bermuda%20stockdale&pg=PA150 |access-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414015429/https://books.google.com/books?id=T11qAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA150&q=1784%20bermuda%20stockdale |archive-date=14 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="200th">{{cite web |last=Rigby |first=Neil |date=26 January 1984 |title=1984 – 200th&nbsp;anniversary of Bermuda's first newspaper and postal service |website=bermudastamps.co.uk |url=http://www.bermudastamps.co.uk/1984/01/26/200th-anniversary-bermudas-first-newspaper-postal-service/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144144/http://www.bermudastamps.co.uk/1984/01/26/200th-anniversary-bermudas-first-newspaper-postal-service/ |archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref><ref name=TBG>{{cite web |title=The Bermuda Gazette |publisher=[[United States Library of Congress]] |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sn89049233/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140020/https://www.loc.gov/item/sn89049233/ |archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref> The editor, [[Joseph Stockdale]], had been given financial incentive to move to Bermuda with his family and establish the newspaper. He also provided other printing services and operated Bermuda's first local postal service. The ''Bermuda Gazette'' was sold by subscription and delivered to subscribers, with Stockdale's employee also delivering mail for a fee.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stockdale |first=Joseph |date=17 January 1784 |title=Untitled advertisement |newspaper=Bermuda Gazette |place=Stockdale House, Printer's Alley, St.&nbsp;George's Town, St.&nbsp;George's Parish, Bermuda}}</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:RML 11 inch 25 ton gun at Fort George in Bermuda.jpg|thumb|left|[[RML 11 inch 25 ton gun]] at [[Fort George, Bermuda|Fort George]] in [[St. George's, Bermuda|St. George's]], Bermuda.]]

After the [[American Revolution]], the [[Royal Navy]] began improving the harbours on the Bermudas. In 1811, work began on the large Royal Naval Dockyard on [[Ireland Island, Bermuda|Ireland Island]], which was to serve as the islands' principal naval base guarding the western Atlantic Ocean shipping lanes. To guard the dockyard, the [[British Army]] built the [[Bermuda Garrison]], and heavily fortified the archipelago.

During the [[War of 1812]] between Britain and the United States, the [[Burning of Washington|British attacks]] on Washington, D.C., and the [[Chesapeake Bay|Chesapeake]] were planned and launched from Bermuda, where the headquarters of the Royal Navy's [[North America and West Indies Station|North American Station]] had recently been moved from [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How Britain's Atlantic island territory played a role in eight different conflicts |date=23 July 2021 |department=Bermuda at War |website=MilitaryHistoryNow.com |url=https://militaryhistorynow.com/2021/07/22/bermuda-at-war-how-britains-atlantic-island-territory-played-a-role-in-eight-different-conflicts/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216033523/https://militaryhistorynow.com/2021/07/22/bermuda-at-war-how-britains-atlantic-island-territory-played-a-role-in-eight-different-conflicts/ |archive-date=16 February 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:The Harbor at St. George, Bermuda from Sugar Loaf Hill.jpg|thumb|right|Mullet Bay and the [[St. George's Harbour, Bermuda|harbour]] at [[St. George's, Bermuda|St.&nbsp;George's]], the original capital]] In 1816, James Arnold, the son of [[Benedict Arnold]], fortified Bermuda's Royal Naval Dockyard against possible US attacks.<ref>{{cite report |author=Howes, James |year=2005 |title=Attack on Baltimore launched from Bermuda in the ''War of 1812'' |website=atlascom.us |url=http://www.atlascom.us/keys.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315162318/http://www.atlascom.us/keys.htm |archive-date=15 March 2008}}</ref> Today, the [[National Museum of Bermuda]], which incorporates Bermuda's Maritime Museum, occupies the Keep of the Royal Naval Dockyard.

Due to its proximity to the southeastern US coast, Bermuda was frequently used during the [[American Civil War]] as a stopping point base for the [[Confederate States]]' [[Blockade runners of the American Civil War|blockade runners]] on their runs to and from the Southern states, and England, to evade Union naval vessels on blockade patrol.<ref name="Frommers - History of Bermuda"/><ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/> The blockade runners were then able to transport essential war goods from England and deliver valuable cotton back to England. The old Globe Hotel in St.&nbsp;George's, which was a centre of intrigue for Confederate agents, is preserved as a public museum.

====Anglo-Boer War====
During the [[Anglo-Boer War]] (1899–1902), 5,000&nbsp;[[Boer]] [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] were housed on five islands of Bermuda. They were located according to their views of the war. "Bitterenders" ({{langx|af|[[Bittereinder]]s}}), who refused to pledge allegiance to the British Crown, were interned on [[Darrell's Island, Bermuda|Darrell's Island]] and closely guarded. Other islands such as [[Morgan's Island, Great Sound, Bermuda|Morgan's Island]] held 884&nbsp;men, including 27&nbsp;officers; [[Tucker's Island, Bermuda|Tucker's Island]] held 809&nbsp;Boer prisoners, Burt's Island 607, and [[Ports Island, Bermuda|Ports Island]] held 35. [[Hinson's Island, Bermuda|Hinson's Island]] housed underage prisoners. The camp cemetery is on [[Long Island, Bermuda|Long Island]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bermuda |department=Camps for Boers |website=Angloboerwar.com |url=https://www.angloboerwar.com/other-information/89-prisoner-of-war-camps/1838-camp-for-boers-bermuda |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212184554/https://www.angloboerwar.com/other-information/89-prisoner-of-war-camps/1838-camp-for-boers-bermuda |archive-date=12 December 2018 }}</ref>

''[[The New York Times]]'' reported an attempted mutiny by Boer prisoners of war en route to Bermuda and that martial law was enacted on Darrell's Island.<ref>{{cite news |title=The prisoner at Bermuda – Boers attempted to mutiny in the course of the voyage – martial law on Darrell's Island |orig-date=30 June 1901 |date=10 June 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1901/06/30/archives/the-prisoners-at-bermuda-boers-attempted-to-mutiny-in-the-course-of.html |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029224716/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20615FB355F1B738DDDA90B94DE405B818CF1D3 |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref>

The most famous escapee was the Boer prisoner of war Captain [[Fritz Joubert Duquesne]], who was serving a life sentence for "conspiracy against the British government and on (the charge of) espionage".{{sfn|Ronnie|1995|p=37}} On the night of 25&nbsp;June 1902, Duquesne slipped out of his tent, worked his way over a barbed-wire fence, swam {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} past patrol boats and bright spotlights, through storm-swept waters, using the distant [[Gibbs Hill Lighthouse]] for navigation until he arrived ashore on the main island.{{sfn|Ronnie|1995|pp=54, 63}} He settled in the US and later became a spy for Germany in both World Wars. In 1942, Col.&nbsp;Duquesne was arrested by the [[FBI]] for leading the [[Duquesne Spy Ring]], which to this day remains the largest espionage case uncovered in the history of the United States.{{sfn|Duffy|2014|p=2}}

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Bermuda harbour 1926.jpg|thumb|[[Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda|Hamilton Harbour]] in the mid-1920s]]
[[File:Winston Churchill visiting Bermuda for the Western Summit in December 1953.jpg|thumb|Winston Churchill hosted the Three-Powers Summit in 1953.]]
[[File:The Queen of Bermuda in Bermuda, late 1952 or very early 1953.jpg|thumb|The {{SS|Queen of Bermuda}} in Hamilton Harbour, c. Dec&nbsp;1952 / Jan&nbsp;1953]]
[[File:The Queen of Bermuda departing the island in December 1952 or January 1953.jpg|thumb|The S.S. ''Queen of Bermuda'' departing the island in December&nbsp;1952~January&nbsp;1953. The Devonshire Dock is in the foreground.]]
In the early 20th century Bermuda became a popular destination for American, Canadian and British tourists arriving by sea. The US [[Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act]] of 1930, which enacted protectionist trade [[tariffs]] on goods imported into the US, led to the demise of Bermuda's once-thriving agricultural export trade to America and encouraged development of tourism as an alternative source of income. The island was one of the centres for illegal alcohol smuggling during the era of [[Prohibition in the United States]] (1920–1933).<ref name="Frommers - History of Bermuda"/><ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/>

A rail line was constructed in Bermuda in the 1920s, opening in 1931 as the [[Bermuda Railway]] and abandoned in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Simon |date=c. 2010 |title=Building the Bermuda Railway |website=bermudarailway.net |url=http://www.bermudarailway.net/then/history/building/building.html |access-date=4 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904140343/http://www.bermudarailway.net/then/history/building/building.html |archive-date=4 September 2014}}</ref> The right of way is now the Bermuda Railway Trail.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bermuda Railway Trail |publisher=Bermuda Dept. of Tourism |url=http://www.bermudatourism.com/180.aspx |access-date=14 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106092332/http://www.bermudatourism.com/180.aspx |archive-date=6 January 2010}}</ref>

In 1930, after several failed attempts, a [[Stinson Detroiter]] [[seaplane]] flew to Bermuda from New York City.  It was the first aeroplane ever to reach the islands. In 1936 [[Deutsche Luft Hansa]] began to experiment with seaplane flights from [[Berlin]] via the [[Azores]], with continuation flights to New York City.<ref>{{cite web |title=Unusual place – unusual story – heroic crew |website=Old QSL cards (oldQSLcards.com) |url=http://oldqslcards.com/UNUSUAL_PLACE.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310164030/http://oldqslcards.com/UNUSUAL_PLACE.pdf |archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref>

In 1937 [[Imperial Airways]] and [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American Airways]] began operating scheduled [[flying boat]] airline services from New York and [[Baltimore]] to [[Darrell's Island, Bermuda]]. In World War&nbsp;II the [[Hamilton Princess & Beach Club|Hamilton Princess Hotel]] became a censorship centre. All mail, radio and telegraphic traffic bound for Europe, the US and the Far East was intercepted and analysed by 1,200&nbsp;censors, of British Imperial Censorship, part of [[British Security Coordination]] (BSC), before being routed to their destination.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hodgson |first=Tim |date=25 April 2016 |title=Celebrating a wartime spy chief |newspaper=The Royal Gazette |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20160425/celebrating-a-wartime-spy-chief/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013060307/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20160425/celebrating-a-wartime-spy-chief/ |archive-date=13 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hamilton Princess & Beach Club |quote=a Fairmont managed hotel – luxury hotel in Hamilton |series=Fairmont, Hotels & Resorts |website=Fairmont.com |url=https://www.fairmont.com/hamilton-bermuda/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012002635/https://www.fairmont.com/hamilton-bermuda/ |archive-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> With BSC working closely with the FBI, the censors were responsible for the discovery and arrest of a number of Axis spies operating in the US, including the [[Kurt Frederick Ludwig#Setting up the ring|Joe&nbsp;K ring]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=David |date=11 November 2011 |title=Bermuda's WWII espionage role |website=BerNews |url=https://bernews.com/2011/11/bermudas-second-world-war-espionage-role/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107220921/http://bernews.com/2011/11/bermudas-second-world-war-espionage-role/ |archive-date=7 November 2020 }}</ref>

In 1948 a regularly scheduled commercial airline service began to operate, using land-based aeroplanes landing at [[Kindley Air Force Base|Kindley Field]] (now [[L.F. Wade International Airport]]), helping tourism to reach a peak in the 1960s and 1970s. By the end of the 1970s, however, international business had supplanted tourism as the dominant sector of Bermuda's economy.

The Royal Naval Dockyard and its attendant military garrison remained important to Bermuda's economy until the mid-20th century. In addition to considerable building work, the armed forces needed to source food and other materials from local vendors. Beginning in [[World War II]], US military installations were also located in Bermuda, including a [[Naval Air Station Bermuda Annex|naval air station]] and [[USN Submarine Base, Ordnance Island, Bermuda|submarine base]]. The American military presence lasted until 1995.<ref name="bermuda-online.org">{{Cite web |title=American military bases in Bermuda 1941 to 1995 |website=Bermuda Online |url=http://www.bermuda-online.org/milquit.htm |access-date=9 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070825/http://www.bermuda-online.org/milquit.htm |archive-date=9 November 2018}}</ref>

Universal adult suffrage and development of a two-party political system took place in the 1960s.<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda" /> Universal suffrage was adopted as part of Bermuda's Constitution in 1967; voting had previously been dependent on a certain level of property ownership.

On 10&nbsp;March 1973 the governor of Bermuda, [[Richard Sharples]], was assassinated by local [[Black Power movement|Black Power]] militants during a period of civil unrest.<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/> Some moves were made towards possible independence for the islands but this was decisively rejected in a [[1995 Bermudian independence referendum|referendum in 1995]].<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica - Bermuda"/>

At the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] Bermuda became the smallest overseas territory to earn a gold medal when [[Flora Duffy]] won Bermuda's first ever Olympic gold medal in the [[Triathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's|women's triathlon]].<ref>{{cite news |author=O'Kane, Caitlin |date=27 July 2021 |title=Bermuda wins its first gold medal, becoming the smallest country to win gold at the Summer Olympics |website=[[CBS News]] (cbsnews.com) |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bermuda-olympics-gold-womens-triathlon/ |archive-date=15 October 2022 |access-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015144330/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bermuda-olympics-gold-womens-triathlon/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of Bermuda}}

[[File:Gibb's Hill Lighthouse, Bermuda July 2015 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|View of Bermuda from [[Gibbs Hill Lighthouse]] in July&nbsp;2015]]
[[File:View from top of Gibbs Lighthouse Bermuda.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.8|View from the top of Gibb's Hill Lighthouse]]
[[File:Bermuda oli 2014275 lrg-cropped.png|right|thumb|upright=0.8|Landsat&nbsp;8 satellite image]]
[[File:Bermuda topographic map-en.png|right|thumb|upright=0.8|Topographic map of Bermuda]]

Bermuda is a group of low-forming volcanoes in the Atlantic Ocean, in the west of the [[Sargasso Sea]], roughly {{cvt|578|nmi|km mi}} east-southeast of [[Cape Hatteras]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Bermuda Islands |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica|Britannica Online]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda |access-date=28 September 2015 |last=Rushe |first=George |series=Atlantic Ocean |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528082525/https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda |archive-date=28 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> on the [[Outer Banks]] of [[North Carolina]], United States which is the nearest landmass.<ref name="World Factbook" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief history of Bermuda |website=Ducksters |url=http://www.ducksters.com/geography/country.php?country=Bermuda |url-status=live |access-date=28 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929153806/http://www.ducksters.com/geography/country.php?country=Bermuda |archive-date=29 September 2015}}</ref> Its next nearest neighbour is [[Cape Sable Island]], Nova Scotia Canada which is {{convert|1236|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Bermuda. It is also located {{convert|1750|km|mi|abbr=on}} south-southwest of [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] (France), {{convert|1759|km|mi|abbr=on}} north-northeast of [[Havana]], Cuba, {{convert|1538|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the British Virgin Islands, and {{convert|1537.17|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], Puerto Rico.

The territory consists of [[List of islands of Bermuda|181 islands]], with a total area of {{cvt|53.3|km2|1|abbr=off}}.<ref name=Rybeck>{{cite report |last=Rybeck |first=Lauren |title=Bermuda Fact Sheet |website=gotobermuda.com |publisher=Bermuda Tourism Authority |url=http://www.gotobermuda.com/sites/default/master/files/bermuda_meeting_guide_0.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=22 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222223618/http://www.gotobermuda.com/sites/default/master/files/bermuda_meeting_guide_0.pdf |archive-date=22 December 2016}}</ref> The largest island is Main Island (also called ''Bermuda''). Eight larger and populated islands are connected by bridges.<ref name=Rybeck/> The territory's tallest peak is [[Town Hill, Bermuda|Town Hill]] on Main Island at {{cvt|79|m}} tall.<ref name="World Factbook" /><ref name="highest_point">{{cite web |title=Bermuda Geography |url=http://www.exchangerate.com/country_information_bermuda.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813025057/http://www.exchangerate.com/country_information_bermuda.html |archive-date=13 August 2021 |access-date=21 May 2010 |website=ExchangeRate.Com}}</ref> The territory's coastline is {{cvt|103|km|0}}.<ref name="World Factbook"/>

Bermuda gives its name to the [[Bermuda Triangle]], a region of sea in which, according to legend, a number of aircraft and boats have disappeared under unexplained or mysterious circumstances.<ref name="navy,1996">{{cite report |title=Bermuda Triangle Fact Sheet |year=1998 |series=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Reading_Room/UFO/195.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121111220/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Reading_Room/UFO/195.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2016}}</ref>

===Main sights===
Bermuda's pink sand beaches and clear, [[cerulean]] blue ocean waters are popular with tourists.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bermuda is known for&nbsp;... |website=Lonely Planet |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/bermuda/planning/bermuda-is-known-for/a/nar/a6fece5d-ef7b-40c3-aa99-70376f50dc6c/357972 |url-status=live |access-date=19 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220003008/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/bermuda/planning/bermuda-is-known-for/a/nar/a6fece5d-ef7b-40c3-aa99-70376f50dc6c/357972 |archive-date=20 February 2019}}</ref> A number of Bermuda's hotels are located along the south shore of the island. In addition to its beaches, there are a number of sightseeing attractions. The historic Town of St George is a designated [[World Heritage Site]]. [[Scuba diving|Scuba]] divers can explore a number of [[shipwreck|wrecks]] and [[coral reefs]] in relatively shallow water (typically {{cvt|30|-|40|ft|0|disp=or}} in depth), with virtually unlimited visibility. A number of nearby reefs are readily accessible from shore by [[snorkelling|snorkellers]], especially at [[Church Bay, Bermuda|Church Bay]].

Bermuda's most popular visitor attraction is the Royal Naval Dockyard, which includes the National Museum of Bermuda.<ref>{{cite web |last=la&nbsp;Huta |first=David |date=28 May 2019 |title=10 Best Museums in Bermuda |website=Condé Nast Traveler |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-museums-in-bermuda |url-status=live |access-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231215908/https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-museums-in-bermuda |archive-date=31 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Other attractions include the [[Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo |website=Bamz.org |url=http://www.bamz.org/ |access-date=20 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827165452/http://www.bamz.org/ |archive-date=27 August 2020}}</ref> Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the Botanical Gardens and [[Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art]], lighthouses, and the Crystal Caves with [[stalactites]] and underground saltwater pools. [[Somerset Bridge, Bermuda|Somerset Bridge]] is the world's smallest drawbridge, and [[Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda|Horseshoe Bay]] and Warwick Long Bay are among the beautiful beaches in Bermuda.

