The Bermuda Islands

The flag of Bermuda

The island of Bermuda lies in the north Atlantic, closer to the continent of America than it does to Europe, and was settled by the English in 1612 as a stopping off point for ships heading to the America's. Its capital city, St George's, is the oldest English city in the America's.

The island has developed a very advanced economy based on tourism and finance, giving the islanders one of the highest per capita rates of GDP.

The head of the island is the Queen of the United Kingdom, but political power is exercised by a Prime Minster voted for through universal suffrage. The island is a British Overseas territory, meaning it has autonomy over internal affairs, but the British government is responsible for external affairs.

The islands government has been involved in controversy, as part of its constitution, it is supposed to alert the British government over immigration issues, and any foreign affairs issues are supposed to be handed to London. Unfortunately, the American government negotiated with Bermuda directly, in breach of these agreements, about the settlement of some of the prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. It admitted it had done so behind the back of the British government.

The island is unique amongst British overseas territories in that it uses a red ensign, unlike the others  which use blue.

The coat of arms of the island is a red lion holding a shield depicting a crashed ship. The lion is a symbol of England, representing the islands link, and the ship is the Venture, deliberately crashed on the island to prevent it foundering in a storm.