Bermuda or Bermuda Islands, island group, self-governing dependency of United Kingdom, in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The group consists of approximately 150 small islands, islets, and rocks, of which about 20 are inhabited. Only six islands are of importance: Bermuda, also called Great Bermuda and Main Island, which is the largest (23 km/14 mi in length); Somerset; Ireland; Saint George's; Saint Davids; and Boaz. Hamilton is the capital, chief port, and largest city (1990 population estimate, 1,000) in Bermuda. The total area of the Bermuda Islands is 53 sq km (20 sq mi).

Geologically the islands have a base of volcanic rock and are capped by coral formations. They are enclosed on the north, west, and south by reefs, which are mostly underwater. The islands are separated from one another by narrow channels, but include several coral lagoons, or sounds, of which the most important are Harrington Sound and Castle Harbor. The islands are low-lying but hilly, being 80 m (260 ft) above sea level.

Lacking surface water and freshwater wells, the islands must depend on rainwater, which is collected from rooftops and stored in tanks, for water supply. The average rainfall is 1,500 mm (58 in) a year. The climate is mild, the temperature averaging 17� C (63� F) in winter and 26� C (79� F) in summer. The ocean winds are tempered by the warm Gulf Stream, but when south winds prevail, the humidity rises and severe thunderstorms are frequent. Vegetation is luxuriant and includes Bermuda cedar, bamboo, palm, papaw, and numerous flowering plants. Hedges of oleander and thickets of mangrove are characteristic features of the islands.

Hamilton, on Bermuda Island, is the capital and the chief town and port. Next in importance is Saint George, on St. George's Island. The estimated population of the Bermuda Islands in 2001 was 63,503. Some 60 percent of the population is black. Anglicanism is the principal religion. Education is free and compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16; about 5,900 students attended Bermuda's primary schools in 1996. Bermuda College (1974) provides postsecondary education.

The picturesque scenery and the warm, sunny climate make the Bermudas a popular resort. Tourism drives the economy of the islands, with one-third of the adult population employed in tourism-related jobs in 1996. Financial services, ship repairing and servicing the military bases on the islands are the other economic mainstays. Favorable tax conditions have made Bermuda a banking center. Manufactures include pharmaceuticals, perfumes, flavoring extracts, mineral-water extracts, and essential oils. Only a very small area is under cultivation; bananas, vegetables, and cut flowers are produced. Food supplies and fuels form the major part of Bermudian imports. The Bermuda dollar is the unit of currency (1 Bermuda dollar equals U.S.$1; fixed rate). Roads total 240 km (150 mi). Bermuda is serviced by several international airlines and shipping companies, and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

Administration in Bermuda is based on a constitution adopted in 1968. A governor, appointed by the British crown, is responsible for external affairs, internal security, defense, and the police and is advised by an executive council on other matters. The executive council consists of the premier, who is the head of the leading party in the House of Assembly, and at least six other members of the legislature. The legislature comprises the elected House of Assembly and an appointed Senate. The 40 members of the House are popularly elected to terms of up to five years. The leading political organizations are the United Bermuda Party (1964) and the Progressive Labour Party (1963).

The discovery of Bermuda is attributed to a Spanish navigator, Juan de Bermúdez, who was shipwrecked here in about 1503. No settlement was established, however, until 1609, when a party of English colonists under the mariner Sir George Somers sailing for Virginia, was also shipwrecked here. In 1612 the island group, known as Somers Islands, was included in the third charter of the Virginia Company, and a second group of English colonists arrived. This charter was revoked in 1684, however, and the islands then became a crown colony. Shortly afterward the settlers imported black slaves and, later, Portuguese laborers from the Madeira Islands and the Azores (Portuguese Açores). During the American Civil War (1861-1865), Confederate blockade runners were based in the Bermudas. At the close of the Civil War some Americans, particularly Virginians, migrated here from the United States; the islands later received Boer prisoners, sent by the British government during the Boer War (1899-1902).