Non-residents have traditionally been prohibited from driving cars on the island.<ref>{{cite web |title=Getting around in Bermuda |website=Frommer's (frommers.com) |url=https://www.frommers.com/destinations/bermuda/planning-a-trip/getting-around |url-status=live |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828205928/https://www.frommers.com/destinations/bermuda/planning-a-trip/getting-around |archive-date=28 August 2021}}</ref> Public transport and taxis are available and visitors can rent [[Scooter (motorcycle)|scooters]] (and more latterly small cars) for use as private transport.<ref name=Rybeck/>

===Geology===
{{main|Geology of Bermuda}}

[[File:NOAA Ocean Explorer Bermuda Geologic Map.png|thumb|NOAA Ocean Explorer Bermuda Geologic Map, where red denotes the Walsingham Formation, purple denotes the Town Hill and Belmont Formations, green denotes the Rocky Bay and Southampton Formations, and white is infill associated with the airport]]

Bermuda consists of over 150&nbsp;[[limestone]] islands, with five main islands along the southern margin of the Bermuda Platform, one of three topographic highs found on the [[Bermuda Pedestal]]. This Bermuda Pedestal sits atop the Bermuda Rise, a mid-basin swell surrounded by [[abyssal plain]]s. The Bermuda Pedestal is one of four topographic highs aligned roughly from North-East to South-West. The others, all submerged, are ''Bowditch Seamount'' to the north-east, and ''Challenger Bank'' and ''Argus Bank'' to the south-west.<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Origin of Bermuda and its Caves |website=Ocean Explorer |series=U.S. [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] |publisher=[[United States Department of Commerce]] |url=https://www.oceanexplorer.woc.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/bermudaorigin/bermudaorigin.html |access-date=10 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320115156/https://www.oceanexplorer.woc.noaa.gov/explorations/09bermuda/background/bermudaorigin/bermudaorigin.html |archive-date=20 March 2021 |quote=Extending toward the ocean's surface are four northeast-to-southwest trending volcanic peaks, including the emergent Bermuda Pedestal and the submerged Challenger, Argus, and Bowditch seamounts (figure 1). The islands of Bermuda are located along the southeast margin of the largest peak, the Bermuda Pedestal.}}</ref> Initial uplift of this rise occurred in the Middle to [[Late Eocene]] and concluded by the [[Late Oligocene]], when it subsided below sea level. The volcanic rocks associated with this rise are [[tholeiitic magma series|tholeiitic lavas]] and [[intrusive rock|intrusive]] [[lamprophyre]] sheets, which form a volcanic basement, on average, {{cvt|50|m|ft}} below the island [[carbonate]] surface.<ref name="Vacher">{{Cite book |last1=Vacher |first1=H.L. |title=Geology and Hydrogeology of Bermuda, in Geology and Hydrogeology of Carbonate Islands, Developments in Sedimentology&nbsp;54 |last2=Rowe |first2=Mark |date=1997 |publisher=elsevier Science B.V. |isbn=978-0-444-51644-2 |editor-last=Vacher |editor-first=H.L. |location=Amsterdam |pages=35–90 |editor-last2=Quinn |editor-first2=T.}}</ref>

The limestones of Bermuda consist of [[calcarenite|biocalcarenites]] with minor [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomerates]]. The portion of Bermuda above sea level consists of rocks deposited by [[aeolian processes]], with a [[Karst|karst terrain]]. These [[eolianite]]s are actually the [[type locality (geology)|type locality]], and formed during [[interglaciation]]s (i.e., the upper levels of the limestone cap, formed primarily by calcium-secreting algae, was broken down into sand by wave action during interglaciation when the seamount was submerged, and during glaciation, when the top of the seamount was above sea level, that sand was blown into dunes and fused together into a limestone sandstone), and are laced by red [[paleosol]]s, also referred to as geosols or terra rossas, indicative of [[Sahara]]n [[atmospheric dust]] and forming during [[glacial stage]]s. The [[stratigraphic column]] starts with the Walsingham [[formation (geology)|Formation]], overlain by the Castle Harbour Geosol, the Lower and Upper Town Hill Formations separated by the Harbour Road Geosol, the Ord Road Geosol, the Belmont Formation, the Shore Hills Geosol, the Rocky Bay Formation, and the Southampton Formation.<ref name=Vacher/>

The older [[eolianite]] ridges (older Bermuda) are more rounded and subdued compared to the outer coastline (Younger Bermuda). Thus, post deposition morphology includes chemical [[erosion]], with inshore water bodies demonstrating that much of Bermuda is partially drowned [[Pleistocene]] [[karst]]. The Walsingham Formation is a clear example, constituting the cave district around Castle Harbour. The Upper Town Hill Formation forms the core of the Main Island, and prominent hills such as Town Hill, Knapton Hill, and [[St. David's Island, Bermuda|St.&nbsp;David's]] Lighthouse, while the highest hills, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, are due to the Southampton Formation.<ref name=Vacher/>

Bermuda has two major [[aquifer]]s: the Langton Aquifer located within the Southampton, Rocky Bay and Belmont Formations, and the Brighton Aquifer located within the Town Hill Formation. Four freshwater [[lens (hydrology)|lenses]] occur in Bermuda, with the Central Lens being the largest on Main Island, containing an area of {{convert|7.2|km2|acre|abbr=on}} and a thickness greater than {{cvt|10|m|ft}}.<ref name=Vacher/>

===Climate===
{{main|Climate of Bermuda|List of Bermuda hurricanes|Tornadoes in Bermuda}}

[[File:1877 Bermuda weather.png|thumb|1877 Bermuda weather]]
Bermuda has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Cfa''), bordering closely on a [[tropical rainforest climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Af''). Bermuda's [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] influence results in a more moderate climate, more similar to the western coast of Europe than on the eastern coast of North America, characterised by high relative humidity, which moderates temperature,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |url=https://planning.gov.bm/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/State-of-the-Environment.pdf |access-date=2026-02-19 |date=2005 |title=State of the Environment Report |type=Pamphlet |at=1.1.2 Marine Influences on Bermuda's Climate |publisher=Government of Bermuda Ministry of the Environment |quote=While inland continental temperatures may be highly variable with scorching summers and frigid winters, changes in marine air temperature are relatively small, with mild winters and cool summers. This is evident in Bermuda, with average daytime high temperatures in the upper 60s °Fahrenheit (°F) during the winter months, and daytime highs rarely exceeding 90 °F in the summer }}</ref> ensuring generally mild winters and summers (by example, [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]], at 55°51{{prime}}40{{pprime}} North, has an average winter temperature around 3&nbsp;°Celsius, with temperatures as low as −8&nbsp;°Celsius possible in December – its coldest month,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=<!-- not stated --> |title=Does it snow in Glasgow? |url=https://www.intrepidtravel.com/uk/united-kingdom/glasgow/glasgow-snow |website=Intrepid Travel |location=London |publisher=Intrepid UK |access-date=2026-02-19 |quote=The climate in Glasgow is considered to be a moderate sea climate with cold-freezing winters and relatively mild and sunny summers. Average temperatures in winter are around 3&nbsp;°C but that can reach as freezing as -8&nbsp;°C at night during the coldest month of the year (December).}}</ref> while at about the same latitude, on the coast of [[Labrador]], winter temperatures average −12 °Celsius, and can drop as low as −35&nbsp;°Celsius.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hiller |first=James |date=2026-02-16 |title=Climate of Newfoundland and Labrador |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Newfoundland-and-Labrador/Climate |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |location=Chicago |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |access-date=2026-02-19 |quote=January mean temperatures are above 20 °F (−7 °C) in the southern portion of the island, on the coast of Labrador approximately 10 °F (−12 °C) and 0 °F (−18 °C) in the south and north, respectively, and about −15 °F (−26 °C) in interior western Labrador. Extreme low temperatures in southern Newfoundland rarely reach 0 °F, but in western Labrador readings below −40 °F (−40 °C) are not uncommon.}}</ref> [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]], and [[Princeton, New Jersey]], at similar latitudes, have daily means in January of 11.8&nbsp;°Celsius and −0.4&nbsp;°Celsius, respectively).

Like western Europe, Bermuda is down wind of, and warmed by, the nearby [[Gulf Stream]], with ocean temperatures warmer in winter than air temperatures,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |url=https://planning.gov.bm/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/State-of-the-Environment.pdf |access-date=2026-02-19 |date=2005 |title=State of the Environment Report |type=Pamphlet |at=4 Winter Weather (January – March) |publisher=Government of Bermuda Ministry of the Environment |quote=The further weakening of the Bermuda High, and the subsequent invasion of well-developed cold fronts and North Atlantic storms into the region indicate the onset of winter weather in Bermuda. Thunderstorm activity and heavy rain are often associated with these storms, with frequent gales (mean winds of 34 knots or more) and occasional storm force winds (48 knots or more). These strong winds normally blow out of the southwest ahead of the cold front, switching to northwesterly on the frontal passage, often bringing very cold air into the area for a day or so. Temperatures occasionally can plummet to below 50 °F. In late winter, the sea surface temperature typically drops to the low 60s °F. Cool air is not warmed as much by the ocean surface, as it is in the summer and autumn months. Air temperatures struggle to reach 70 °F by day and occasionally drop to the 50s °F and low 60s °F. In the occurrence of very cold air (<55 °F at the surface) invading the area behind a cold front, vigorous convection may be triggered by the temperature difference between the cold air and the warmer sea. In this scenario, heavy showers and thunderstorms with hail may affect the local area. The downdrafts created by these convective elements can cause very gusty winds and cold conditions. The lowest temperatures recorded in Bermuda have normally occurred in such circumstances. }}</ref> and heat radiated from the ocean into the atmosphere keeping air temperatures above freezing (this effect is more marked on the coastal areas, with lower elevations of inland valleys, such as Paget Marsh and Devonshire Marsh, often being distinctly cooler).<ref>{{cite web |author=Dr. Martin L. H. Thomas |date=2005 |url=https://bzs.bm/file/document_pdfs/hlCnfesXBfcKBcmk7LqffJxPBYRfkGxeXMZCtWlS.pdf |title=Bermuda's Wetlands (Fourth Edition) Project Nature Field Study Guide |type=Pamphlet |at=2-13 Characteristics and Features of Wetlands Habitats in Bermuda |publisher=Bermuda Zoological Society |quote=The lack of water exchange (flushing) in the ponds results in both warmer, in summer, and colder, in winter, temperatures and more variable salinity than in coastal waters.}}</ref> The lowest temperatures are generally in February and March, not December and January, as the humidity generally causes a two-month lag between the winter solstice and the coldest point of the year (and also between the summer solstice and the warmest time of the year, July/August). January to March average {{cvt|18|C}}.<ref name=climate>{{Cite web |last=Forbes |first=Keith |title=Bermuda Climate and Weather |website=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.bermuda-online.org/climateweather.htm |url-status=live |access-date=28 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230124839/http://bermuda-online.org/climateweather.htm |archive-date=30 December 2016}}</ref> Pre-industrial temperatures at Bermuda, as globally, were lower than temperatures over the last century and a half, with [[Little Ice Age]]s that began about 1650, 1770, and 1850. Temperatures low enough for ice to form at ground level have not been recorded since the 19th Century (climate data for the first three centuries of Bermuda's settlement is not included in the dataset from which historical high or low temperatures for Bermuda are usually given, with the lowest temperature ''"since records began"'' consequently being 43.3&nbsp;°Fahrenheit recorded on 26 February, 1993, although the [[Royal Engineers]] kept detailed records of local weather for much of the 19th Century, which show a low of 34.0&nbsp;°Fahrenheit on the 26 February, 1880, at the City of Hamilton).<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=W. F. |date=1848 |title=Historical and Statistical Account of the Bermudas |location=London |publisher=Thomas Cautley Newby}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=1890 |title=Meteorological Observations at the foreign and Colonial Stations of the Royal Engineers and the Army Medical Department, 1852–1886 |location=London |publisher=HMSO}}</ref> Although precipitation at altitude does include snow, Bermuda's highest elevation is only 79 metres (259 ft) above sea level (at [[Town Hill, Bermuda|Town Hill]]), and snow always melts to become rain before it reaches ground level, unless circulating before falling as [[Hail|hail]], which is common in winter (and has fallen thickly enough to form blankets over parts of the island that melt more slowly than snow would).<ref>{{cite book |first1=Hans W. |last1=Hannau |name-list-style=amp |first2=William |last2=Zuill |year=1994 |title=Bermuda Islands in Colour |place=London, UK |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-57597-0 |page=126}}</ref> The [[hardiness zone]] is 11b/12a. In other words, the lowest that the annual minimum temperature may be expected to be is around {{convert|10|°C|°F|abbr=on}}. This is high for such a latitude and is a half-zone higher than the upper [[Florida Keys]] and [[Miami]]. [[Wind chill]] at Bermuda can be considerable, and can put the felt temperature below freezing even when the ambient temperature is well above.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=1997-01-21 |title=Chilly temperatures almost smash record |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20110209/chilly-temperatures-almost-smash-record |work=The Royal Gazette |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Royal Gazette |access-date=2026-02-20 |quote=According to weather experts, the thermometer dropped to a measly 49 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. The record low is 44 Fahrenheit.But with the wind chill factor taken into account temperatures fell below freezing to the equivalent of minus three degrees centigrade.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Williams Smith |first=Nicole |date=2000-01-25 |title=Feeling cold lately? Try these ways to keep warm |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/lifestyle/article/20110209/feeling-cold-lately-try-these-ways-to-keep-warm |work=The Royal Gazette |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Royal Gazette |access-date=2026-02-20 |quote=On January 15, the Island set a record for the month when the mercury dropped to 44.9 degrees, just shy of the all time record of 44 degrees. The cold snap led to a record demand for electricity with Belco reporting demand reaching as high as 95 megawatts. And the high winds which accompanied the frigid temperatures, sent branches crashing into power lines prompting outages around the Island - particularly the Camp Hill Warwick area.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Jonathan Bell and Stefano Ausenda |date=2026-02-09 |title=Near-record chill hits island as storm puts thousands in the dark |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/weather/news/article/20260209/near-record-chill-hits-island-as-storm-puts-thousands-in-the-dark |work=The Royal Gazette |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Royal Gazette |access-date=2026-02-18}}</ref>

The summertime [[heat index]] in Bermuda can be high, although mid-August temperatures rarely exceed {{cvt|30|°C|0}}. The highest recorded temperature was {{cvt|34|°C|0}} in August 1989 (when [[Hurricane Dean (1989)|Hurricane Dean]] drove hot air northwards to Bermuda).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bendure |first1=Glenda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_GL9qP9TM4C&q=bermuda+temperature+record+August+1989 |title=Bermuda |last2=Friary |first2=Ned |date=2000 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-86450-137-7 |page=21 |language=en |archive-date=20 September 2025 |access-date=4 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250920045426/https://books.google.com/books?id=p_GL9qP9TM4C&q=bermuda+temperature+record+August+1989 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 April 2014 |title=Weather & Climate |url=http://www.foreverbermuda.com/weather-climate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612164449/http://www.foreverbermuda.com/weather-climate |archive-date=12 June 2021 |website=Forever Bermuda}}</ref> The average annual temperature of the Atlantic Ocean around Bermuda is {{cvt|22.8|°C|1}}, from {{cvt|18.6|°C|1}} in February to {{cvt|28.2|°C|1}} in August.<ref name=BWS1>
{{cite web |title=1981–2010 Monthly Stats |publisher=Bermuda Weather Service |url=http://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1981_2010_Monthly_Stats_Updated22November2018.xls |access-date=13 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214041623/http://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1981_2010_Monthly_Stats_Updated22November2018.xls |archive-date=14 December 2018
}}
</ref>

Bermuda lies within the [[Main Development Region]] and is often in the direct path of hurricanes<ref name="World Factbook"/> recurving in the westerlies, although they usually begin to weaken as they approach Bermuda, whose small size means that direct hurricane-strength [[landfall]]s are rare. [[Hurricane Emily (1987)|Hurricane Emily]] was the first to do so for three decades when it struck Bermuda without warning in 1987. The most recent hurricanes to cause significant damage to Bermuda were [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category&nbsp;2]] [[Hurricane Gonzalo]] on 18 October 2014 and [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 3]] [[Hurricane Nicole (2016)|Hurricane Nicole]] on 14&nbsp;October 2016, both of which struck the island direct. Category&nbsp;2 [[Hurricane Paulette]] directly hit the island in 2020. Before that, [[Hurricane Fabian]] on 5&nbsp;September 2003 was the last major hurricane to hit Bermuda directly, with wind speeds of over {{convert|120|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, category&nbsp;3). The most recent tropical cyclone to directly hit the island was [[Hurricane Ernesto (2024)|Hurricane Ernesto]] as a weakening [[Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 1]] storm on 17 August 2024.

With no rivers or freshwater lakes, the only source of [[fresh water]] is rainfall, which is collected on roofs and catchments (or drawn from underground [[Lens (hydrology)|lenses]]) and stored in tanks.<ref name="World Factbook"/> Each dwelling usually has at least one of these tanks forming part of its foundation. The law requires that each household collect rainwater that is piped down from the roof of each house. Average monthly rainfall is highest in October, at over {{cvt|6|in|mm}}, and lowest in April and May.

