Explore Bermuda

Location:
Bermuda

Currency:
Bermudian dollar (BMD)

Communications:
The telephone code for Bermuda: + 441

About:
It was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English settlers as they ventured across the Atlantic Ocean to the new Virginia Colony.

Bermuda, a British overseas territory, is 893 miles (1437 km) east of Charleston, South Carolina.

Famed for Bermuda shorts, the original Bermuda Onion, and of course the Bermuda Triangle, this island's tourism has grown significantly over the last 50 years.

Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years.

Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue.

International business and finance, and light manufacturing are the other industries of note.