Imagine living an hour and a half from New York, Boston and Washington DC as well as 5 minutes away from the most beautiful pink sanded beaches you will ever see! Now you can see why I am happy in Bermuda. With financial giants such as HSBC, insurance giants such as AIG, ACE and XL providing the city scape to Hamilton, the capital, this little island mecca still provides access to big business. There is one major difference though.....we run on island time! Deadlines are moving targets and the hussle and bustle in a country with a maximum commute time of 25 minutes is noticably slower. I can't imagine living anywhere else!!
A brief history of the island (excerpt from The Lonely Planet Guide http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/bermuda/):
Bermuda takes its name from the Spanish sea captain Juan de Bermúdez, who first sighted the uninhabited islands around 1503. Though they remained unclaimed, the islands soon became an important navigational landmark for galleons crossing the Atlantic between Spain and the New World. Since Bermuda is surrounded by dangerous reefs, nautical misadventures cast the Spanish ashore on several occasions and littered the sea bed with enough booty for some people to consider scuba diving more than a recreational sport.
In 1609 Admiral Sir George Somers was en route from England with supplies for the recent British settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, when his ship, Sea Venture , was wrecked off Bermuda. Finding it a rather pleasant place to be washed up, the admiral built replacement ships of fine Bermuda cedar, sailed off and left a couple of men behind to establish a British claim to the islands. The experience of these temporary British castaways is thought to have inspired Shakespeare to write The Tempest . Somers returned to Bermuda later that same year but died soon after arrival. The British renamed Bermuda the Somers Islands in honour of the admiral.
In 1609 Admiral Sir George Somers was en route from England with supplies for the recent British settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, when his ship, Sea Venture , was wrecked off Bermuda. Finding it a rather pleasant place to be washed up, the admiral built replacement ships of fine Bermuda cedar, sailed off and left a couple of men behind to establish a British claim to the islands. The experience of these temporary British castaways is thought to have inspired Shakespeare to write The Tempest . Somers returned to Bermuda later that same year but died soon after arrival. The British renamed Bermuda the Somers Islands in honour of the admiral.
Island Stats:
Size: 53.3 sq km
Population: 66,163
Capital: Hamilton
Nationality: Bermudian
Country Status: Overseas Territory of the UK
Flag:
Map of the Island:
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