Access to [[biocapacity]] in Bermuda is much lower than world average. In 2016, Bermuda had 0.14&nbsp;global hectares<ref name=footprintdata>{{cite web |title=Country Trends |publisher=Global Footprint Network |url=http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=17&type=BCpc,EFCpc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808050235/http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=17&type=BCpc,EFCpc |archive-date=8 August 2017 |access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref> of biocapacity per person within its territory, far lower than the world average of 1.6&nbsp;global hectares per person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=David |last2=Hanscom |first2=Laurel |last3=Murthy |first3=Adeline |last4=Galli |first4=Alessandro |last5=Evans |first5=Mikel |last6=Neill |first6=Evan |last7=Mancini |first7=MariaSerena |last8=Martindill |first8=Jon |last9=Medouar |first9=FatimeZahra |last10=Huang |first10=Shiyu |last11=Wackernagel |first11=Mathis |display-authors=6 |year=2018 |title=Ecological footprint accounting for countries: Updates and results of the National Footprint accounts, 2012–2018 |journal=Resources |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |page=58 |doi=10.3390/resources7030058 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Resou...7...58L }}</ref> In 2016 Bermuda used 7.5&nbsp;global hectares of biocapacity per person – their [[ecological footprint]] of consumption. This means they use much more biocapacity than Bermuda contains. As a result, Bermuda runs a biocapacity deficit.<ref name=footprintdata/>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px" align="right">
File:1904 view of eastern Hamilton Harbour and Paget Parish from Fort Hamilton, Prospect Camp, Bermuda.jpg|1904 view across Hamilton Harbour from Fort Hamilton of cedar-cloaked hills in Paget Parish
File:Bermuda wv.jpg|Residential suburb near the old [[St. George's Garrison, Bermuda|St.&nbsp;George's Garrison]], with "Town Cut Battery" or "Gate's Fort" on the shore of the Town Cut, and [[St. George's, Bermuda|St.&nbsp;George's Town]] and its [[St. George's Harbour, Bermuda|harbour]] in the background
File:.jpgOfficers of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), at Battalion Training at Tucker's Town, Bermuda, 1905.jpg|Officers of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), at Battalion Training at Tucker's Town, Bermuda, 1905. Bermuda's climate means heavier temperate uniforms are worn by armed forces and police personnel for much of the year.
File:Battalion Training at Tucker's Town Bermuda of the 3rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers.jpg|Battalion Training at Tucker's Town Bermuda of the 3rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, wearing lightweight khaki drills, intended as a warm climate uniform, as a summer uniform
</gallery>

{{Weather box
| location = Bermuda ([[L.F. Wade International Airport]]) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1949–2023){{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 2006 to 2023.}}
| width= auto
| single line = Y
| metric first = Y
| Jan high C =20.7
| Feb high C =20.4
| Mar high C =20.5
| Apr high C =22.1
| May high C =24.3
| Jun high C =27.2
| Jul high C =29.6
| Aug high C =30.1
| Sep high C =29.1
| Oct high C =26.7
| Nov high C = 23.8
| Dec high C = 21.8
| year high C =24.7
| Jan low C =15.9
| Feb low C =15.4
| Mar low C =15.6
| Apr low C =17.3
| May low C =19.8
| Jun low C =22.7
| Jul low C =24.9
| Aug low C =25.2
| Sep low C =24.4
| Oct low C =22.2
| Nov low C =19.3
| Dec low C =17.3
| year low C =20.0
| Jan mean C =18.3
| Feb mean C =17.9
| Mar mean C =18.1
| Apr mean C =19.7
| May mean C =22.0
| Jun mean C =25.0
| Jul mean C =27.2
| Aug mean C =27.7
| Sep mean C =26.7
| Oct mean C =24.4
| Nov mean C =21.6
| Dec mean C =19.6
| year mean C =22.4
|precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm =127.6
| Feb precipitation mm =123.6
| Mar precipitation mm =118.9
| Apr precipitation mm =86.8
| May precipitation mm =94.6
| Jun precipitation mm =110.2
| Jul precipitation mm =116.2
| Aug precipitation mm =165.2
| Sep precipitation mm =145.2
| Oct precipitation mm =149.1
| Nov precipitation mm =111.6
| Dec precipitation mm =104.8
| year precipitation mm =1,453.8
| unit precipitation days = 1 mm
| Jan precipitation days =13.8
| Feb precipitation days =12.6
| Mar precipitation days =12.2
| Apr precipitation days =8.9
| May precipitation days =7.8
| Jun precipitation days =9.9
| Jul precipitation days =10.7
| Aug precipitation days =13.2
| Sep precipitation days =11.6
| Oct precipitation days =12.1
| Nov precipitation days =11.8
| Dec precipitation days =11.7
| year precipitation days =136.3
| Jan record high F = 77.7
| Feb record high F = 79.0
| Mar record high F = 79.0
| Apr record high F = 81.0
| May record high F = 86.0
| Jun record high C = 32.2
| Jul record high C = 33.1
| Aug record high F = 93.0
| Sep record high C = 33.2
| Oct record high F = 89.0
| Nov record high F = 84.0
| Dec record high F = 80.0
| Jan record low C = 7.2
| Feb record low C = 6.3
| Mar record low F = 45.0
| Apr record low F = 48.0
| May record low C = 12.1
| Jun record low C = 15.2
| Jul record low C = 16.1
| Aug record low F = 68.0
| Sep record low F = 66.0
| Oct record low F = 58.0
| Nov record low C = 12.4
| Dec record low C = 9.1
|Jan avg record high C = 23.4
|Feb avg record high C = 23.1
|Mar avg record high C = 23.5
|Apr avg record high C = 24.4
|May avg record high C = 26.5
|Jun avg record high C = 29.1
|Jul avg record high C = 30.7
|Aug avg record high C = 31.2
|Sep avg record high C = 30.6
|Oct avg record high C = 28.9
|Nov avg record high C = 26.3
|Dec avg record high C = 24.5
|year avg record high C = 31.3
|Jan avg record low C = 11.5
|Feb avg record low C = 11.6
|Mar avg record low C = 11.4
|Apr avg record low C = 14.0
|May avg record low C = 16.3
|Jun avg record low C = 19.4
|Jul avg record low C = 21.7
|Aug avg record low C = 22.5
|Sep avg record low C = 21.4
|Oct avg record low C = 19.0
|Nov avg record low C = 15.9
|Dec avg record low C = 13.6
|year avg record low C = 10.2
| Jan humidity = 73
| Feb humidity = 73
| Mar humidity = 73
| Apr humidity = 74
| May humidity = 79
| Jun humidity = 81
| Jul humidity = 80
| Aug humidity = 79
| Sep humidity = 77
| Oct humidity = 74
| Nov humidity = 72
| Dec humidity = 72
| year humidity =
|Jan dew point C = 13.4
|Feb dew point C = 13.3
|Mar dew point C = 12.9
|Apr dew point C = 15.2
|May dew point C = 17.7
|Jun dew point C = 21.1
|Jul dew point C = 22.8
|Aug dew point C = 23.1
|Sep dew point C = 22.2
|Oct dew point C = 19.8
|Nov dew point C = 16.6
|Dec dew point C = 14.6
|Jan sun = 143.2
|Feb sun = 147.6
|Mar sun = 189.7
|Apr sun = 231.9
|May sun = 255.9
|Jun sun = 255.6
|Jul sun = 284.6
|Aug sun = 272.7
|Sep sun = 221.8
|Oct sun = 198.3
|Nov sun = 168.0
|Dec sun = 146.6
|year sun =
|source = Bermuda Weather Service (mean max and min 2006–2023, humidity 1995–2010, dew point 2002–2018, sun 1999–2019)<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1991-2020_Bermuda-78016_PrincipalNormals1991-2020.xlsx
| title = Bermuda Principal Normals 1991–2020
| publisher = [[Bermuda Weather Service]]
| access-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240113205932/http://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1991-2020_Bermuda-78016_PrincipalNormals1991-2020.xlsx
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1981_2010_Monthly_Stats_Updated_20190502.xlsx
| title = 1981–2010 Monthly Stats
| publisher = [[Bermuda Weather Service]]
| access-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240113205933/http://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1981_2010_Monthly_Stats_Updated_20190502.xlsx
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/2002_2018_DewPoint_Statistics_Updated_20190614.xlsx
| title = 2002–2018 Dew Point Statistics
| publisher = [[Bermuda Weather Service]]
| access-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240113205933/http://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/2002_2018_DewPoint_Statistics_Updated_20190614.xlsx
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1949_1999_ClimateSummary.html
| title = 1949–1999 Climate Summary
| publisher = [[Bermuda Weather Service]]
| access-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-date = 26 March 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230326022914/http://www.weather.bm/climateArchiveDocuments/Summary%20And%20Miscellaneous/1949_1999_ClimateSummary.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.weather.bm/climateReport/climateReport_AnnualData.asp
| title = Climate Report – Annual Data
| publisher = [[Bermuda Weather Service]]
| access-date = 13 January 2024
| archive-date = 12 April 2024
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240412135355/https://www.weather.bm/climateReport/climateReport_AnnualData.asp
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}

===Flora and fauna===
{{Main|Wildlife of Bermuda}}

[[File:Juvenile Bermuda Cedar at Ferry Reach.jpg|thumb|Young Bermuda cedar tree at [[Ferry Reach, Bermuda|Ferry Reach]]]]
[[File:White-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus bermudianus) in Bermuda.jpg|thumb|White-eyed vireo (''Vireo griseus bermudianus'')]]

When discovered, Bermuda was uninhabited by humans and mostly dominated by forests of [[Juniperus bermudiana|Bermuda cedar]], with [[mangrove]] [[marsh]]es along its shores.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Britton |first=Lord Nathaniel |date=8 January 1918 |title=Flora of Bermuda |url=http://archive.org/details/floraofbermuda00brit |access-date=8 January 2021 |publisher=Scribner's sons |place=New York City |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> [[Forest cover]] is around 20% of the total land area, equivalent to 1,000 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, unchanged from 1990.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023 |archive-date=21 May 2025 |access-date=19 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250521195041/https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Bermuda |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/BMU/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |access-date=19 September 2024 |archive-date=19 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919154213/https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/BMU/home/overview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Only 165 of the island's current 1,000&nbsp;[[vascular plant]] species are considered [[indigenous (ecology)|native]]; fifteen of those, including the eponymous cedar, are [[endemism|endemic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Endemic Species |website=The Department of Environment and Natural Resources |place=Bermuda |language=en-GB |url=https://environment.bm/endemic-species |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215135412/https://environment.bm/endemic-species |archive-date=15 February 2020 |access-date=15 February 2020}}</ref> The tropical climate of Bermuda allowed settlers to introduce several non-native species of tree and plant to the island.<ref name="z277">{{cite web | title=Bermuda » NNSS | website=Home » NNSS | url=https://www.nonnativespecies.org/overseas-territories/territory-pages/bermuda | access-date=18 February 2025}}</ref> Today several types of palm tree, fruit tree and banana grow on Bermuda, though the cultivated [[coconut]] palms are considered non-native and may be removed.<ref name="y376">{{cite web | title=Coconut palm trees don't suit us | website=The Royal Gazette | date=12 February 2016 | url=https://www.royalgazette.com/letters-to-the-editor/article/20160212/coconut-palm-trees-dont-suit-us/ | access-date=18 February 2025 | archive-date=12 March 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312100755/https://www.royalgazette.com/letters-to-the-editor/article/20160212/coconut-palm-trees-dont-suit-us/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The country contains the [[Bermuda subtropical conifer forests]] terrestrial ecoregion.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C. |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E.M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |display-authors=6 |year=2017 |title=An ecoregion-based approach to protecting half the terrestrial realm |journal=[[BioScience]] |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=534–545 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |doi-access=free |issn=0006-3568 |pmc=5451287 |pmid=28608869}}</ref>

The only [[Indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] [[mammal]]s of Bermuda are five species of bat, all of which are also found in the eastern United States: the silver-haired bat ''[[Lasionycteris noctivagans]]'', eastern red bat ''[[Lasiurus borealis]]'', hoary bat ''[[Lasiurus cinereus]]'', Seminole bat ''[[Lasiurus seminolus]] '' and tricolored bat ''[[Perimyotis subflavus]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Grady, F.V. |author2=Olson, S.L. |name-list-style=amp |year=2006 |title=Fossil bats from Quaternary deposits on Bermuda (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=87 |issue=1 |pages=148–152 |doi=10.1644/05-MAMM-A-179R1.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Other commonly known fauna of Bermuda include its national bird, the [[Bermuda petrel]] or cahow, which was rediscovered in 1951 after having been thought extinct since the 1620s.<ref>{{cite iucn |publisher=[[BirdLife International]] |year=2018 |title=''Pterodroma cahow'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T22698088A132624115 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22698088A132624115.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> The cahow is important as an example of a [[Lazarus taxon|Lazarus]] species, hence the government has a programme to protect it, including restoration of its habitat areas. Another well-known species includes the [[white-tailed tropicbird]], locally known as the longtail. These birds come inland to breed in February and March and are Bermudians' first sign of spring.<ref>{{cite web |title=Longtail (White Tailed Tropicbird) |website=The Department of Environment and Natural Resources |language=en-GB |url=https://environment.bm/longtail |url-status=live |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216042947/https://environment.bm/longtail |archive-date=16 February 2022}}</ref>

The [[Bermuda rock lizard]] (or Bermuda rock skink) was long thought to have been the only indigenous non-bird land vertebrate of Bermuda, discounting the marine turtles that lay their eggs on its beaches. However scientists have recently discovered through genetic DNA studies that a species of turtle, the [[diamondback terrapin]], previously thought to have been introduced to the archipelago, actually pre-dated the arrival of humans.<ref>{{cite web |title=Diamondback Terrapin |website=The Department of Conservation Services |place=Bermuda |url=http://www.conservation.bm/diamondback-terrapin/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807051136/http://www.conservation.bm/diamondback-terrapin/ |archive-date=7 August 2014}}</ref>

Only three [[bee]] species have been recorded on Bermuda. The western honey bee ''[[Western honey bee|Apis mellifera]]'' was introduced by English colonists around 1616,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kevan |first=D. Keith McE. |date=April 1981 |title=The terrestrial arthropods of the Bermudas: an historical review of our knowledge |url=https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/10.3366/anh.1981.10.1.1 |journal=Archives of Natural History |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=1–29 |doi=10.3366/anh.1981.10.1.1 |issn=0260-9541 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=7 October 2024 |access-date=4 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007095100/https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/10.3366/anh.1981.10.1.1 |url-status=live }}</ref> marking the beginning of beekeeping's cultural significance on the island. A second species, the sweat bee ''[[Lasioglossum semiviridie]]'', was last recorded in 1922. Recent DNA analysis has revealed that the leafcutter bee ''[[Megachile pruina]]'' in Bermuda constitutes a unique evolutionary lineage, distinct from ''M. pruina'' populations in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rose |first1=Jennifer |last2=Gilbert |first2=M. Thomas P. |last3=Outerbridge |first3=Mark |last4=Morales |first4=Hernán E. |date=30 August 2024 |title=Evolutionary genomics analysis reveals a unique lineage of Megachile pruina found in an isolated population in Bermuda |journal=Insect Conservation and Diversity |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=1143–1155 |language=en |doi=10.1111/icad.12776 |issn=1752-458X|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{main|Demographics of Bermuda}}

[[File:19th Century young Bermudian man.jpg|thumb|left|Young Bermudian man in the 19th&nbsp;century]]
{{bar box
|title=Racial groups in Bermuda (2016 Census)<ref name="Bermuda 2016 Census"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic groups
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Black|darkgreen|52}}
{{bar percent|White|purple|31}}
{{bar percent|Mixed|red|9}}
{{bar percent|Asian|black|4}}
{{bar percent|Other|orange|4}}
}}
Bermuda's 2016&nbsp;Census put its population at 63,779, and with an area of {{cvt|53.2|km2|1}} it has a calculated population density of {{convert|1201|/km2|/mi2|disp=preunit|people|people|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Bermuda 2016 Census"/> As of July 2018 the population is estimated to be 71,176.<ref name="World Factbook" />

The racial makeup of Bermuda was 52% [[Dark skin|Black]], 31% [[White skin|White]], 9% multiracial, 4% [[Asian people|Asian]], and 4% other races, these numbers being based on self-identification recorded by the 2016 census. The majority of those who answered Black may have any mixture of black, white or other ancestry. Native-born Bermudians made up 70% of the population, compared with  30% non-natives.<ref name="Bermuda 2016 Census"/>

The island experienced large-scale immigration over the 20th&nbsp;century, especially after World War&nbsp;II. About 64% of the population identified themselves with Bermudian ancestry in 2010, an increase from the 51% who did so in the 2000&nbsp;census. Those identifying with British ancestry dropped by one percentage point to 11% – although those born in the United Kingdom remain the largest non-native group at 3,942&nbsp;people. The number of people born in Canada declined by 13%. 13% of the population reported West Indian ancestry and the number increased by 538. A significant segment of the population is of Portuguese ancestry (25%), the result of immigration over the past 160&nbsp;years,<ref>{{cite web |date=31 July 2001 |title=The Portuguese of the West Indies |website=freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~portwestind/diaspora/waves_of_migration.htm |url-status=live |access-date=20 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124122029/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~portwestind/diaspora/waves_of_migration.htm |archive-date=24 November 2010}}</ref> of whom 79% have residency status. In June&nbsp;2018, Premier [[Edward David Burt]] announced that 4&nbsp;November 2019 'will be declared a public holiday to mark the 170th&nbsp;anniversary of the arrival of the first Portuguese immigrants in Bermuda' due to the significant impact that Portuguese immigration has had on the territory.<ref>{{cite news |title=Holiday to mark arrival of Portuguese immigrants |date=1 June 2018 |website=BerNews |url=https://bernews.com/2018/06/holiday-to-mark-arrival-of-portuguese-immigrants/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111174852/https://bernews.com/2018/06/holiday-to-mark-arrival-of-portuguese-immigrants/ |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-date=11 January 2021}}</ref> Those first immigrants arrived from [[Madeira]] aboard the vessel the Golden Rule on 4&nbsp;November 1849.<ref>{{cite news |title=Portugal Honorary Consul: 'We are very excited' |date=2 June 2018 |website=BerNews |url=https://bernews.com/2018/06/portugal-honorary-consul-we-are-very-excited/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110132919/https://bernews.com/2018/06/portugal-honorary-consul-we-are-very-excited/ |archive-date=10 January 2021}}</ref>

There are also several thousand [[expatriate]] workers, principally from the United Kingdom, Canada, the West Indies and South Africa, who reside in Bermuda. They are primarily engaged in specialised professions such as accounting, finance and insurance. Others are employed in various trades, such as hotels, restaurants, construction and landscaping services. Despite the high cost of living, the high salaries offer expatriates several benefits.<ref>{{cite web |title=Working and getting a job in Bermuda |website=InterNations (internations.org) |url=https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-bermuda/working |access-date=16 February 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216045013/https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-bermuda/working |archive-date=16 February 2022}}</ref> Of the total workforce of 38,947&nbsp;people in 2005, government employment figures stated that 11,223 (29%) were non-Bermudians.<ref>{{cite news |title={{grey|[no title cited]}} |newspaper=[[The Bermuda Sun]] |date=4 April 2007}}</ref>

===Languages===
The predominant language in Bermuda is [[Bermudian English]].<ref name="World Factbook"/>

[[British English]] spellings and conventions are used in print media and formal written communications.<ref>{{cite book |first=Richard A. |last=Crooker |year=2009 |title=Bermuda |publisher=Infobase Publishing |page=66 |isbn=978-1-4381-0487-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5iIX6lLW-B0C&q=bermudian+english+spelling&pg=PA66 |via=Google Books |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603195531/https://books.google.com/books?id=5iIX6lLW-B0C&pg=PA66#v=onepage&q=bermudian%20english%20spelling |archive-date=3 June 2022}}</ref> [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] is also spoken by migrants from the [[Azores]], [[Madeira]] and the [[Cape Verde Islands]] and their descendants.<ref name="World Factbook"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Support sought for Portuguese language courses |date=3 October 2012 |newspaper=The Royal Gazette |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20121003/ISLAND/710039997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822103051/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20121003/ISLAND/710039997 |archive-date=22 August 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnston-Barnes |first1=Owain |title=Registration opens for students interested in Portuguese |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/education/news/article/20250718/registration-opens-for-students-interested-in-portuguese/ |website=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |access-date=19 July 2025 |date=18 July 2025 |archive-date=10 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250810232331/https://www.royalgazette.com/education/news/article/20250718/registration-opens-for-students-interested-in-portuguese/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:St. Theresa's Cathedral chapel.jpg|thumb|upright|The image of the [[Cult of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres|Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles]], in [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]], venerated by [[Azores|Azoreans]] in Bermuda]]
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious affiliations in Bermuda (2010)<ref>{{cite web |title=Religions in Bermuda |series=PEW-GRF |website=Globalreligiousfutures.org |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/bermuda#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |url-status=live |access-date=16 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104201219/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/bermuda#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |archive-date=4 January 2018}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestant]]
| value1 = 46.2
| color1 = White
| label2 = [[Roman Catholic]]
| value2 = 14.5
| color2 = Yellow
| label3 = Other Christian
| value3 = 9.1
| color3 = Blue
| label4 = Unaffiliated
| value4 = 17.8
| color4 = Grey
| label5 = Other religion
| value5 = 12.4
| color5 = Red
}}
Christianity is the largest religion on Bermuda.<ref name="World Factbook"/> Various Protestant denominations are dominant at 46.2% (including Anglican 15.8%; African Methodist Episcopal 8.6%; Seventh-day Adventist 6.7%; Pentecostal 3.5%; Methodist 2.7%; Presbyterian 2.0%; Church of God 1.6%; Baptist 1.2%; Salvation Army 1.1%; Brethren 1.0%; other Protestant 2.0%).<ref name="World Factbook"/> Roman Catholics form 14.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, and other Christians 9.1%.<ref name="World Factbook"/> The balance of the population are [[Muslims|Muslim]] 1%, other 3.9%, none 17.8%, or unspecified 6.2% (2010 est.).<ref name="World Factbook"/>

The [[Anglican Church of Bermuda]], an [[Anglican Communion]] diocese separate from the [[Church of England]], operates the oldest non-Catholic parish in the New World, [[St. Peter's Church, St. George's|St.&nbsp;Peter's Church]]. [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] are served by a single [[Latin Church|Latin]] diocese, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda|Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda]].

