Autonomous colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Head of State is the British Queen, represented by Governor-General. Legislative power is exercised Governor and two-chamber parliament – the House of Assembly, which sits 40 deputies and the Senate – 11 senators. Government (Executive Council) shall exercise executive authority. It is chaired by the Prime Minister stands mianowy by the governor and responsible to the parliament.

Bermuda was discovered by Europeans in the early 1500s, probably in 1503, according to some sources. It was certainly known by 1511, when Peter Martyr d’Anghiera published his Legatio Babylonica, which mentioned Bermuda, and the island was also included on Spanish charts of this year. The discovery is attributed to a Spanish explorer, Juan de Bermúdez. Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot for fresh meat and water, but legends of spirits and devils, now thought to have stemmed only from the callings of raucous birds (most likely the Bermuda Petrel, or Cahow), and of perpetual, storm-wracked conditions (most early visitors arrived under such conditions), kept them from attempting any permanent settlement on the Isle of Devils.

Bermúdez and Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo ventured to Bermuda in 1514 or 1515 with the intention to drop off a breeding stock of hogs on the island as a future stock of fresh meat for passing ships. However, the inclement weather prevented them from landing.

Some years later, a Portuguese ship on the way home from San Domingo wedged itself between two rocks on the reef. The crew tried to salvage as much as they could and spent the next four months building a new hull from Bermuda cedar to return to their initial departure point. One of these stranded sailors is most likely the person who carved the initials “R” and “P”, “1543″ into Spanish Rock. The initials probably stood for “Rex Portugaline” and later were incorrectly attributed to the Spanish, leading to the misnaming of this rocky outcrop of Bermuda.

Renowned for its pink sand beaches and natural beauty, Bermuda offers a number of other attractions, as well. Historic St. George’s is a designated World Heritage Site. Scuba divers can explore numerous wrecks and coral reefs in relatively shallow water (typically 30–40 ft. in depth) with virtually unlimited visibility. Many nearby reefs are readily accessible from shore by snorkellers, especially at Church Bay.

Bermuda’s most popular visitor attraction is the Royal Navy Dockyard and Museum. Other attractions include the Aquarium and Zoo, Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, the Botanical Gardens, lighthouses, and the Crystal Caves with its impressive stalactites and underground saltwater pools.

It is not possible to rent a car on the island; however, visitors can hire scooters for use as private transport, or use public transport.

Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda. Although there is a parish of the same name, the city of Hamilton is in the parish of Pembroke. The City is named after Sir Henry Hamilton, governor from 1778 to 1794. The parish of Hamilton predates it.

In spite of being the administrative capital of Bermuda, Hamilton only has a permanent population of approximately 969, although some estimates have it as high as 1,500. Hamilton is the only incorporated city in Bermuda, but actually is smaller than the historic town of St. George’s. A more representative measure of Bermuda population tends to be by parish.

The city is the registered headquarters of Accenture (NYSE: ACN) (formerly Andersen Consulting) – the global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. It is also the headquarters of Bacardi, a major international spirits company. Tyco International, Foster Wheeler Inc, and Accenture also maintains nominal headquarters office there for tax purposes.

Bermuda (officially, The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 km (1,100 mi) northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 km (840 mi) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about 1030 km (640 mi) west-northwest. It is the oldest and most populous remaining British overseas territory, settled by England a century before the Acts of Union created the United Kingdom.

Although commonly referred to in the singular, the territory consists of approximately 138 islands, with a total area of 53.3 km² (20.6 sq. mi.). Compiling a list of these islands is often complicated, as many have more than one name (as does the entire archipelago, which, in addition to its two official names, has historically been known as “La Garza“, “Virgineola“, and the “Isle of Devils”). Despite the limited land mass, there has also been a tendency for place names to be repeated; there are, for instance, two islands named “Long Island”, three bays known as “Long Bay”, and “St. George’s Town” is located on “St. George’s Island” within “St. George’s Parish” (each known as St. George’s), whereas Bermuda’s capital, the “City of Hamilton”, lies in Pembroke Parish, not in “Hamilton Parish”, on the largest island, “Main Island”, which itself is sometimes called “Bermuda”.

Bermuda has a highly affluent economy, with a large financial sector and tourism industry giving it the world’s highest GDP per capita in 2005. It has a subtropical climate, beaches with pink sand, and cerulean blue ocean.