Britain's oldest colony, Bermuda, is a land of pink, sandy
beaches, clear turquoise seas and picturesque old colonial towns.
It is hard now to imagine that sailors knew it as Devil's Island,
but the combination of shallow waters and coral reefs caused many a
shipwreck in the past. Today, however, the reefs provide a
wonderful playground for swimming, snorkelling, and diving.
Bermuda is an archipelago comprised of approximately 200 coral
islands and islets located 650 miles (1,045km) off the east coast
of America, in the Atlantic. The mainland consists of the seven
main islands linked to each other by causeways and bridges and
stretches just 20 miles (32km) from tip to tail.
Most visitors to the islands are American citizens who think of
it fondly as very English in character. British visitors on the
other hand feel that it has a strongly American flavour. In truth,
Bermuda has a distinct atmosphere that draws its influences from
American and British traditions merged with local island culture.
Business attire might constitute a jacket and tie with Bermuda
shorts, while bikinis are banned further than 25 feet (7.5m) away
from the water!
With its mixture of colonial style and its proximity to America,
Bermuda has become a centre of high finance as well as one of the
world's most coveted holiday destinations. Generous tax advantages
and satellite communications have induced a stream of major
corporations to set up offices on the island, and have helped the
country become one of the richest, per capita, in the world.