==Politics==
{{main|Politics of Bermuda}}

[[File:Stamp Bermuda 1953 4.5p.jpg|thumb|left|[[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II]] on a 1953 Bermudian stamp]]
Bermuda is an [[British Overseas Territory|Overseas Territory]] of the United Kingdom, and the [[Government of the United Kingdom]] is the sovereign government.<ref name="World Factbook"/> Executive authority in Bermuda is vested in the British monarch (currently {{Current UK monarch |Charles III}}) and is exercised on his behalf by the [[governor of Bermuda]].<ref name="World Factbook"/> The governor is appointed by the king on the advice of the [[British Government]]. Since January&nbsp;2025, the governor is [[Andrew Murdoch (diplomat)|Andrew Murdoch]]; he was sworn in on 23&nbsp;January 2025.<ref name=gov>{{cite web |date=3 March 2016 |title=The Governor of Bermuda |url=https://www.gov.bm/governor-bermuda |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219232600/https://www.gov.bm/governor-bermuda |access-date=30 January 2025 |website=gov.bm |language=en |archive-date=19 December 2024 }}</ref> There is also a deputy governor (currently Tom Oppenheim).<ref name=gov/><ref>{{cite web |title=Deputy Governor Swearing-In (1 May 2022) |url=https://www.gov.bm/articles/deputy-governor-swearing |website=Government of Bermuda |access-date=19 May 2024 |archive-date=19 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519050719/https://www.gov.bm/articles/deputy-governor-swearing |url-status=live }}</ref>

Defence, trade and foreign affairs are the responsibility of the United Kingdom, which also retains responsibility to ensure good government and must approve any changes to the Constitution of Bermuda. Bermuda is Britain's oldest overseas territory. Although the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] retains ultimate legislative authority over the territory, in 1620, a Royal Proclamation granted Bermuda limited self-governance, delegating to the [[House of Assembly of Bermuda|House of Assembly]] of the [[Parliament of Bermuda]] the internal legislation of the colony. The Parliament of Bermuda is the fifth oldest legislature in the world, behind the [[Sejm]] of Poland, the [[Parliament of England]], the [[Tynwald]] of the [[Isle of Man]], and the [[Althing]] of [[Iceland]].<ref>{{cite report |author=Pethen, Valarie |year=1988 |title=Bermuda Report |edition=Second, 1985–1988 |page=17 |publisher=Department of Information Services |place=Bermuda}}</ref>

[[File:Bermuda-The State House.jpg|thumb|right|The [[State House, Bermuda|State House]] in [[St. George's, Bermuda|St. George's]], the home of Bermuda's [[Parliament of Bermuda|parliament]] between 1620 and 1815]]
[[File:Sessions House, Hamilton, Bermuda.jpg|thumb|right|The [[House of Assembly of Bermuda|Sessions House]] in [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]], current home of the House of Assembly and the Supreme Court]]

{{anchor|Bermuda Constitution Order 1968}}
The [[Constitution of Bermuda]] came into force in 1968 and has been amended several times since then.<ref name="World Factbook"/> The head of government is the [[premier of Bermuda]]; a cabinet is nominated by the premier and appointed officially by the governor.<ref name="World Factbook"/> The legislative branch consists of a [[bicameral parliament]] modelled on the [[Westminster system]].<ref name="World Factbook"/> The [[Senate of Bermuda|Senate]] is the upper house, consisting of 11 members appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier and the leader of the opposition. The [[House of Assembly of Bermuda|House of Assembly]], or lower house, has 36&nbsp;members, elected by the eligible voting populace in secret ballot to represent geographically defined constituencies.<ref name="World Factbook"/>

[[Elections in Bermuda|Elections]] for the Parliament of Bermuda must be called at no more than five-year intervals. The [[2020 Bermudian general election|most recent]] took place on 1 October 2020. Following this election, the [[Progressive Labour Party (Bermuda)|Progressive Labour Party]] held onto power, with [[Edward David Burt]] sworn in as Premier for the second time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clifford |first=Ivan |title=Bermuda PLP 14-year reign ends with premier also losing seat |url=http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/bermuda_news/645454.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622065322/http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/bermuda_news/645454.html |archive-date=22 June 2013 |access-date=18 December 2012 |publisher=[[Caribbean360]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kent |first=Jonathan |date=18 December 2012 |title=Cannonier: 'Bermuda has seen a new day' |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20121217/NEWS/712179887 |access-date=18 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221050126/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20121217/NEWS/712179887 |archive-date=21 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Strangeways |first=Sam |date=19 July 2017 |title=Burt cries 'Hallelujah' as victory for PLP is declared |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/politics/article/20170719/burt-cries-hallelujah-as-victory-for-plp-is-declared |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215221156/http://www.royalgazette.com/politics/article/20170719/burt-cries-hallelujah-as-victory-for-plp-is-declared |archive-date=15 December 2017}}</ref>

There are few accredited diplomats in Bermuda. The United States maintains the largest diplomatic mission in Bermuda, comprising both the United States Consulate and the [[US Customs and Border Protection]] Services at the [[L.F. Wade International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |title=Our Relationship: Policy & History |url=https://bm.usconsulate.gov/our-relationship/policy-history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917172306/https://bm.usconsulate.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/ |archive-date=17 September 2021 |access-date=11 September 2021 |website=bm.usconsulate.gov |publisher=Government of the United States of America |quote=Approximately 40 employees, including the Consul General, Deputy Principal Officer, Consul, US Customs and Border Protection Port Director and officers are assigned to the Consulate General.}}</ref> The United States is Bermuda's largest trading partner (providing over 71% of total imports, 85% of tourist visitors, and an estimated $163 billion of US capital in the Bermuda insurance/re-insurance industry). According to the 2016 Bermuda census 5.6% of Bermuda residents were born in the US, representing over 18% of all foreign-born people.<ref name="2016 census">{{Cite web |title=2016 Census Report |url=https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/2016%20Census%20Report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715222940/https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/2016%20Census%20Report.pdf |archive-date=15 July 2020 |access-date=7 August 2020 |publisher=Government of Bermuda, Department of Statistics}}</ref>

===Nationality and citizenship===
{{main|British nationality law}}

[[File:Bermuda passport.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.7|A British passport as issued by the Department of Immigration of the Government of Bermuda on behalf of the Passport Office of the Government of the United Kingdom, and often erroneously described as a [[Bermudian passport]]]]

Citizenship rights were granted by [[royal charter]]s at the founding of the colony. Bermuda (fully The Somers Isles or Islands of Bermuda) had been settled by the [[London Company]] (which had been in occupation of the archipelago since the 1609 wreck of the [[Sea Venture]]) in 1612, when it received its third royal charter from [[James VI and I|King James I]], amending the boundaries of the [[Virginia Colony|First Colony of Virginia]] far enough across the Atlantic to include Bermuda. The citizenship rights guaranteed to settlers by King James I in the original royal charter of 10 April 1606, thereby applied to Bermudians:<ref>{{cite executive order |number=1 |title=Royal Charter of King James I to the Virginia Company of London |date=10 April 1601 |language=English |post=King of England}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |title=No. 1: First Charter of Virginia |url=https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=K7GRIUBKMVRBL76 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911153733/https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=K7GRIUBKMVRBL76 |archive-date=11 September 2021 |access-date=11 September 2021 |website=originalsources.com |publisher=Western Standard Publishing Company}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |title=No. 2: Second Charter of Virginia |url=https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=KEPRJAXF2IKNNY6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911153731/https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=KEPRJAXF2IKNNY6 |archive-date=11 September 2021 |access-date=11 September 2021 |website=originalsources.com |publisher=Western Standard Publishing Company}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |title=No. 3: Third Charter of Virginia |url=https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=K5WQWAFPH3Y9A4N |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911153729/https://www.originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=K5WQWAFPH3Y9A4N |archive-date=11 September 2021 |access-date=11 September 2021 |website=originalsources.com |publisher=Western Standard Publishing Company}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Alsoe wee doe, for us, our heires and successors, declare by theise presentes that all and everie the parsons being our subjects which shall dwell and inhabit within everie or anie of the saide severall Colonies and plantacions and everie of theire children which shall happen to be borne within the limitts and precincts of the said severall Colonies and plantacions shall have and enjoy all liberties, franchises and immunites within anie of our other dominions to all intents and purposes as if they had been abiding and borne within this our realme of Englande or anie other of our saide dominions.<ref>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36181/36181-h/36181-h.htm The Three Charters of the Virginia Company of London: the First Charter April 10, 1606, with an introduction by Samuel M. Bemiss, President, Virginia Historical Society. Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation, Williamsburg, Virginia 1957] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414034703/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36181/36181-h/36181-h.htm |date=14 April 2021 }}, Gutenberg.org</ref>}}

These rights were confirmed in the royal charter granted to the London Company's spin-off, the [[Somers Isles|Company of the City of London for the Plantacion of The Somers Isles]], in 1615 on Bermuda being separated from Virginia:

{{blockquote|And wee doe for vs our heires and successors declare by these Pnts, that all and euery persons being our subjects which shall goe and inhabite within the said Somer Ilandes and every of their children and posterity which shall happen to bee borne within the limits thereof shall haue and enjoy all libertyes franchesies and immunities of free denizens and natural subjectes within any of our dominions to all intents and purposes, as if they had beene abiding and borne within this our Kingdome of England or in any other of our Dominions<ref>Letters Patent of King James I, 1615. ''Memorials of the Discovery and Early Settlement of The Bermudas or Somers Islands'', Volume 1, by Lieutenant-General Sir John Henry Lefroy, Royal Artillery, [[Governor of Bermuda|Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda]] 1871–1877. The Bermuda Memorials Edition, 1981. The Bermuda Historical Society and The Bermuda National Trust (First Edition, London, 1877)</ref>}}

In 1968 (prior to which British colonials had the same citizenship, [[Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies]], and rights in that part of the British Realm that lay within the British Isles),{{Clarify|reason=they had the same rights as WHO?|date=September 2025}}  there was a racist backlash against ethnic-Indian migration from British African colonies that had chosen independence (with ethnic-Indians in those colonies being permitted to retain United Kingdom and Colonies Citizenship in order to prevent them being left stateless if racist governments of their newly independent countries denied them citizenship). Therefore the British Government modified the [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962]] with the [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968]], with the first imposed immigration barriers against British nationals, including Bermudians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/9/pdfs/ukpga_19680009_en.pdf|title=Section 1 of the 1968 Act|access-date=16 November 2018|archive-date=17 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217084559/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/9/pdfs/ukpga_19680009_en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> This was followed by the [[Immigration Act 1971]], and the [[British Nationality Act 1981]], under which Bermudians and other British nationals from British Colonies (excepting Falkland Islanders and Gibraltarians, and also the people of the [[Crown Dependencies]], who, along with those of the island of Britain and the North of Ireland, became ''"British Citizens"'') became nominally citizens, not of Britain, but of the collective ''British Dependent Territories'', which effectively became a [[Bantustan#Usage in non-South African contexts|Bantustan]] within the British realm.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/61/schedule/6/enacted |title=British Nationality Act 1981, Schedule 6 |access-date=18 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401094630/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/61/schedule/6/enacted |archive-date=1 April 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://john-warwick.blogspot.com/2007/09/race-and-development-of-immigration.html|title=Professor John Warwick: Race and the development of Immigration policy during the 20th century|first=Professor John|last=Warwick|date=24 September 2007|access-date=24 November 2020|archive-date=28 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128160137/http://john-warwick.blogspot.com/2007/09/race-and-development-of-immigration.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://socialistworker.co.uk/comment/windrush-scandal-shows-how-britishness-stinks/|title=Windrush scandal shows how 'Britishness' stinks|date=1 May 2018|website=Socialist Worker|access-date=13 September 2025|archive-date=15 September 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250915034253/https://socialistworker.co.uk/comment/windrush-scandal-shows-how-britishness-stinks/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2002, British Dependent Territories Citizenship was renamed [[British Overseas Territories citizen]]ship, and remains the default citizenship for British nationals of the overseas territories (excepting Falkland Islanders and Gibraltarians, and also the [[Crown Dependencies]]), including Bermudians, although the restrictions against their immigration into, and residence  in, the UK-proper were lifted at the same time and they were permitted to also obtain British Citizenship, rights that they had previously been stripped of without their consent. 

In March 2021, the government implemented a new visa policy towards foreigners, through which residency can be obtained by way of investing at least $2.5&nbsp;million in "real estate, Bermuda government bonds, a contribution to the island's debt relief fund or the Bermuda Trust Fund, and charity", among other options. According to the Labour Minister, Jason Hayward, this step had to be taken to relieve some of the country's debt resulting from the Covid pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Konkina |first=Alina |title=Foreigners Can Obtain Residency In Bermuda By Investing From US$2.5 Million |url=https://www.ntltrust.com/news-/news-crbi/foreigners-can-obtain-residency-in-bermuda-by-investing-from-us25-million |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727083214/https://www.ntltrust.com/news-/news-crbi/foreigners-can-obtain-residency-in-bermuda-by-investing-from-us25-million |archive-date=27 July 2022 |access-date=27 July 2022 |website=NTL Trust |date=22 February 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Bermuda}}

[[File:Bermuda-divmap.png|thumb|Parishes of Bermuda]]

Bermuda is divided into nine [[Parish (administrative division)|parishes]] and two incorporated municipalities.<ref name="World Factbook" />

Bermuda's nine parishes are:
* [[Devonshire Parish|Devonshire]]
* [[Hamilton Parish|Hamilton]]
* [[Paget Parish|Paget]]
* [[Pembroke Parish|Pembroke]]
* [[Sandys Parish|Sandys]]
* [[Smith's Parish|Smith's]]
* [[Southampton Parish, Bermuda|Southampton]]
* [[St. George's Parish, Bermuda|St George's]]
* [[Warwick Parish|Warwick]]

Bermuda's two incorporated municipalities are:
* [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]] (city)
* [[St. George's, Bermuda|St George's]] (town)

Bermuda's two informal villages are:
* [[Flatts Village, Bermuda|Flatts Village]]
* [[Somerset Village, Bermuda|Somerset Village]]

Jones Village in Warwick, Cashew City (St. George's), Claytown (Hamilton), Middle Town (Pembroke), and [[Tucker's Town]] (St. George's) are neighbourhoods (the original settlement at Tucker's Town was replaced with a golf course in the 1920s and the few houses in the area today are mostly on the water's edge of Castle Harbour or the adjacent peninsula); Dandy Town and North Village are sports clubs, and Harbour View Village is a small public housing development.

