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Bermuda |
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Bermuda Island Statistics History |
 Island Statistics The island of Bermuda has a total area of 50 km2 (~31 miles2) with 103 km (~64 miles) of coastline. This equates the island to being about three times the size of Washington D.C. There are 225 km (~139.8 miles) of highway and 232 km (~144 miles) of privately owned roads on the island. There are two harbors on the island, the Capital of Hamilton, and the town of St. George. There is also one airport in the north eastern part of Bermuda. It has a subtropical climate and is in danger of hurricane strikes from June until November. There are no freshwater sources on the island. Inhabitants get their usable water by either collecting rainwater, or putting seawater through the desalinization process. Bermuda is a small group of islands, and a dependent territory of the United Kingdom. It was discovered accidentally in 1609 when the English sea vessel, the Sea Venture, shipwrecked on its shores. The Pilgrims were trying to reach Virginia, and in reality, they weren't far off. Bermuda is a volcanically formed island surrounded by coral reefs, and is located about 1000 km (~621 miles) from the coast of North Carolina. After the initial 'landing', permanent residents began to settle in 1612, when they established the first capital of St. George. There was little activity on the island until the 19th century. Hamilton became the capital in 1815, slavery was abolished in 1834, the causeway linking St. George's Island and he Main Island was completed in 1871, and Mark Twain made his first voyage to Bermuda in 1877. On his visit to the island he remarked, "You go to heaven if you want - I'd druther stay here," (Trupp). A month after this statement, Twain died in New York. The 20th century also marked big changes for Bermuda. The introduction of electricity came in 1904, and in the 30's, it began to promote itself as a tourist destination. Starting in 1938, and continuing today, the airport received air shuttles from New York City. The United States took advantage of Bermuda's location in the Atlantic Ocean to set up a Naval base in 1941 which remained until 1995. Then in 1946, general use of cars throughout the island was approved. Today Bermuda not only acts as a tourist haven, but a "tax-free financial hub" (Trupp) for many of the United States' large businesses. Bermuda is a modernized civilization, but it is not a whirlwind of activity. There is almost no violent crime, and the average net worth of the residents is about $300,000. It really is quite a peaceful paradise.
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