Bermuda (2001) | Southern Ocean (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint Georges, Sandys, Smiths, Southampton, Warwick | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
19.4% (male 6,091; female 6,230) 15-64 years: 69.43% (male 21,783; female 22,309) 65 years and over: 11.17% (male 3,073; female 4,017) (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products | bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products | - |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
58.8 sq km land: 58.8 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 20.327 million sq km
note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies |
Area - comparative | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly more than twice the size of the US |
Background | 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. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. A referendum on independence was soundly defeated in 1995. | A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). |
Birth rate | 12.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues:
$504.6 million expenditures: $537 million, including capital expenditures of $75 million (FY97/98) |
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Capital | Hamilton | - |
Climate | subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter | sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter |
Coastline | 103 km | 17,968 km |
Constitution | 8 June 1968, amended 1989 | - |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands |
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Currency | Bermudian dollar (BMD) | - |
Death rate | 7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $NA | - |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Consul General Lawrence D. OWEN consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire, Hamilton mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | - |
Disputes - international | none | Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west |
Economic aid - recipient | $27.9 million (1995) | - |
Economy - overview | Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, having successfully exploited its location by providing financial services for international firms and luxury tourist facilities for 360,000 visitors annually. The tourist industry, which accounts for an estimated 28% of GDP, attracts 84% of its business from North America. The industrial sector is small, and agriculture is severely limited by a lack of suitable land. About 80% of food needs are imported. International business contributes over 60% of Bermuda's economic output; a failed independence vote in late 1995 can be partially attributed to Bermudian fears of scaring away foreign firms. Government economic priorities are the further strengthening of the tourist and international financial sectors. | Fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July to 30 June) landed 112,934 metric tons, of which 87% was krill and 11% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and antarctic toothfish. In the 2000-01 antarctic summer 12,248 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 the previous year. |
Electricity - consumption | 511.5 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production | 550 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Town Hill 76 m |
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench
highest point: sea level 0 m |
Environment - current issues | asbestos disposal; water pollution; preservation of open space | increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish
note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries |
Environment - international agreements | - | the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)
note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north |
Ethnic groups | black 58%, white 36%, other 6% | - |
Exchange rates | Bermudian dollar per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) | - |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Thorold MASEFIELD (since NA June 1997) head of government: Premier Jennifer SMITH (since 10 November 1998) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; governor invites leader of largest party in Parliament to form a government as premier |
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Exports | $56 million (2000 est.) | - |
Exports - commodities | reexports of pharmaceuticals | - |
Exports - partners | UK 29.5%, US 9.8% (1997) | - |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | - |
Flag description | 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 | - |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.1 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
1% industry: 10% services: 89% (1995 est.) |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $33,000 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 1.5% (2000 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 32 20 N, 64 45 W | 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude |
Geography - note | consists of about 360 small coral islands with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land, reclaimed and otherwise, was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995 | the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds |
Highways | total:
225 km paved: 225 km unpaved: 0 km note: in addition, there are 232 km of paved and unpaved roads that are privately owned (1997) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
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Imports | $739 million (2000 est.) | - |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals | - |
Imports - partners | US 34%, UK 9%, Mexico 8% (1997) | - |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
Industries | tourism, finance, insurance, structural concrete products, paints, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, ship repairing | - |
Infant mortality rate | 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | - |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.7% (2000 est.) | - |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), CCC, ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 20 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | - |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts | - |
Labor force | 35,296 (1997) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | clerical 23%, services 22%, laborers 17%, professional and technical 17%, administrative and managerial 12%, sales 7%, agriculture and fishing 2% (1996) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | - |
Land use | arable land:
6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 94% (55% developed, 39% rural/open space) (1997 est.) |
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Languages | English (official), Portuguese | - |
Legal system | English law | - |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member body appointed by the governor) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 54%, UBP 44%, NLP 1%, independents 1%; seats by party - PLP 26, UBP 14 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population:
77.12 years male: 75.04 years female: 79.06 years (2001 est.) |
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Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (1970 est.) |
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Location | North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of North Carolina (US) | body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica |
Map references | North America | Antarctic Region |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Merchant marine | total:
105 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,836,538 GRT/9,728,045 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 4, container 15, liquefied gas 7, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 16, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 10, Hong Kong 10, Japan 1, Nigeria 4, Saudi Arabia 1, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, UK 10, US 7 (2000 est.) |
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Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police Force, Bermuda Reserve Constabulary | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | - |
National holiday | Bermuda Day, 24 May | - |
Nationality | noun:
Bermudian(s) adjective: Bermudian |
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Natural hazards | hurricanes (June to November) | huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue |
Natural resources | limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism | probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes |
Net migration rate | 2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | National Liberal Party or NLP [Dessaline WALDRON]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Jennifer SMITH]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Pamela GORDON] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Association or BPSA [Betty CHRISTOPHER] | - |
Population | 63,503 (July 2001 est.) | - |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 0.74% (2001 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Hamilton, Saint George | McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica
note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) | - |
Radios | 82,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Religions | non-Anglican Protestant 39%, Anglican 27%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 19% | - |
Sex ratio | at birth:
0.94 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: modern, fully automatic telephone system international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 52,000 (1997) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7,980 (1996) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (1997) | - |
Terrain | low hills separated by fertile depressions | the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers |
Total fertility rate | 1.81 children born/woman (2001 est.) | - |
Transportation - note | - | Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal |
Unemployment rate | NEGL% (1995) | - |
Waterways | none | - |