===International relations===
As a British Overseas Territory, Bermuda does not have a seat in the [[General Assembly of the United Nations|United Nations]]; it is represented by Britain in matters of [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|foreign affairs]].<ref name="World Factbook" /> To promote its economic interests abroad, Bermuda maintains [[Representative of Bermuda, London|representative offices]] in London<ref>[http://www.londonoffice.gov.bm/ Bermuda Government office in London] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018180412/http://www.londonoffice.gov.bm/ |date=18 October 2010 }}. Londonoffice.gov.bm. Retrieved 15 August 2012.</ref> and Washington, D.C.<ref>[http://www.dcoffice.gov.bm/ Bermuda Government office in Washington, D.C.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511073944/http://www.dcoffice.gov.bm/ |date=11 May 2011}}, Dcoffice.gov.bm. Retrieved 15 August 2012.</ref> Only the [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States#Europe|United States]] and Portugal have full-time diplomatic representation in Bermuda (the US maintains a Consulate-General, and Portugal maintains a Consulate), while 17 countries maintain honorary consuls in Bermuda.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Embassies & consulates in Bermuda |date=12 July 2016 |website=Go to Bermuda |publisher=Bermuda Tourism Authority |url=https://www.gotobermuda.com/article/embassies-consulates-bermuda |url-status=live |access-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927185725/https://www.gotobermuda.com/article/embassies-consulates-bermuda |archive-date=27 September 2021}}</ref>

Bermuda's proximity to the US had made it attractive as the site for summit conferences between British prime ministers and US presidents. The first summit was held in December 1953, at the insistence of Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]], to discuss relations with the [[Soviet Union]] during the [[Cold War]]. Participants included Churchill, US president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] and French premier [[Joseph Laniel]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Young |first=John |date=1996 |chapter=The Western Summit at Bermuda, December 1953 |editor-last=Dunn |editor-first=David H. |title=Diplomacy at the Highest Level: The Evolution of International Summitry |series=Studies in Diplomacy |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK |isbn=978-1-349-24915-2 |pages=165–181 |doi=10.1007/978-1-349-24915-2_11 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1957 a second summit conference was held. The British prime minister, [[Harold Macmillan]], arrived earlier than President Eisenhower, to demonstrate they were meeting on British territory, as tensions were still high regarding the [[Suez Crisis|previous year's conflict over the Suez Canal]]. Macmillan returned in 1961 for the third summit with President [[John F. Kennedy]]. The meeting was called to discuss Cold War tensions arising from construction of the [[Berlin Wall]].<ref name="Visitors" />

The most recent summit conference in Bermuda between the two powers occurred in 1990, when British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] met US president [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref name="Visitors">{{Cite web |last=Forbes |first=Keith |title=Bermuda's distinguished visitors over the years |url=http://www.bermuda-online.org/specialvisitors.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009051111/http://www.bermuda-online.org/specialvisitors.htm |archive-date=9 October 2007 |access-date=22 September 2007 |website=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]]}}</ref>

Direct meetings between the president of the United States and the [[premier of Bermuda]] have been rare. The most recent meeting was on 23 June 2008, between Premier [[Ewart Brown]] and President [[George W. Bush]]. Prior to this, the leaders of Bermuda and the United States had not met at the White House since a 1996 meeting between Premier David Saul and President [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="rg">{{Cite news |last=Kent |first=Jonathan |date=24 June 2008 |title=Premier meets the President |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20080624/NEWS/306249953 |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905065224/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20080624/NEWS/306249953 |archive-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>

Bermuda has also joined several other jurisdictions in efforts to protect the [[Sargasso Sea]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shaw |first=David |date=27 May 2014 |title=Protecting the Sargasso Sea |url=http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/letter-field/2014/protecting-sargasso-sea |url-status=live |journal=Science & Diplomacy |volume=3 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714164604/http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/letter-field/2014/protecting-sargasso-sea |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref>

In 2013 and 2017 Bermuda chaired the [[United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones, Simon |date=3 February 2013 |title=Bermuda rep elected chair of UKOTA |work=Bermuda Sun Ltd. |url=http://bermudasun.bm/Content/NEWS/Year-in-Review-2013/Article/Bermuda-rep-elected-chair-of-UKOTA/24/1332/63143 |url-status=live |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125193536/http://bermudasun.bm/Content/NEWS/Year-in-Review-2013/Article/Bermuda-rep-elected-chair-of-UKOTA/24/1332/63143 |archive-date=25 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1 February 2017 |title=Bermuda Elected Chair Of Territories Association |work=Bernews |url=http://bernews.com/2017/02/bermuda-elected-chair-of-territories-association/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125134702/http://bernews.com/2017/02/bermuda-elected-chair-of-territories-association/ |archive-date=25 January 2018}}</ref>

====Asylum offer to four former Guantánamo detainees====
{{main|1 = Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo Bay#Bermuda|l1 = Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo Bay: Bermuda}}

On 11 June 2009, four [[Uyghur people|Uyghurs]] who had been held in the United States [[Guantánamo Bay detention camp]], in [[Cuba]], were transferred to Bermuda.<ref name="AssociatedPress2009-06-11">{{Cite news |last=Barrett, Devlin |date=11 June 2009 |title=4 Chinese Muslims released from Guantanamo |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXh3uNX3sav1yJUl6k1XFvjZaycgD98OG1R01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191220225403/https://www.webcitation.org/5hS9ZCaJA?url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hXh3uNX3sav1yJUl6k1XFvjZaycgD98OG1R01 |archive-date=20 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="RadioFreeAsia2009-06-11">{{Cite news |date=11 June 2009 |title=Four Uyghur Detainees Released |publisher=[[Radio Free Asia]] |url=http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/release-06112009074832.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614062626/http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/release-06112009074832.html |archive-date=14 June 2009}}</ref><ref name="RoyalGazette2009-06-11a">{{Cite news |date=11 June 2009 |title=Breaking News: Premier's statement on Guantanamo Bay |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d965ba30030000&sectionId=60 |access-date=11 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616154053/http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d965ba30030000&sectionId=60 |archive-date=16 June 2009}}</ref><ref name="RoyalGazette2009-06-11b">{{Cite news |date=11 June 2009 |title=Breaking News update: Guantánamo decision taken "without permission" Governor to assess implications |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d965be30030000&sectionId=60 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630224929/http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d965be30030000&sectionId=60 |archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref> The four men were among 22 Uyghurs who claimed to be refugees who were captured in 2001 in Pakistan after fleeing the [[American aerial bombardment of Afghanistan]]. They were accused of training to assist the [[Taliban]]'s military. They were cleared as safe for release from Guantánamo in 2005 or 2006, but US domestic law prohibited deporting them back to China, their country of citizenship, because the US government determined that China was [[human rights in China|likely to violate]] their human rights.

In September 2008, the men were cleared of all suspicion and Judge Ricardo Urbina in Washington ordered their release. Congressional opposition to their admittance to the United States was strong<ref name="AssociatedPress2009-06-11" /> and the US failed to find a home for them until Bermuda and [[Palau]] agreed to accept the 22 men in June 2009.

The secret bilateral discussions that led to prisoner transfers between the US and the devolved Bermuda government sparked diplomatic ire from the United Kingdom, which was not consulted on the move despite Bermuda being a British territory. The British Foreign Office issued the following statement:

{{blockquote|We've underlined to the Bermuda Government that they should have consulted with the United Kingdom as to whether this falls within their competence or is a security issue, for which the Bermuda Government do not have delegated responsibility. We have made clear to the Bermuda Government the need for a security assessment, which we are now helping them to carry out, and we will decide on further steps as appropriate.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leonard |first=Tom |date=11 June 2009 |title=British anger over Bermuda decision to take Guantanamo detainees |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/bermuda/5507926/British-anger-over-Bermuda-decision-to-take-Guantanamo-detainees.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 April 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/bermuda/5507926/British-anger-over-Bermuda-decision-to-take-Guantanamo-detainees.html |archive-date=10 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>}}

In August 2018, the four Uyghurs were granted limited citizenship in Bermuda. The men now have the same rights as Bermudians except the right to vote.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bell |first=Jonathan |date=28 August 2018 |title=Uighur refugees granted citizenship |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/politics/article/20180827/uighur-refugees-granted-citizenship |url-status=live |access-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831191450/http://www.royalgazette.com/politics/article/20180827/uighur-refugees-granted-citizenship |archive-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>

====British North America, British West Indies and the Caribbean Community====
The British Government originally grouped Bermuda with North America (given its proximity, and Bermuda having been established as an extension of the [[Colony of Virginia]], and with [[Carolina Colony]], the nearest landfall, having been settled from Bermuda). After the acknowledgement by the British Government of the independence of [[Thirteen Colonies|thirteen continental colonies]] (including Virginia and the Carolinas) in 1783, Bermuda was generally grouped regionally by the British Government with [[The Maritimes]] and [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] (and more widely, as part of [[British North America]]), substantially nearer to Bermuda than is the Caribbean.

From 1783 through 1801, the [[British Empire]], including British North America, was administered by the [[Home Office]] and by the [[Home Secretary]], then from 1801 to 1854 by the [[War Office]] (which became the ''War and Colonial Office'') and Secretary of State for War and Colonies (as the [[Secretary of State for War]] was renamed). From 1824, the British Empire was divided by the War and Colonial Office into four administrative departments, including ''North America'', the ''West Indies'', ''Mediterranean and Africa'', and ''Eastern Colonies'', of which the North American department included Bermuda.<ref>{{cite book |last=Young |first=Douglas MacMurray |date=1961 |title=The Colonial Office in The Early Nineteenth Century |publisher=Longmans |location=London, UK |page=55}}</ref> The [[Colonial Office]] and War Office, the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies]] and the Secretary of State for War, were all separated in 1854.<ref name="Maton95">{{Cite web |last=Maton |first=William F. |year=1998 |title=British Columbia Terms of Union |series=The Solon Law Archive |website=Solon.org |url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/bctu.html |url-status=live |access-date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807080143/http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/bctu.html |archive-date=7 August 2011 |ref=Terms of Union}}</ref><ref name=Maton98>{{cite web |last=Maton |first=William F. |date=8 December 1995 |title=Prince Edward Island Terms of Union |series=The Solon Law Archive |website=Solon.org |url=http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/peitu.html |url-status=live |access-date=18 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127014912/https://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English/peitu.html |archive-date=27 November 2020 |ref=Edward}}</ref> The War Office, from then until the 1867 [[Canadian Confederation|confederation]] of the Dominion of Canada, split the military administration of the British colonial and foreign stations into nine districts with ''North America and North Atlantic'' including the station of ''Bermuda''.<ref>
{{Cite book |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Meteorological Observations at the Foreign and Colonial Stations of the Royal Engineers and the Army Medical Department 1852—1886. |date=1890 |publisher=Eyre and Spottiswoode |location=London, UK}}
</ref> The Colonial Office, by 1862, oversaw eight Colonies in British North America, which included Bermuda separately.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=1 October 1862 |title=Colonial Governors and Bishops |page=7 |work=The Wiltshire County Mirror |location=Salisbury, Wiltshire, England |quote=Our North American colonies are eight in number, - Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Bermuda, Vancouver Island, and British Columbia}}</ref> By 1867, administration of the [[South Atlantic Ocean]] archipelago of the [[Falkland Islands]], which had been colonised in 1833, had been added to the remit of the North American Department of the Colonial Office.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Birch |first1=Arthur N. |last2=Robinson |first2=William |date=1867 |title=The Colonial Office List for 1867 |location=London |publisher=Harrison |page=8 |quote=}}</ref> Following the 1867 [[Confederation of Canada|confederation]] of most of the British North American colonies to form the Dominion of [[Canada]] while Bermuda and Newfoundland remained as the only British colonies in North America (although the Falkland Islands also continued to be administered by the North American Department of the Colonial Office).<ref>{{cite book |last=Fairfield |first=Edward |date=1878 |title=The Colonial Office List for 1878 |location=LONDON |publisher=Harrison and Sons |at=Page 17, PART II. — COLONIES .-- Colonies. North American. |quote=CANADA: PROVINCES OF CANADA-Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, North-west Territories, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island; NEWFOUNDLAND; BERMUDA; FALKLAND ISLANDS}}</ref> The reduction of the territory administered by the British Government would result in re-organisation of the Colonial Office. In 1901, the departments of the Colonial Office included the ''North American and Australasian'' department to which Bermuda was a part.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mercer |first1=W. H. |last2=Collins |first2=A. E. |date=1901 |title=The Colonial Office List for 1901 |location=LONDON |publisher=Harrison and Sons |page=xiii}}</ref> In 1907, the [[Colony of Newfoundland]] became the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]], leaving the [[Imperial fortress]] of Bermuda as the sole remaining British North American colony.

Bermuda, with a land mass totalling less than 21 square miles and a population of 17,535, could hardly constitute an Imperial administrative region on its own. By 1908, the Colonial Office included two departments (one overseeing dominion and [[British protectorate|protectorate]] business, the other colonial): The Crown Colonies Department was made up of a West Indian Division that included Bermuda, as well as Jamaica, Turks Islands, British Honduras, British Guiana, Bahamas, Bermuda, Trinidad, Barbados, Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Falkland Islands, and St. Helena.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mercer |first1=W. H. |last2=Collins |first2=A. E. |date=1908 |title=The Colonial Office List for 1901 |location=London |publisher=Waterlow and Sons Limited |page=xiii }}</ref>

[[File:Military Governors and Staff Officers in British North America and West Indies 1778 and 1784.jpg|thumb|Military Governors and Staff Officers in British North America and West Indies, 1778 and 1784]]
Following Canadian confederation in 1867, the British political, naval and military hierarchy in Bermuda became increasingly separated from that of the Canadian Government. The [[Royal Navy]] headquarters for the [[North America and West Indies Station]] had spent summers at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and winters at Bermuda, but settled at Bermuda year round with the [[Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax]] finally being transferred to the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] in 1907. The [[Bermuda Garrison]] had been placed under the military Commander-in-Chief America in New York during the American War of Independence, and had been part of the Nova Scotia Command thereafter, but became the separate ''Bermuda Command'' from the 1860s with the Major-General or Lieutenant-General appointed as Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda also filling the civil role of [[Governor of Bermuda]], and Bermuda was increasingly perceived by the British Government as in, or at least grouped for convenience with, the British West Indies (although the established [[Church of England]] in Bermuda, which from 1825 to 1839 had been attached to the See of [[Nova Scotia]]) remained part of the [[Diocese of Newfoundland|Diocese of Newfoundland and Bermuda]] until 1879, when the Synod of the Church of England in Bermuda was formed and a Diocese of Bermuda became separate from the Diocese of Newfoundland, but continued to be grouped under the ''Bishop of Newfoundland and Bermuda'' until 1919, when Newfoundland and Bermuda each received its own bishop.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Piper |first=Liza |year=2000 |title=The Church of England |url=https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/anglicanism.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817010608/https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/anglicanism.php |archive-date=17 August 2021 |access-date=17 August 2021 |website=Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador |publisher=Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |title=Our History |url=https://anglicanenl.net/home/our-history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928125032/https://anglicanenl.net/home/our-history/ |archive-date=28 September 2021 |access-date=17 August 2021 |website=Anglican East NL |publisher=Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador}}</ref> Newfoundland attained Dominion status in 1907, leaving the nearest other territories to Bermuda that were still within the [[Commonwealth realm|British Realm]] (a term which replaced ''Dominion'' in 1952 as the dominions and a number of colonies moved towards full political independence) as the British colonies in the [[British West Indies]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=1812 |title=CIVIL LIST OF THE PROVINCE OF LOWER-CANADA 1828: GOVERNOR |magazine=The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar for the Year 1828 |location=Quebec |publisher=Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=1812 |title=STAFF of the ARMY in the Provinces of Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick, and their Dependencies, including the Island of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward and Bermuda |magazine=The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar for the Year 1828 |location=Quebec |publisher=Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street}}</ref>

Other denominations also at one time included Bermuda with Nova Scotia or Canada. Following the separation of the Church of England from the [[Roman Catholic Church]], Roman Catholic worship was outlawed in England (subsequently ''Britain'') and its colonies, including Bermuda, until the [[Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791]], and operated thereafter under restrictions until the Twentieth Century. Once Roman Catholic worship was established, Bermuda formed part of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth|Archdiocese of Halifax, Nova Scotia]] until 1953, when it was separated to become the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda|Apostolic Prefecture of Bermuda Islands]].<ref name="romancatholicbermuda_about-us">{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=A History Of Our Church |url=https://www.romancatholicbermuda.bm/about-us |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923114348/https://www.romancatholicbermuda.bm/about-us |archive-date=23 September 2021 |access-date=28 August 2021 |website=Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda |publisher=The Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda |quote=The Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda was established in 12th June 1967. Bermuda was served by the Diocesan clergy of Halifax until 1953, after which pastoral responsibility transferred to the Congregation of the Resurrection.}}</ref> The congregation of the first [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] in Bermuda (St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church, erected in 1885 in [[Hamilton Parish, Bermuda|Hamilton Parish]]) had previously been part of the [[British Methodist Episcopal Church]] of Canada.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chudleigh |first=Diana |url=https://www.bnt.bm/shop1/bermudas-architectural-heritage/bermuda-39-s-architectural-heritage-hamilton-parish-detail |title=Bermuda's Architectural Heritage: Hamilton Parish |date=2002 |publisher=The Bermuda National Trust |location=Bermuda |access-date=11 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828012312/https://www.bnt.bm/shop1/bermudas-architectural-heritage/bermuda-39-s-architectural-heritage-hamilton-parish-detail |archive-date=28 August 2021}}</ref><ref name="romancatholicbermuda_about-us"/>

An appreciable number of British West Indians immigrated to Bermuda during the course of the 20th century, with some filling qualified roles and integrating into the community, but others working as labourers and often derided as criminals or "''jump ups''" competing for jobs and pushing down the cost of labour.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=23 August 2002 |title=Celebrating Jamaicans put 'jump-ups' tag behind them |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/article/20110203/celebrating-jamaicans-put-jump-ups-tag-behind-them |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=23 July 2024 |quote=JAMAICANS in Bermuda have come a long way in only a few years. Once laughingly dismissed as "jump-ups", they have since established themselves as pillars of our community, gaining recognition for the many worthy contributions they have made to the island. |archive-date=27 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727004459/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/article/20110203/celebrating-jamaicans-put-jump-ups-tag-behind-them/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Campbell |first=Sandra |url=https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/power-prejudice-the-story-of-the-1902-dockyard-riots-the-reverend-charles-monk-trial |title=Power & Prejudice: The Story of the 1902 Dockyard Riots & The Reverend Charles Monk Trial |date=2 March 2023 |magazine=The Bermudian |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermudian |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003163721/https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/power-prejudice-the-story-of-the-1902-dockyard-riots-the-reverend-charles-monk-trial/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ziral |first=James A. |date=16 March 2023 |title=A Forgotton Chapter: Blacks in the Building of Dockyard |url=https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/a-forgotton-chapter-blacks-in-the-building-of-dockyard/ |magazine=The Bermudian |location=Bermuda |publisher=The Bermudian |access-date=5 January 2024 |archive-date=13 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713185234/https://www.thebermudian.com/heritage/heritage-heritage/a-forgotton-chapter-blacks-in-the-building-of-dockyard/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Shorto |first=Lieutenant-Colonel A. Gavin |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/article/20110204/the-roots-of-creole-charm/ |date=4 February 2011 |title=The roots of Creole charm |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=30 March 2023 |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330005044/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/article/20110204/the-roots-of-creole-charm/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Ceola |date=24 August 2012 |title=Tributes for icon of Bermuda's West Indian community |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120824/NEWS/708249993 |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313195214/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120824/NEWS/708249993 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stovell |first=E. McNeil |date=8 December 2018 |title=Our Caribbean neighbours deserve more respect |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/opinion/article/20181208/our-caribbean-neighbours-deserve-more-respect |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=8 May 2024 |archive-date=27 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127110640/https://www.royalgazette.com/opinion/article/20181208/our-caribbean-neighbours-deserve-more-respect |url-status=live }}</ref> In recent decades, West Indians also came to be associated in Bermuda with law enforcement. The difficulty faced by the [[Bermuda Police Service]] in obtaining recruits locally had long led to recruitment of constables from the British Isles, which resulted in criticism of the racial make up of the force not reflecting that of the wider community. Consequently, in 1966 the Bermuda Police Force (as it was then titled) began also recruiting constables from British West Indian police forces, starting with seven constables from Barbados.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=25 February 1966 |title=BERMUDA POLICE FORCE TRAINING SCHOOL |page=1 |work=The Bermuda Recorder |location=Bermuda }}</ref> Although the practice of recruiting from the British West Indies would continue, it was not deemed entirely successful. As the ''"Bermuda Report for the year 1971"'' recorded:

