CaribbeanTravel.com - Winter 2009 - (Page 60)

BERMUDA Bermuda celebrating 400 years OF A UNIQUE CULTURE n 2009, Bermuda turns 400 and the upcoming year of celebration promises to be like none other. The central theme for 2009 will be “Celebrating Bermuda and Her People.” The government, the private sector, the artistic community, schools and just about everyone on the island is doing their part to participate in this landmark anniversary of Bermuda’s history, providing added incentive to come visit this already popular island and “feel the love.” Although Caribbean in spirit, Bermuda is uniquely positioned well north of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, some 650 miles from the next nearest land mass, I Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It only takes about two hours by plane to reach many U.S. East Coast cities and is a relatively short ﬂight from London as well. Bermuda’s coral reefs and pink-sand beaches may feel quite Caribbean, but its climate is sub-tropical. It also looks different not only from other islands but from anywhere else on earth, from its pastelpainted white-roofed cottages to the local businessmen dressed in colorful shorts and knee-high socks with suit jackets and ties. A British Overseas Territory, Bermuda can seem quite British, especially during the Beating Retreat ceremony led by The Band of the Bermuda Regiment — in full dress uniform, complete with red coats, blue trousers and white pith helmets. West African, American Indian and Caribbean roots are also apparent, however, especially in Bermuda’s unique version of Gombey dancing. Bermuda boasts one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, thanks to its success in tourism and international business. With only 21 square miles of land, Bermuda strongly regulates development. Fast food chains are banned and cars are limited to one per resident family; visitors travel via moped, taxi and public trans- BERMUDA GEOGRAPHY: Bermuda is about 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. There are about 181 small islands, the seven largest of which are connected by bridges and one causeway. Total land area is 21 square miles. LANGUAGE: English. POPULATION: 62,059 residents (Bermuda Census 2000). CLIMATE: Temperate climate throughout the year. TEMPERATURES: The golf and spa season ranges from 75°F in November to 68°F in March. April through mid-June, between highs of 70°F and 79°F. Summer can reach as high as 84°F. Bermuda has no “rainy season”; rain is spread out throughout each month with a monthly total of around ﬁve inches. TIME: EST +1. GMT -4. Daylight Savings in effect the ﬁrst Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. 60 www.caribbeantravel .c om http://www.caribbeantravel.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CaribbeanTravel.com - Winter 2009

CaribbeanTravel.com - Winter 2009 Contents Beaches and Water Sports Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Golf Courses Romance Spas Destination Websites Caribbean Map Caribbean Hotel Association Members Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Aruba The Islands Of The Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cancún, Cozumel, Riviera Maya Cayman Islands Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guadeloupe Guyana Haiti Jamaica Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Martinique St. Barthelemy St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius St. Martin St. Vincent & The Grenadines Suriname Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos U.S. Virgin Islands

CaribbeanTravel.com - Winter 2009

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