Location:
Six hundred and fifty miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; 774 miles from New York City; 3,000 miles from London, and 1128 miles from Miami, positioned at 32.17 degrees latitude, 65 degrees longitude. Contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not in the Caribbean, but is actually 940 miles from Nassau, Bahamas.

Size:
Twenty-one square miles (21 miles long, maximum width is two miles). Seen from the air, Bermuda resembles a fishhook. Bermuda consists of 181 named islands and islets.

Capital:
Hamilton, capital of Bermuda since 1815. The first capital was St. George's, which has been named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Population:
Approximately 64,500. (Consists of 61 percent black descent and 39 percent white). Most Bermudians (64 percent) have been settled in Bermuda for several generations. Other ancestral groups include British (16 percent), West Indian (11 percent) and Portuguese (9 percent).

Language:
English

Government:
Bermuda is the oldest British Colony and has the second oldest Parliamentary Democracy (after England) in the world. Bermuda's legal and legislative bodies are fashioned after Great Britain's "“ the custom of wearing wigs and gowns for official occasions is still practiced.

Climate:
Bermuda has a year-round mild semitropical climate with temperatures ranging from 68 to 84 degrees. Relative humidity 71 to 84 percent. Average annual rainfall is 57.6 inches. Summer water temperatures reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Economy:
Tourism; international company business: insurance, oil, computer software, investment holding and finance, communications, and shipping.

Documentation:
Customs requires proof of citizenship, and a passport is the preferred document. However, a birth certificate with photographic identification is acceptable.

Hotel Rooms:
Bermuda has approximately 3,400 rooms, ranging from full-service resorts to more intimate cottage colonies.

Average Length of Stay:
Six nights

Currency:
The Bermuda Dollar (BD$). The Bermuda dollar is divided into 100 cents and is pegged, through gold, to the U.S. dollar. The U.S. dollar is accepted by all merchants. Most hotels and stores accept major credit cards. For a glimpse of Bermuda's past currency, such as the hog penny, visit the Bank of Bermuda where every type of British coin minted from as early as 1603 can be seen.

Mail:
First class postage is $.70 for U.S. and Canadian postcards and letters. Bermuda's first postmaster, W.B. Perot, began printing stamps in 1848 and only eleven stamps of his thousands are known to exist today. One was auctioned in 1986 for $135,000.

Store Hours:
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on legal holidays. Some stores vary. Visitors from the U.S. may make duty free purchases up to $800 after 48 hours. Most shops will pack your breakable purchases for travel or overseas shipping.

Restaurants:
From simple and inexpensive to elegant and specialty dining, Bermuda has more than 150 restaurants. Although some restaurants vary, most open at 11 a.m. weekdays, noon Saturdays. Enjoy a fine selection of restaurants offering formal to casual dining to fit any visitor's budget.

Electricity:
110 volts; 60 cycles AC. Adapters necessary for United Kingdom and European appliances.

On-island Transportation:
Mopeds, bicycles, taxis, buses, ferries and horse-drawn carriages. There are no rental cars in Bermuda. Due to a strong environmental commitment, only one car is permitted per household.

Hotel Accommodations:
Bermuda offers a variety of accommodations: bed and breakfast inns, housekeeping cottages, clubs, cottage colonies, small hotels, and resorts. Special packages are available year-round.

Getting to Bermuda:
From the air, Bermuda is served by American Airlines, Continental, Delta, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Air Lines, United Airlines, USAirways, USA 3000, Air Canada and British Airways. Non-stop service is available from Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte (seasonal), Chicago (seasonal), Detroit, Miami, Newark, New York, Orlando (seasonal), Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Halifax and Toronto. Connecting service is available from all other major cities.

A variety of cruise lines also serve Bermuda from April through October.

Visitors Centres:
For maps, brochures, weekly event updates, bus schedules and more, visit conveniently located Visitors Bureaus on Front Street (Hamilton), The Royal Naval Dockyard, Somerset Road (Sandy's Parish), King's Square (St. George's "“ recently named a World Heritage Site) and Bermuda International Airport.

More Information:
For more information about travel to Bermuda, call your travel agent, 1-800-BERMUDA (1-800-237-6832), or visit our website at www.bermudatourism.com.

For more on Bermuda at ITKT