{{Blockquote|More recently police have been recruited from the Caribbean with a view to correcting the racial imbalance in the force. This has not been particularly successful, Bermudians regarding West Indians as much, if not more, expatriate as recruits from the United Kingdom, which has been and remains the main source of recruitment.<ref>{{cite report |author=<!--Not stated--> |year=1975 |title=Bermuda Report for the year 1971 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office (Printed in Bermuda by the Island Press Ltd) |at=pages 23 and 24 |isbn=0-11-580164-2}}</ref>}}
Despite the traditional antipathy some Bermudians had for West Indians, and despite Bermuda not being in the Caribbean region, Bermuda became an associate member of the [[Caribbean Community]] (CARICOM) in July 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda Government today |url=http://bermuda-online.org/bdagovt.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702140057/http://www.bermuda-online.org/bdagovt.htm |archive-date=2 July 2010 |access-date=9 July 2010 |website=Bermuda-Online.org |quote=In July 2003, Bermuda formally joined the Caribbean Community as an Associate Member (non-voting member)...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Stevenson |date=3 July 2003 |title=Premier signs Caricom deal |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20030703/NEWS/307039988 |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110114416/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20030703/NEWS/307039988 |archive-date=10 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Strengthening Bermuda's Links to the Caribbean: Associate Membership of the Caribbean Community |url=http://www.gov.bm/portal/erver.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_2043_223_990_43/http%3B/ptpublisher.gov.bm%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/cabinet_office/central_policy_unit/dept___cpu___reports/articles/caricom_discussion_paper_3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110114104/http://www.gov.bm/portal/erver.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_2043_223_990_43/http%3B/ptpublisher.gov.bm%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/cabinet_office/central_policy_unit/dept___cpu___reports/articles/caricom_discussion_paper_3.pdf |archive-date=10 November 2012 |publisher=Government of Bermuda |type=Discussion paper}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Favorite Caribbean Island Isn't in the Caribbean |url=https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/bermuda/experiences/news/photos/bermuda-travel-guide-why-this-atlantic-island-isnt-the-caribbean |website=Fodor's |date=28 August 2025 |access-date=30 August 2025 |archive-date=2 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902144128/https://www.fodors.com/world/caribbean/bermuda/experiences/news/photos/bermuda-travel-guide-why-this-atlantic-island-isnt-the-caribbean |url-status=live }}</ref>

CARICOM is a [[socio-economic]] bloc of nations in or near the [[Caribbean Sea]] established in 1973. Other outlying member states include the Co-operative Republic of [[Guyana]] and the Republic of [[Suriname]] in South America, and [[Belize]] in Central America. The [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], an associate member of CARICOM, and the Commonwealth of [[The Bahamas]], a full member of CARICOM, are in the Atlantic, but close to the Caribbean. Other nearby nations or territories, such as the United States, are not members (although the US Commonwealth of [[Puerto Rico]] has [[observer status]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands]] announced in 2007 that they would seek ties with CARICOM). Bermuda has minimal trade with the Caribbean region, and little in common with it economically, being roughly {{convert|1000|mi|km|order=flip}} from the Caribbean Sea; it joined CARICOM primarily to strengthen cultural links with the region.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Among some scholars,{{Who|date=August 2010}} "the Caribbean" can be a socio-historical category, commonly referring to a cultural zone characterised by the legacy of slavery (a characteristic Bermuda shared with the Caribbean and the US) and the plantation system (which did not exist in Bermuda). It embraces the islands and parts of the neighbouring continent, and may be extended to include the Caribbean Diaspora overseas.<ref name="acs-aec.org">[[Norman Girvan|Girvan, Norman]] (2001), {{Cite web |title=Reinterpreting the Caribbean |url=http://www.acs-aec.org/About/SG/Girvan/Speeches/rei1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615225544/http://www.acs-aec.org/About/SG/Girvan/Speeches/rei1.htm |archive-date=15 June 2011 |access-date=5 August 2010}} In ''New Caribbean Thought'', Folke Lindahl and Brian Meeks (eds), UWI Press, pp. 3 ff. [https://books.google.com/books?id=mUC4PA7ZedYC&pg=PA3 Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412174947/https://books.google.com/books?id=mUC4PA7ZedYC&pg=PA3 |date=12 April 2016 }} {{ISBN|976-640-103-9}}</ref>

The PLP, which was the party in government when the decision was made to join CARICOM, has been dominated for decades by West Indians and their descendants. The prominent roles of West Indians among Bermuda's black politicians and labour activists predated party politics in Bermuda, as exemplified by [[E. F. Gordon]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 June 2011 |title=Dr EF Gordon – fought tirelessly for equal rights for black Bermudians |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110616/ISLAND11/706149914/-1 |url-status=live |access-date=14 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026051055/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110616/ISLAND11/706149914/-1 |archive-date=26 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill, René |date=15 August 2011 |title=President aims to make West Indian Association more cohesive, responsive |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110815/ISLAND02/708159968 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314000453/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20110815/ISLAND02/708159968 |archive-date=14 March 2014 |access-date=13 March 2014 |website=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]]}}</ref> The late PLP leader, Dame [[Lois Browne-Evans]] (whose parents and grandparents emigrated to Bermuda from [[Nevis]] and [[St. Kitts]] in 1914), and her [[Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidadian]]-born husband, John Evans (who co-founded the ''West Indian Association of Bermuda'' in 1976),<ref name="royalgazette.com">{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Ceola |date=24 August 2012 |title=Tributes for icon of Bermuda's West Indian community |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120824/NEWS/708249993 |access-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313195214/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120824/NEWS/708249993 |archive-date=13 March 2014}}</ref> were prominent members of this group. A generation later, PLP politicians included [[Premier of Bermuda|Premiers]] Dr. [[Ewart Brown]] (raised in Jamaica, with two Jamaican grandparents)<ref>{{cite news |last=Hainey |first=Raymond |date=1 November 1999 |title=Patterson tells Jamaicans they can aid their country |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/business/article/20110208/patterson-tells-jamaicans-they-can-aid-their-country |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=23 July 2024 |quote=Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown, who went to school in Jamaica, and had two Jamaican grandparents, said he hoped Mr. Patterson's visit, the first by a Jamaican PM, would put an end to strains in the relationship between Atlantic Bermuda and its Caribbean neighbours. Dr. Brown said: "Tonight perhaps we can put to rest our ambivalent and sometimes schizoid attitude to West Indians." He added that the only school named after a black teacher in Bermuda was Victor Scott – who was a Jamaican. |archive-date=27 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727005605/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/business/article/20110208/patterson-tells-jamaicans-they-can-aid-their-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Edward David Burt]] (whose mother is Jamaican),<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=23 July 2017 |title=New Bermuda premier a "miracle baby" |url=https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170723/new-bermuda-premier-miracle-baby |work=The Gleaner |location=Jamaica |access-date=24 July 2024 |quote=An older sister of Bermuda's new Premier David Burt says he was a "miracle baby" as their Jamaican mother, Merlin, suffered complications during her pregnancy. |archive-date=27 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250627152134/https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170723/new-bermuda-premier-miracle-baby |url-status=live }}</ref> Deputy Premier Walter Roban (son of Matthew Roban, from [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|St. Vincent and the Grenadines]]),<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=8 December 1998 |title=Roban: Happy to work in the shadows: He works quietly, believing in the gentle art of persuasion rather than decree. But, as Roger Crombie discovers, there |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/business/article/20110209/roban-happy-to-work-in-the-shadows-he-works-quietly-believing-in-the-gentle-art-of-persuasion-rat |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=15 August 2024 |quote=Mr. Roban's father, Matthew Roban, came to Bermuda from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He married Charlotte Pavey and the couple had two children, Walter and his sister Teresa Pavey Roban. |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815164008/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/business/article/20110209/roban-happy-to-work-in-the-shadows-he-works-quietly-believing-in-the-gentle-art-of-persuasion-rat/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Jonathan Kent |date=15 August 2003 |title=Roban denies that PLP ran a racist campaign |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/article/20110203/roban-denies-that-plp-ran-a-racist-campaign |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=15 August 2024 |quote=He denied any PLP involvement with printed material that Mr. Swan said had appeared on sports club noticeboards and in the mail suggesting that UBP candidates were "carrying out the slavemaster's agenda". "Speaking as one of the campaign managers, I can say that no such material was produced by the PLP," said Mr. Roban. "This had nothing to do with the PLP. "Mr. Swan should be very careful about who he is aiming these accusations against. He seems to be accusing the people who operate these clubs. "Race plays a role in many aspects of Bermuda life and we are aware of that and deal with it with sensibility. We do not deal with it lightly, certainly not in a way that could abuse or insult people." |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815164007/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/article/20110203/roban-denies-that-plp-ran-a-racist-campaign/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Sékou Hendrickson |date=15 August 2024 |title=OBA leader says Walter Roban's criticisms are worn-out |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/politics/news/article/20240815/oba-leader-says-walter-robans-criticisms-are-worn-out |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=15 August 2024 |quote=The Leader of the Opposition has hit back at an opinion piece by the former Deputy Premier, accusing its criticisms of being a repeat of old claims. Jarion Richardson added that Walter Roban's article, published in yesterday's edition of The Royal Gazette, reminded his party of how not to act. He said: "To Bermuda, we in the OBA double our commitment to not act like this Progressive Labour Party Government, to simplify government and governing, to exist solely to serve the interests of others. |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815142342/https://www.royalgazette.com/politics/news/article/20240815/oba-leader-says-walter-robans-criticisms-are-worn-out/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Speaker of the House of Assembly [[Randy Horton]] (whose paternal grandparents came from [[Saba (island)|Saba]] and [[Saint Kitts|St. Kitt's]],<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=1934-08-08 |page=7 |title=West End News: Wedding Cann-Horton |work=The Royal Gazette |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |publisher=The Royal Gazette }}</ref> and Senator Rolfe Commissiong (son of Trinidadian musician [[Rudolph Patrick Commissiong]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Commissiong |first=Rudolph Patrick |year=2020 |title=Meet Rudolph Commissiong – a pioneer of steelband music – Arranger & Captain of Esso Dixie Stars – UpClose! |url=https://www.panonthenet.com/upclose/1950s/rudolph-commissiong.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408181021/https://www.panonthenet.com/upclose/1950s/rudolph-commissiong.htm |archive-date=8 April 2021 |access-date=4 March 2022 |website=Pan on the Net }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--not stated--> |date=20 September 2011 |title=PLP Candidates: Commissiong & Rabain |work=BerNews |location=Bermuda |url=https://bernews.com/2011/09/plp-candidates-rolfe-commissiong-diallo-rabain |url-status=live |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801142427/http://bernews.com/2011/09/plp-candidates-rolfe-commissiong-diallo-rabain/ |archive-date=1 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--not stated--> |date=10 October 2020 |title=Rolfe Commissiong No Longer In Cabinet |work=BerNews |location=Bermuda |url=https://bernews.com/2020/10/rolfe-commissiong-no-longer-in-cabinet/ |url-status=live |access-date=4 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131130613/https://bernews.com/2020/10/rolfe-commissiong-no-longer-in-cabinet/ |archive-date=31 January 2022}}</ref> They have emphasised Bermuda's cultural connections with the West Indies. A number of Bermudians, both black and white, who lack family connections to the West Indies have objected to this emphasis.<ref name="royalgazette.com" /><ref>Wells, Phillip, [http://www.limeyinbermuda.com/2005/09/bic_releases_fi/comments/page/7/ "BIC releases final report"], ''A Limey in Bermuda'', 15 September 2005. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313212406/http://www.limeyinbermuda.com/2005/09/bic_releases_fi/comments/page/7/ |date=13 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>Wells, Philip, [http://www.limeyinbermuda.com/2005/11/open_mike_3/comments/page/3/ "Open mike: Bermuda and the Caribbean"], ''A Limey in Bermuda''. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313223014/http://www.limeyinbermuda.com/2005/11/open_mike_3/comments/page/3/ |date=13 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Khalid al Wasi |date=12 April 2002 |title=The West Indianisation of Bermuda |url=https://archive.org/details/2002-04-12-mon-w-indianisation-of-bermuda-kalid-al-wasi |work=[[Mid-Ocean News]] |location=City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda |access-date=15 August 2024 }}</ref>

The decision to join CARICOM stirred up a huge amount of debate and speculation among the Bermudian community and politicians.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Karen |last2=Breen |first2=Stephen |date=14 December 2002 |title=Caricom set to pass |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20021214/NEWS/312149994 |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110114057/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20021214/NEWS/312149994 |archive-date=10 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 2002 |title=Welcome to Caricom |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20021219/COMMENT/312199980 |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110120332/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20021219/COMMENT/312199980 |archive-date=10 November 2012}}</ref> Opinion polls conducted by two Bermudian newspapers, ''[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]]'' and ''[[The Bermuda Sun]]'', showed that clear majorities of Bermudians were opposed to joining CARICOM.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Karen |last2=Breen |first2=Stephen |date=16 December 2002 |title=The 'ayes' have it in the great Caricom debate |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20021216/NEWS/312169990 |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110120625/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20021216/NEWS/312169990 |archive-date=10 November 2012}}</ref>

The UBP, which had been in government from 1968 to 1998, argued that joining CARICOM was detrimental to Bermuda's interests, in that:<ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Ayo |date=18 June 2003 |title=UBP takes 'wait-and-see' stance on Caricom |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20030618/NEWS/306189976 |access-date=15 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110114530/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20030618/NEWS/306189976 |archive-date=10 November 2012}}</ref>
* Bermuda's trade with the West Indies is negligible, its primary economic partners being the US, Canada, and UK (it has no direct air or shipping links to Caribbean islands);
* CARICOM is moving towards a single economy;
* the Caribbean islands are generally competitors to Bermuda's already ailing tourism industry; and
* participation in CARICOM would involve considerable investment of money and the time of government officials that could more profitably be spent elsewhere.

===Police===
{{main|Bermuda Police Service}}

Law enforcement in Bermuda is provided chiefly by the [[Bermuda Police Service]] and is also supported with the Customs Department and Immigration Department. During certain times the [[Royal Bermuda Regiment]] can be called in to assist law enforcement personnel.

===Military and defence===
{{main|Military of Bermuda}}

{{more citations needed section|date=August 2019}}
[[File:BVRC-Great-War-Contingent 1914.jpg|thumb|The First [[Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps]] Contingent, raised in 1914. By the war's end, the two BVRC contingents had lost over 75% of their combined strength.]]
[[File:Rembrance Day Parade Bermuda.jpg|thumb|Remembrance Day Parade, Hamilton, Bermuda]]

A former [[Imperial fortress]] [[British Overseas Territory|colony]] once known as "the Gibraltar of the West" and "Fortress Bermuda", defence of Bermuda, as part of the British [[sovereign state]], is the responsibility of the British Government.

For the first two centuries of settlement, the most potent armed force operating from Bermuda was its merchant shipping fleet, which turned to [[privateering]] at every opportunity. The Bermuda government maintained a local (infantry) militia and fortified coastal artillery batteries manned by volunteer artillerymen. Bermuda tended toward the Royalist side during the [[English overseas possessions in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms|English Civil War]], being the first of six colonies to recognise [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] as King on the execution of his father, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], in 1649, and was one of those targeted by the [[Rump Parliament]] in [[An Act for prohibiting Trade with the Barbadoes, Virginia, Bermuda and Antego]], which was passed on 30 October 1650. With control of the "army" (the militia and coastal artillery), the colony's Royalists deposed the Governor, Captain Thomas Turner, elected John Trimingham to replace him, and exiled a number of its Parliamentary leaning [[Independent (religion)|Independents]] to settle the [[Bahamas]] under [[William Sayle]] as the [[Eleutheran Adventurers]]. Bermuda's barrier reef, coastal artillery batteries and militia provided a defence too powerful for the fleet sent in 1651 by Parliament under the command of Admiral Sir [[George Ayscue]] to capture the Royalist colonies. The Parliamentary Navy was consequently forced to blockade Bermuda for several months 'til the Bermudians negotiated a peace.

After the [[American Revolutionary War]], Bermuda was established as the Western Atlantic headquarters of the ''North America Station'' (later called the [[North America and West Indies Station]], and later still the ''America and West Indies Station'' as it absorbed other stations) of the [[Royal Navy]]. Once the Royal Navy established a base and dockyard defended by regular soldiers, however, the militias were disbanded following the [[War of 1812]]. At the end of the 19th century, the colony raised volunteer units to form a reserve for the [[Bermuda Garrison|military garrison]].

Due to its isolated location in the [[North Atlantic Ocean]], Bermuda was vital to the Allies' war effort during both [[world war]]s of the 20th century, serving as a marshalling point for trans-Atlantic convoys, as well as a naval air base. By the Second World War, both the Royal Navy's [[Fleet Air Arm]] and the [[Royal Air Force]] were operating [[Seaplane]] bases on Bermuda.

In May 1940, the US requested base rights in Bermuda from the United Kingdom, but British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] was initially unwilling to accede to the American request without getting something in return.<ref>Martin Gilbert, ''Churchill and America''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.</ref> In September 1940, as part of the [[Destroyers for Bases Agreement]], the UK granted the US base rights in Bermuda. Bermuda and [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]] were not originally included in the agreement, but both were added to it, with no war material received by the UK in exchange. One of the terms of the agreement was that the airfield the US Army built would be used jointly by the US and the UK (which it was for the duration of the war, with RAF Transport Command relocating there from [[Royal Air Force, Bermuda, 1939-1945|Darrell's Island]] in 1943). The US Army established the [[Bermuda Base Command]] in 1941 to co-ordinate its [[USAAF|air]], anti-aircraft, and [[United States Army Coast Artillery Corps|coast artillery]] assets during the war. The US Navy operated a [[USN Submarine Base, Ordnance Island, Bermuda|submarine base]] on [[Ordnance Island, Bermuda|Ordnance Island]] from 1942 through 1945.<ref name="bermuda-online.org" />

Construction began in 1941 of two airbases consisting of {{cvt|5.8|km2|1}} of land, largely reclaimed from the sea. For a number of years, Bermuda's bases were used by [[US Air Force]] transport and refuelling aircraft and by [[US Navy]] aircraft patrolling the Atlantic for enemy submarines, first [[Kriegsmarine|German]] and, later, [[Soviet Navy|Soviet]]. The principal installation, [[Kindley Air Force Base]] on the eastern coast, was transferred to the US Navy in 1970 and redesignated [[Naval Air Station Bermuda]]. As a naval air station, the base continued to host both transient and deployed USN and USAF aircraft, as well as transitioning or deployed Royal Air Force and [[Canadian Forces]] aircraft.

