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Saturday, 14 July 2012

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, consisting of an area of 21 square miles (5.4 sq meters).


A 16th century Spanish navigator, Juan de Bermudez, first discovered the islands in 1503 - but Spanish ships refused to dock there, believing it to be haunted by devils.

The Bermuda coat of arms depicts a sinking ship. The ship Sea Venture, carrying some 150 colonists bound for Virginia, was shipwrecked on shoals off Bermuda during a hurricane in 1609. The crew survived and chose to stay in the island, becoming the first English settlers of Bermuda. 

Settled in 1612, the town of St George's is the oldest continuously-inhabited English town in the New World.

The State House in Bermuda. By User:Aodhdubh,

The islands were officially taken by the English crown in 1684. 
Bermuda became a British colony following the 1707 unification of the parliaments of Scotland and England, which created the Kingdom of Great BritainIt is now the oldest and most populous remaining British Overseas Territory.

As a British colony, Bermuda was home to a penal colony that housed 9,000 British and Irish prisoners in the mid-19th century.

Bermuda Day, a celebration of Bermuda's heritage held every year on May 24th. The first Bermuda Day was in 1979 and replaced Empire Day, which was also on May 24, celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday on that date.

Bermuda has the only national flag that displays a sinking ship. It represents the 1609 sinking of Sea Venture, which led to the British settlement there.


 Bermuda’s national drink - The Rum Swizzle - is a fruity cocktail topped with black and gold rum.

There are no rental cars in Bermuda.

Bermuda has more golf courses per person than any other country.

The colony consists of 138 small islands, of which 20 are inhabited.

The capital and chief port is Hamilton, which has a population of 1,000.

Houses in Bermuda have white stepped roofs to harvest rain water and store it, as the island has no fresh-water springs, rivers or lakes.

Source Daily Express

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