Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. 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. A referendum on independence was soundly defeated in 1995.
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Population:
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65,365 (July 2005 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 18.9% (male 6,177/female 6,154)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 22,422/female 22,828)
65 years and over: 11.9% (male 3,378/female 4,406) (2005 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 39.76 years
male: 38.78 years
female: 40.58 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.64% (2005 est.)
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Birth rate:
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11.6 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Death rate:
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7.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 8.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 77.79 years
male: 75.7 years
female: 79.91 years (2005 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.89 children born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Bermudian(s)
adjective: Bermudian
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Ethnic groups:
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black 58%, white 36%, other 6%
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Religions:
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non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 19%
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Languages:
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English (official), Portuguese
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (1970 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda
former: Somers Islands
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Dependency status:
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overseas territory of the UK
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Government type:
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parliamentary British overseas territory with internal self-government
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Capital:
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Hamilton
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Administrative divisions:
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9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick
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Independence:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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National holiday:
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Bermuda Day, 24 May
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Constitution:
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8 June 1968, amended 1989 and 2003
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Legal system:
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English law
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Sir John VEREKER (since 11 April 2002)
head of government: Premier William Alexander SCOTT (since 24 July 2003); Deputy Premier Ewart BROWN
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held July 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts
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Political parties and leaders:
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Progressive Labor Party or PLP [William Alexander SCOTT]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Grant GIBBONS]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]
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International organization participation:
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Caricom (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU, WCO, Egmont Group, Caribbean Financial Action Task Force
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Deputy Chief of Mission Antoinette BOECKER
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3
mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300
telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342
FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233
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Flag description:
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red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag
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Economy - overview:
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Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, nearly equal to that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. The effects of 11 September 2001 have had both positive and negative ramifications for Bermuda. On the positive side, a number of new reinsurance companies have located on the island, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. On the negative side, Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - was severely hit as American tourists chose not to travel. Tourism rebounded somewhat in 2002-04. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited, only 20% of the land being arable.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $2.33 billion (2003 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2% (2003 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $36,000 (2003 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1%
industry: 10%
services: 89% (2002 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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19% (2000)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.3% (mid-2003 est.)
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Labor force:
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37,470 (2000)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 22%, professional and technical 17%, administrative and managerial 13%, sales 8%, services 20% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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5% (2002 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $671.1 million
expenditures: $594.6 million, including capital expenditures of $55 million (FY03/04)
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products
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Industries:
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tourism, international business, light manufacturing
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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643 million kWh (2002)
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Electricity - consumption:
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598 million kWh (2002)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2002)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2002)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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4,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA
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Oil - imports:
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NA
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Exports:
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$879 million (2002)
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Exports - commodities:
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reexports of pharmaceuticals
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Exports - partners:
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France 62%, Norway 13.8%, UK 7.4% (2003)
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Imports:
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$5.523 billion (2002)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals
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Imports - partners:
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Kazakhstan 46.7%, France 32.5%, US 8.5% (2003)
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Debt - external:
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$160 million (FY99/00)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
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Currency:
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Bermudian dollar (BMD)
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Currency code:
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BMD
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Exchange rates:
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Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Highways:
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total: 450 km
paved: 450 km
unpaved: 0 km
note: public roads - 209 km; private roads - 241 km (2002)
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Ports and harbors:
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Hamilton, Saint George, Dockyard
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Merchant marine:
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total: 108 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,845,326 GRT/6,501,782 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 22, cargo 6, container 22, liquefied gas 13, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7
foreign-owned: 103 (Australia 2, Canada 20, Finland 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Hong Kong 5, Indonesia 1, Nigeria 8, Norway 5, Sweden 9, Switzerland 2, United Kingdom 27, United States 20)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
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Airports:
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1 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 17 May, 2005
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