The original [[NAS Bermuda]] on the west side of the island, a [[seaplane]] base until the mid-1960s, was designated as the Naval Air Station Bermuda Annex. It provided optional anchorage and dockage facilities for transiting US Navy, [[US Coast Guard]] and [[NATO]] vessels, depending on size. An additional US Navy compound known as [[Naval Facility Bermuda]] (NAVFAC Bermuda), a submarine-detecting [[SOSUS]] station, was located to the west of the Annex near a Canadian Forces communications facility in the Tudor Hill area; it was converted from a US Army coast artillery bunker in 1954 and operated until 1995. Although leased for 99 years, US forces withdrew in 1995, as part of the wave of base closures following the end of the [[Cold War]].

Canada, which had operated a war-time naval base, [[HMCS Somers Isles|HMCS ''Somers Isles'']], on the old Royal Navy base at Convict Bay, St George's, also established a radio-listening post at Daniel's Head in the West End of the islands during this time.

In the 1950s, after the end of World War II, the Royal Naval dockyard and the military garrison were closed. A small Royal Navy supply base, [[HMS Malabar (shore establishment)|HMS ''Malabar'']], continued to operate within the dockyard area, supporting transiting Royal Navy ships and submarines until it, too, was closed in 1995, along with the American and Canadian bases.

[[File:HMS Ambuscade in Bermuda.jpg|thumb|[[HMS Ambuscade (F172)|HMS ''Ambuscade'']] at the [[Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda|Royal Naval Dockyard in 1988]]]]
Bermudians served in the British armed forces during both [[World War I]] and World War II. After the latter, Major-General [[Glyn Gilbert|Glyn Charles Anglim Gilbert]], Bermuda's highest-ranking soldier, was instrumental in developing the Royal Bermuda Regiment. A number of other Bermudians and their descendants had preceded him into senior ranks, including Bahamian-born Admiral [[James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier|Lord Gambier]], and Bermudian-born [[Royal Marines]] Brigadier A. John Harvey. When promoted to brigadier at age 38, following his wounding at the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]], Harvey became the youngest-ever Royal Marine Brigadier. The [[Cenotaph]] in front of the Cabinet Building (in Hamilton) was erected in tribute to Bermuda's Great War dead (the tribute was later extended to Bermuda's Second World War dead) and is the site of the annual [[Remembrance Day]] commemoration.

Today, the only military unit remaining in Bermuda, other than [[Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps|naval]] and army cadet corps, is the [[Royal Bermuda Regiment]], an amalgam of the voluntary units originally formed toward the end of the 19th century. Although the Regiment's predecessors were voluntary units, until 2018 the modern body was formed primarily by conscription: balloted males were required to serve for three years, two months part-time, once they turn 18. Conscription was abolished 1 July 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2018 |title=MPs Pass Bill To Abolish Regiment Conscription |url=http://bernews.com/2018/06/mps-pass-bill-to-abolish-regiment-conscription/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804054247/http://bernews.com/2018/06/mps-pass-bill-to-abolish-regiment-conscription/ |archive-date=4 August 2022 |access-date=15 March 2020 |website=Bernews}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnston |first=Paul |date=23 June 2018 |title=House votes to end conscription {{!}} The Royal Gazette:Bermuda News |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20180623/house-votes-to-end-conscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910053536/http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20180623/house-votes-to-end-conscription |archive-date=10 September 2019 |access-date=15 March 2020 |website=The Royal Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref>

In early 2020 the Royal Bermuda Regiment formed the Bermuda Coast Guard. Its 24-hour on-duty service includes search and rescue, counter-narcotics operations, border control, and protection of Bermuda's maritime interests. The Bermuda Coast Guard will interact with the rest of the Royal Bermuda Regiment and the Bermuda Police Service.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 February 2020 |title=Launch of Bermuda Coast Guard |url=https://www.gov.bm/articles/launch-bermuda-coast-guard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308115633/https://www.gov.bm/articles/launch-bermuda-coast-guard |archive-date=8 March 2021 |access-date=8 January 2021 |website=Gov.bm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 February 2020 |title=Minister Caines On Bermuda Coast Guard |url=https://bernews.com/2020/02/bermuda-coast-guard/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=Bernews |archive-date=16 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250316225614/https://bernews.com/2020/02/bermuda-coast-guard/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Bermuda}}

[[File:Front Street, Hamilton, Bermuda.jpg|thumb|Front Street, Hamilton]]
[[File:Bermuda electricity production.svg|thumb|Bermuda electricity production by source]]
Banking and other financial services now form the largest sector of the economy at about 85% of GDP, with tourism being the second largest industry at 5%.<ref name="World Factbook" /><ref name=Smithsonian/> Industrial and agriculture activities occur; however, these are on a limited scale and Bermuda is heavily reliant on imports.<ref name="World Factbook" /> Living standards are high and as of 2019 Bermuda has the 6th-highest GDP per capita in the world.<ref name="World Factbook" />

===1890s to 1920s: economy severely affected by lily virus===
Early [[Lilium longiflorum|Easter Lily bulb]] exports to New York—then vital financially for Bermuda—became badly diseased from the late 19th century to the mid-1920s. [[Lawrence Ogilvie]], the Bermuda Department of Agriculture [[plant pathologist]] saved the industry by identifying the problem as a virus (not aphid damage as previously thought) and instituting controls in the fields and packing houses. Exports showed a marked improvement: from 23 cases of lily bulbs in 1918, to 6,043 cases in 1927 from the 204 lily fields then in existence.<ref>October 1928 ''Monthly Bulletin of the Bermuda Department of Agriculture and Fisheries'' article by [[Lawrence Ogilvie]]</ref> Still in his 20s at the time, Ogilvie was professionally honoured by an article in [[Nature (journal)|''Nature'' magazine]].<ref>[[Nature magazine|Nature]] number 2997, 9 April 1927, page 52</ref> {{citation needed span|date=May 2024|text=The lily export trade continued to flourish until the 1940s when the Japanese captured much of the market.}}

===Currency===
In 1970, the colony switched its currency from the [[Bermudian pound]] to the [[Bermudian dollar]], which is [[Fixed exchange rate|pegged]] at par with the US dollar. US notes and coins are used interchangeably with Bermudian notes and coins within the islands for most practical purposes; however, banks levy an exchange rate fee for the purchase of US dollars with Bermudian dollars for those going out of the islands for external purposes.<ref>[http://www.bm.butterfieldgroup.com/Rates/Foreign_Exchange/ Bank of Butterfield Exchange Rate Page]. Butterfieldbank.bm. Retrieved 15 August 2012. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809021133/http://www.bm.butterfieldgroup.com/Rates/Foreign_Exchange/ |date=9 August 2012 }}</ref> The [[Bermuda Monetary Authority]] is the issuing authority for all banknotes and coins and regulates financial institutions.

===Finance===
{{main|Taxation in Bermuda}}

Bermuda is an [[offshore financial centre]], which results from its minimal standards of business regulation/laws and direct taxation on personal or corporate income. There is no personal income tax or consumption tax. A corporate income tax was only introduced in 2025 and applies to multinational enterprises with annual revenues of €750 million or more. Additionally, the local tax system depends upon import duties, payroll taxes and land taxes. 

Having had no corporate income tax prior to 2025, Bermuda is a popular [[Tax haven|tax avoidance location]]. Google, for example, is known to have shifted over $10&nbsp;billion in revenue to its Bermuda subsidiary using the [[Double Irish arrangement|Double Irish]] and [[Dutch Sandwich]] tax avoidance strategies, reducing its 2011 tax liability by $2&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Drucker |first=Jesse |date=15 December 2012 |title=Google Revenues Sheltered in No-Tax Bermuda Soar to $10 Billion |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-10/google-revenues-sheltered-in-no-tax-bermuda-soar-to-10-billion.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110212552/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-10/google-revenues-sheltered-in-no-tax-bermuda-soar-to-10-billion.html |archive-date=10 January 2015}}</ref> The [[Bermuda Black Hole]] is another tax avoidance method in which untaxed profits end up in Bermuda.

Large numbers of leading international insurance companies operate in Bermuda.<ref>[http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2006/10/25/73563.htm "Hiscox Prepares Move to Bermuda Holding Company"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930154943/http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2006/10/25/73563.htm |date=30 September 2007 }}, ''Insurance Journal'', 25 October 2006. Retrieved 15 August 2012.</ref> Those internationally owned and operated businesses that are physically based in Bermuda (around four hundred) are represented by the [[Association of Bermuda International Companies]] (ABIC). In total, over 15,000 exempted or international companies are currently registered with the [[Registrar of Companies]] in Bermuda, most of which hold no office space or employees.

The [[Bermuda Stock Exchange]] (BSX) specialises in listing and trading of capital market instruments such as equities, debt issues, funds (including hedge fund structures) and depository receipt programmes. The BSX is a full member of the [[World Federation of Exchanges]] and is located in an [[OECD]] member nation. It also has Approved Stock Exchange status under Australia's Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) taxation rules and Designated Investment Exchange status by the UK's Financial Services Authority.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda Stock Exchange |url=http://www.bsx.com/NewsArticle.php?ArticleID=1100790647 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921232748/https://www.bsx.com/NewsArticle.php?ArticleID=1100790647 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |access-date=16 February 2022 |website=bsx.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda Stock Exchange |url=https://bsx.com//NewsArticle.php?ArticleID=1100790697 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921232749/https://www.bsx.com/NewsArticle.php?ArticleID=1100790697 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |access-date=16 February 2022 |website=bsx.com}}</ref>

Four banks operate in Bermuda,<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Banks in Bermuda |url=http://thebanks.eu/banks-by-country/Bermuda |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006131155/http://thebanks.eu/banks-by-country/Bermuda |archive-date=6 October 2014 |access-date=3 October 2014 |website=thebanks.eu}}</ref> having consolidated total assets of $24.3&nbsp;billion (March 2014).<ref>[http://www.bma.bm/publications/QUARTERLY%20BANKING%20DIGEST/Q1%202014%20Quarterly%20Banking%20Digest.pdf Quarterly Banking Digest, Q1 2014] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007000622/http://www.bma.bm/publications/QUARTERLY%20BANKING%20DIGEST/Q1%202014%20Quarterly%20Banking%20Digest.pdf |date=7 October 2014 }}. bma.bm. Retrieved 26 April 2017.</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:The Princess Hotel (landward side), in Pembroke, in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, circa 1900.jpg|thumb|The [[Hamilton Princess & Beach Club|Princess Hotel]], circa 1900]]
[[File:BDA Bermuda.jpg|thumb|One of Bermuda's pink-sand beaches at Astwood Park]]
[[File:Harrington Sound, Bermuda.jpg|thumb|View of Harrington Sound from behind Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo]]
Tourism is Bermuda's second-largest industry, with the island attracting over half a million visitors annually, of whom more than 80% are from the United States.<ref name="World Factbook" /> Other significant sources of visitors are from Canada and the United Kingdom. However, the sector is vulnerable to external shocks, such as the 2008 recession.<ref name="World Factbook" />

===Housing===
The affordability of housing became a prominent issue during Bermuda's business peak in 2005 but has softened with the decline of Bermuda's real estate prices. [[The World Factbook]] lists the average cost of a house in June 2003 as $976,000,<ref name="cia">{{Cite web |last=Central Intelligence Agency |author-link=Central Intelligence Agency |year=2009 |title=Bermuda |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bermuda/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109202200/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bermuda |archive-date=9 January 2021 |access-date=23 January 2010 |work=[[The World Factbook]]}}</ref> while real estate agencies have claimed that this figure had risen to between $1.6&nbsp;million<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kent |first=Jonathan |date=10 January 2007 |title=Average cost of houses hits $1.6m |work=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20070110/NEWS/301109911 |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905065237/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20070110/NEWS/301109911 |archive-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> and $1.845&nbsp;million by 2007,<ref>Ebbin, Meredith (2 August 2007), [http://www.bermudasun.bm/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=270&ArticleID=34741&TM=49374.21 "Average family home now $1.8m"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807134008/http://bermudasun.bm/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=270&ArticleID=34741&TM=49374.21 |date=7 August 2011 }}, ''Bermuda Sun''.</ref> though such high figures have been disputed.<ref>Kent, Jonathan (12 January 2007), [https://archive.today/20130202022405/http://www.royalgazette.com/rg/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d7161330030024 "$1.6m average house price? It's a distortion says Sir John"], ''The Royal Gazette''. {{dead link|date=September 2018}}</ref>

===Transportation===
{{main|Transportation in Bermuda}}

[[Bermuda]] consists of several islands with an area of {{convert|53.2|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} with {{convert|447|km|mi|abbr=on}} of paved roads—{{convert|225|km|mi|abbr=on}} of which are public roads and {{convert|222|km|mi|abbr=on}} are private paved roads.<ref name=roads>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bermuda/ |title=CIA The World Factbook Bermuda |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=CIA |publisher=US Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=24 October 2013 |archive-date=9 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109202200/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bermuda |url-status=dead }}</ref> A former railway track has been converted into a walking trail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bermuda-online.org/railway.htm |title=Bermuda's Railway Trail |author=Keith Archibald Forbes |year=2013 |website=www.bermuda-online.org |publisher=Bermuda Online |access-date=24 October 2013 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022182205/http://www.bermuda-online.org/railway.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>  There are also two marine ports ([[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]] and [[St. George's, Bermuda|St. George's]]), and an airport, the [[L.F. Wade International Airport]], located at the former US Naval Air Station. A [[The Causeway, Bermuda|causeway]] links [[Hamilton Parish, Bermuda]] to St. George's and the airport.

In common with the [[United Kingdom]] and most [[British Overseas Territory|British Overseas Territories]], traffic [[Right- and left-hand traffic|drives on the left]].

Bermuda's ''Ministry of Tourism and Transport'' manages the public ferry service, "SeaExpress", and the public bus system.

==Education==
{{See also|List of schools in Bermuda}}
The Bermuda Education Act 1996 requires that only three categories of schools can operate in the Bermuda Education system:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda Education Act 1996 |url=https://www.but.bm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Education-Act-1996.x41418.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116174237/https://www.but.bm/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Education-Act-1996.x41418.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2021 |access-date=16 November 2020 |website=Bermuda Union of Teachers}}</ref>
* An ''aided school'' has all or a part of its property vested in a body of trustees or board of governors and is partially maintained by public funding or, since 1965 and the [[desegregation]] of schools, has received a grant-in-aid out of public funds.
* A ''maintained school'' has the whole of its property belonging to the Government and is fully maintained by public funds.
* A ''private school'', not maintained by public funds and which has not, since 1965 and the desegregation of schools, received any capital grant-in-aid out of public funds. The private school sector consists of six traditional private schools, two of which are religious schools, and the remaining four are secular with one of these being a single-gender school and another a [[Montessori method|Montessori school]]. Also, within the private sector there are a number of home schools, which must be registered with the government and receive minimal government regulation. The only boys' school opened its doors to girls in the 1990s, and in 1996, one of the aided schools became a private school.

Prior to 1950, the Bermuda school system was racially segregated.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Context of Education in Bermuda: Perspectives of a Participant Observer |url=https://www.college.bm/images/documents/bcj/Vol_1/Historical_Context_of_Education_in_Bermuda.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412095822/https://www.college.bm/images/documents/bcj/Vol_1/Historical_Context_of_Education_in_Bermuda.pdf |archive-date=12 April 2021 |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref> When the desegregation of schools was enacted in 1965, two of the formerly maintained "white" schools and both single-sex schools opted to become private schools. The rest became part of the public school system and were either aided or maintained.

There are 38 schools in the Bermuda Public School System, including 10 preschools, 18 primary schools, 5 middle schools, 2 senior schools ([[The Berkeley Institute]] and [[Cedarbridge Academy]]), 1 school for students with physical and cognitive challenges, and 1 for students with behavioural problems.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home – Bermuda Schools |url=http://schools.moed.bm/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509155435/http://schools.moed.bm/default.aspx |archive-date=9 May 2019 |access-date=9 May 2019 |website=schools.moed.bm}}</ref> There is one aided primary school, two aided middle schools, and one aided senior school. Since 2010, Portuguese has been taught as an optional foreign language in the Bermudian school system.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gozney |first=Richard H.T. |date=6 November 2009 |title=2009 Throne Speech |work=BDA Sun Bermuda Sun Online |url=http://bermudasun.bm/Content/NEWS/News/Article/2009-Throne-Speech/24/270/43391 |url-status=live |access-date=20 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921025633/http://bermudasun.bm/Content/NEWS/News/Article/2009-Throne-Speech/24/270/43391 |archive-date=21 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=kbsmith |date=4 July 2019 |title=Minister of Education Provides End of School Year Update |url=https://www.gov.bm/articles/minister-education-provides-end-school-year-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414034914/https://www.gov.bm/articles/minister-education-provides-end-school-year-update |archive-date=14 April 2021 |access-date=20 May 2020 |website=Gov.bm |language=en}}</ref>

For higher education, the [[Bermuda College]] offers various [[associate degrees]] and other certificate programmes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda College |url=http://www.bercol.bm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501101116/http://www.bercol.bm/ |archive-date=1 May 2008 |access-date=10 February 2008}}</ref> Bermuda does not have any Bachelor-level colleges or universities. Bermuda's graduates usually attend Bachelor-level universities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda College Pathways to a Bachelor's Degree |url=https://www.college.bm/index.php/pathways |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222153411/https://www.college.bm/index.php/pathways |archive-date=22 February 2019 |access-date=21 February 2019 |website=Bermuda College}}</ref>

In May 2009, the Bermudian Government's application was approved to become a contributory member of the [[University of the West Indies]] (UWI). Bermuda's membership enabled Bermudian students to enter the university at an agreed-upon subsidised rate by 2010. UWI also agreed that its [[University of the West Indies Open Campus|Open Campus]] (online degree courses) would become open to Bermudian students in the future, with Bermuda becoming the 13th country to have access to the Open Campus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda joins the UWI Family |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=280 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927065753/https://sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=280 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |access-date=25 January 2020 |website=Campus News |publisher=UWI St. Augustine}}</ref> In 2010, it was announced that Bermuda would be an "associate contributing country" due to local Bermudian laws.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UWI welcomes Bermuda as a member country |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=681 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927064509/https://sta.uwi.edu/news/releases/release.asp?id=681 |archive-date=27 September 2020 |access-date=25 January 2020 |website=Campus News |publisher=UWI St. Augustine}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Bermuda}}

{{see also|Holidays in Bermuda}}[[File:An IOD sloop and a 19th Century Bermudian working boat in Bermuda.jpg|thumb|An [[International One Design|IOD]] sloop and a 19th-century Bermudian working boat in Bermuda]]
Bermuda's culture is a mixture of the various sources of its population: Native American, Spanish-Caribbean, English, Irish, and Scots cultures were evident in the 17th century, and became part of the dominant British culture. English is the primary and official language. Due to 160 years of immigration from Portuguese Atlantic islands (primarily the [[Azores]], though also from [[Madeira]] and the [[Cape Verde Islands]]), a portion of the population also speaks [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. There are strong British influences, together with [[African diaspora|Afro-Caribbean]] ones.

The first notable, and historically important, book credited to a Bermudian was ''[[Mary Prince#Publication of The History of Mary Prince|The History of Mary Prince]]'', a [[slave narrative]] by [[Mary Prince]]. The book was published in 1831 at the height of Great Britain's abolitionist movement.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Paquet |first=Sandra Pouchet|author-link=Sandra Pouchet Paquet |year=1992 |title=The Heartbeat of a West Indian Slave: The History of Mary Prince |journal=African American Review |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=131–146 |doi=10.2307/3042083 |issn=1062-4783 |jstor=3042083 }}</ref> [[Graham Ingham|Ernest Graham Ingham]], an expatriate author, published his books at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The novelist [[Brian Burland]] (1931– 2010) achieved a degree of success and acclaim internationally. More recently, [[Angela Barry]] has won critical recognition for her published fiction.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 October 2017 |title=Bermuda Arts Council Annual Awards Ceremony |url=https://bernews.com/2017/10/bermuda-arts-council-annual-awards-ceremony/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727081858/https://bernews.com/2017/10/bermuda-arts-council-annual-awards-ceremony/ |archive-date=27 July 2022 |access-date=27 July 2022 |website=Bernews}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=24 October 2017 |title=Salute to artistic giants |language=en-US |work=The Royal Gazette |url=https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20171024/salute-to-artistic-giants/ |url-status=live |access-date=27 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727082015/https://www.royalgazette.com/other/news/article/20171024/salute-to-artistic-giants/ |archive-date=27 July 2022}}</ref>

===Arts===
{{Main|Music of Bermuda|Architecture of Bermuda}}

West Indian musicians introduced [[calypso music]] when Bermuda's tourist industry was expanded with the increase of visitors brought by post-Second World War aviation. Local icons the [[The Talbot Brothers of Bermuda|Talbot Brothers]] performed calypso music for a number of decades both in Bermuda and the United States, and appeared on the ''[[Ed Sullivan Show]]''. While calypso appealed more to tourists than to the local residents, [[reggae]] has been embraced by a number of Bermudians since the 1970s with the influx of [[Jamaicans|Jamaican]] immigrants.
[[File:Gombey dancers from Bermuda2001.jpg|thumb|left|Gombey dancers from Bermuda at the 2001 [[Smithsonian Folklife Festival]] in Washington, D.C.]]
Noted Bermudian musicians include [[tenor|operatic tenor]] Gary Burgess; jazz pianist [[Lance Hayward]]; singer-songwriter and poet, [[Heather Nova]], and her brother [[Mishka (musician)|Mishka]], reggae musician; classical musician and conductor [[Kenneth Amis]]; and more recently, [[dancehall]] artist [[Collie Buddz]].

The dances of the [[Gombey]] dancers, seen at multiple events, are strongly influenced by African, Caribbean and British cultural traditions.

[[Alfred Birdsey]] was one of the more famous and talented watercolourists, known for his impressionistic landscapes of [[Hamilton, Bermuda|Hamilton]], [[St. George's, Bermuda|St George's]], and the surrounding sailboats, homes, and bays of Bermuda. Hand-carved cedar sculptures are another speciality. In 2010, his sculpture ''We Arrive'' was unveiled in Barr's Bay Park, overlooking [[Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda|Hamilton Harbour]], to commemorate the freeing of slaves in 1835 from the American brig ''[[Enterprise (slave ship)|Enterprise]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dale |first=Amanda |date=19 February 2010 |title=If there is a story that has the potential to bring all of us together, then this is the one |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20100219/NEWS/302199930 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823174123/http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20100219/NEWS/302199930 |archive-date=23 August 2018 |access-date=22 August 2018 |website=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]]}}</ref>

Local resident Tom Butterfield founded the [[Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art]] in 1986, initially featuring works about Bermuda by artists from other countries. He began with pieces by American artists, such as [[Winslow Homer]], [[Charles Demuth]], and [[Georgia O'Keeffe]], who had lived and worked on Bermuda. In 2008, the museum opened its new building, constructed within the [[Bermuda Botanical Gardens|Botanical Gardens]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art – official website |url=https://www.bermudamasterworks.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525073329/http://www.bermudamasterworks.com/ |archive-date=25 May 2013 |access-date=5 April 2013 |website=Bermudamasterworks.org}}</ref>

Bermuda hosts an annual international film festival, which shows multiple independent films. One of the founders is film producer and director [[Arthur Rankin Jr.]], co-founder of the [[Rankin/Bass]] production company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda International Film Festival – official website |url=https://www.biff.bm/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823141847/https://www.biff.bm/ |archive-date=23 August 2018 |access-date=23 August 2018 |website=Biff.bm}}</ref>

===Sport===
{{main|Sports and recreation in Bermuda}}

[[File:95_Coy_RGA_team_and_Governor%27s_Cup_in_Bermuda_1917.jpg|thumb|The football team of 95 Company, [[Royal Garrison Artillery]], victors in the 1917 Governor's Cup football match, pose with the cup. The cup was contested annually by teams from the various Royal Navy, British Army [[Bermuda Garrison]], and Royal Air Force units stationed in Bermuda.]]

Many sports popular today were formalised by British [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public schools]] and universities in the 19th century. These schools produced the civil servants and military and naval officers required to build and maintain the [[British Empire]], and team sports were considered a vital tool for training their students to think and act as part of a team. Former public schoolboys continued to pursue these activities, and founded organisations such as [[the Football Association]] (FA).

Bermuda's role as the primary Royal Navy base in the Western Hemisphere ensured that the naval and military officers quickly introduced the newly formalised sports to Bermuda, including [[cricket]], association football, [[rugby football]], and even [[Lawn tennis|tennis]] and [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]].

[[Bermuda national cricket team|Bermuda's national cricket team]] participated in the [[Cricket World Cup 2007]] in the West Indies but were knocked out of the World Cup. The [[Bermuda national football team]] managed to qualify to the [[2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup]], the country's first ever major football competition. In 2007, Bermuda hosted the 25th [[PGA Grand Slam of Golf]]. This 36-hole event was held on 16–17 October 2007, at the [[Mid Ocean Club]] in Tucker's Town. This season-ending tournament is limited to four golfers: the winners of the [[Masters Tournament|Masters]], [[U.S. Open (golf)|US Open]], [[The Open Championship]] and [[PGA Championship]]. The event returned to Bermuda in 2008 and 2009. One-armed Bermudian golfer [[Quinn Talbot]] was both the United States National Amputee Golf Champion for five successive years and the British World One-Arm Golf Champion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Staff |url=https://www.oceanviewgolfclub.com/staff/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116201119/https://www.oceanviewgolfclub.com/staff/ |archive-date=16 January 2021 |access-date=8 January 2021 |website=Oceanviewgolfclub.com}}</ref>

[[File:International One Design - Hamilton Harbour - Bermuda.jpg|thumb|left|upright|An [[International One Design|IOD]] racer on a mooring in [[Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda|Hamilton Harbour]]]]
The Government announced in 2006 that it would provide substantial financial support to Bermuda's cricket and [[Bermuda national football team|football]] teams. Football did not become popular with Bermudians until after the [[Second World War]]. Bermuda's most prominent footballers are [[Clyde Best]], [[Shaun Goater]], [[Kyle Lightbourne]], [[Reggie Lambe]], [[Sam Nusum]] and [[Nahki Wells]]. In 2006, the [[Bermuda Hogges]] were formed as the nation's first professional football team to raise the standard of play for the Bermuda national football team. The team played in the [[United Soccer Leagues Second Division]] but folded in 2013.<ref>[https://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130528/SPORT01/705269993 Hogges withdraw from league] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203143004/https://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130528/SPORT01/705269993 |date=3 December 2024 }}, ''Royal Gazette Online''. 28 May 2013</ref>

Sailing, fishing and [[Equestrianism|equestrian]] sports are popular with both residents and visitors alike. The prestigious [[Bermuda Race|Newport–Bermuda Yacht Race]] is a more than 100-year-old tradition, with boats racing between [[Newport, Rhode Island]], and Bermuda. In 2007, the 16th biennial [[Marion, Massachusetts|Marion]]-Bermuda yacht race occurred. A sport unique to Bermuda is racing the [[Bermuda Fitted Dinghy]]. [[International One Design]] racing also originated in Bermuda.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bermuda International One Design Fleet |url=http://www.iodfleet.bm/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902080630/http://www.iodfleet.bm/ |archive-date=2 September 2009 |access-date=20 June 2010 |publisher=Iodfleet.bm}}</ref>

At the [[Bermuda at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympics]], Bermuda competed in sailing, athletics, swimming, diving, triathlon and equestrian events. In those Olympics, Bermuda's Katura Horton-Perinchief made history by becoming the first black female diver to compete in the Olympic Games. Bermuda has had two Olympic medallists, [[Clarence Hill (boxer)|Clarence Hill]] – who won a bronze medal in boxing – and [[Flora Duffy]], who won a gold medal in triathlon. It is tradition for Bermuda to march in the Opening Ceremony in [[Bermuda shorts]], regardless of the summer or winter Olympic celebration. Bermuda also competes in the biennial [[Island Games]], which it hosted in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/7387220.stm |title=Bermuda set for 2013 Island Games |access-date=16 September 2025 |archive-date=25 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125134044/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/7387220.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1998, Bermuda established its own basketball association.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FIBA National Federations – Bermuda |website=Fiba.com |url=https://fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/FIBA/fibaStru/nfLeag/nfProf.asp?nationalFederationNumber=4697 |access-date=2 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085850/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/FIBA/fibaStru/nfLeag/nfProf.asp?nationalFederationNumber=4697 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

==Healthcare==
The [[Bermuda Hospitals Board]] operates the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, located in [[Paget Parish]], and the [[Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute]], located in [[Devonshire Parish]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |website=bermudahospitals.bm |publisher=Bermuda Hospitals Board |url=http://www.bermudahospitals.bm/bhb/about-us/contact-us.asp |access-date=4 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206182010/http://www.bermudahospitals.bm/bhb/about-us/contact-us.asp |archive-date=6 December 2012}}</ref> Boston's Lahey Medical Center has an established visiting specialists program on the island which provides Bermudians and expats with access to specialists regularly on the island.<ref>{{Cite press release |author=Nigel |date=27 March 2019 |title=Lahey to provide medical services at BMSG |website=bermudamedical.com |publisher=Bermuda Medical Specialties Group |url=https://bermudamedical.com/lahey-to-provide-medical-services-at-bmsg/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216031947/https://bermudamedical.com/lahey-to-provide-medical-services-at-bmsg/ |archive-date=16 February 2022 |access-date=16 February 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> There were about 6,000&nbsp;hospital admissions, 30,000&nbsp;emergency department attendances and 6,300&nbsp;outpatient procedures in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Strangeways |first=Sam |date=10 July 2018 |title=Hospital reveals harm figures |work=Royal Gazette |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/health/article/20180706/hospital-reveals-harm-figures |url-status=live |access-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116001219/http://www.royalgazette.com/health/article/20180706/hospital-reveals-harm-figures |archive-date=16 November 2018}}</ref>

Unlike the other territories that still remain under British administration, Bermuda does not have [[National health insurance|national healthcare]]. Employers must provide a healthcare plan and pay for up to 50% of the cost for each employee.<ref name="Healthcare">{{cite web |author=Forbes, Keith Archibald |title=Bermuda Healthcare costs |website=bermuda-online.org/healthcare |url=http://www.bermuda-online.org/healthcare.htm |url-status=live |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903004401/http://www.bermuda-online.org/healthcare.htm |archive-date=3 September 2018}}</ref> Healthcare is a mandatory requirement and is expensive, even with the help provided by employers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bermuda's Healthcare costs for residents and visitors |website=bermuda-online.org |url=https://www.bermuda-online.org/healthcare.htm |url-status=live |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331182528/http://www.bermuda-online.org/healthcare.htm |archive-date=31 March 2022}}</ref> There are only a few approved healthcare providers that offer insurance to Bermudians.<ref name="Healthcare"/> {{as of|2016}}, these were the Bermudian government's Health Insurance Department, three other approved licensed health insurance companies, and three approved health insurance schemes (provided by the Bermudian government for its employees and by two banks).<ref>{{cite web |title=Licensed and approved health insurers |website=bhec.bm |url=http://www.bhec.bm/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2016-Website-Notice.pdf |access-date=2 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804064956/http://www.bhec.bm/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2016-Website-Notice.pdf |archive-date=4 August 2016}}</ref>

There are no [[paramedic]]s on the island. The Bermuda Hospitals Board said in 2018 that they were not vital in Bermuda because of its small size.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lagan |first=Sarah |date=22 October 2018 |title=Call for paramedics to save lives on island |newspaper=Royal Gazette |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/drive-for-change/article/20181022/call-for-paramedics-to-save-lives-on-island |url-status=live |access-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116044753/http://www.royalgazette.com/drive-for-change/article/20181022/call-for-paramedics-to-save-lives-on-island |archive-date=16 November 2018}}</ref> [[Nurse practitioner]]s on the island, of which there are not many, can be granted authority to write prescriptions "under the authority of a medical practitioner".<ref>{{cite news |date=25 September 2018 |title=Nurse can write prescriptions |work=Royal Gazette |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/health/article/20180925/nurse-can-write-prescriptions |url-status=live |access-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116085414/http://www.royalgazette.com/health/article/20180925/nurse-can-write-prescriptions |archive-date=16 November 2018}}</ref>

===COVID-19 pandemic===
{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in Bermuda}}

The Minister for Health during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Bermuda|COVID-19 pandemic]] was [[Kim Wilson (politician)|Kim Wilson]], who led the territory's approach with "an abundance of caution".<ref>{{Cite press release |first=Kim |last=Wilson |date=22 November 2020 |title=Statement from the Minister of Health |publisher=Government of Bermuda |editor=Simmons, R.W. |lang=en-GB |url=https://www.gov.bm/articles/statement-minister-health-hon-kim-wilson-jp-mp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813100449/https://www.gov.bm/articles/statement-minister-health-hon-kim-wilson-jp-mp |archive-date=13 August 2022 |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Minister Kim Wilson: Leader undaunted |date=27 December 2021 |magazine=[[The Bermudian Magazine]] |url=https://www.thebermudian.com/people/bermudians-of-the-year/minister-kim-wilson-leader-undaunted/ |url-status=live |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518212052/https://www.thebermudian.com/people/bermudians-of-the-year/minister-kim-wilson-leader-undaunted/ |archive-date=18 May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Economy of Bermuda]]
* [[Index of Bermuda-related articles]]
* [[Culture of Bermuda#Notable cultural figures|Notable cultural people of Bermuda]]
* [[History of Bermuda#Notable historical figures|Notable historical people of Bermuda]]
* [[Politics of Bermuda#Notable political figures|Notable political people of Bermuda]]
* [[Sports and recreation in Bermuda#Notable sporting figures|Notable sporting people of Bermuda]]
* [[Outline of Bermuda]]
* [[Places of interest in Bermuda]]
* [[Telecommunications in Bermuda]]
* [[Bermuda Triangle]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Duffy |first=Peter |title=Double Agent |publisher=Scribner |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4516-6795-0 |location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |last1=McGovern |first1=Terrance |title=Defenses of Bermuda 1612–1995 (Fortress 112) |last2=Harris |first2=Edward |publisher=Osprey Publishing c/o Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2018 |location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ronnie |first=Art |title=Counterfeit Hero: Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1995 |isbn=1-55750-733-3 |location=Annapolis, Md. |oclc=605599179}}
* {{Cite book |title=The New American Desk Encyclopedia |publisher=Signet |year=1993 |isbn=0-451-17566-2 |edition=Third |location=New York, NY |chapter=Bermuda |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newamericandeskenewy00newy |chapter-url-access=registration}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* Anonymous, but probably written by John Smith (1580–1631): ''The Historye of the Bermudaes or Summer Islands''. University of Cambridge Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1108011570}}.
* Boultbee, Paul G., and David F. Raine. ''Bermuda''. Oxford: ABC-Clio Press, 1998.
* Connell, John. (1994). [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14662049408447675 "Britain's Caribbean colonies: The End of the Era of Decolonisation?"] {{subscription required}} ''The Journal of Commonwealth & Comparative Politics'', 32(1), 87–106. {{doi|10.1080/14662049408447675}}.
* {{Citation |last1=Glover |first1=Lorri |author2=Daniel Blake Smith |year=2008 |title=The Shipwreck That Saved Jamestown: The Sea Venture Castaways and the Fate of America |location=New York |publisher=Henry Holt and Co. |isbn=978-0-8050-8654-6 |oclc=177818614}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|commons=yes|commonscat=yes|wikt=yes|n=yes|q=yes|s=Portal:Bermuda|b=yes|voy=yes|d=Q23635}}
* {{Official website|https://www.gov.bm/}} of the [[Government of Bermuda]]
* [http://www.gotobermuda.com/ Bermuda Tourism]
* [https://www.bermuda.com/ Bermuda Guide]
* [https://www.parliament.bm/ Bermuda Parliament]
* [https://www.bermudachamber.bm/ Bermuda Chamber of commerce]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060926195143/http://bermuda-online.org/forts.htm Bermuda's British Army forts from 1609] (archived 26 September 2006)
* {{Wikiatlas|Bermuda}}

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