Thursday Thirteen #16 - Lost in the Triangle

13 Facts About Bermuda

As many of you already know, I spent almost 18 years living in Bermuda. Just for fun, here are 13 facts about Bermuda:

1. Contrary to popular belief, Bermuda isn't located in the Caribbean, but in the Atlantic Ocean, 940 miles north of Bahamas, 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras. It's 770 miles from New York, 3000 from London, England.
2. Shaped like a giant fish hook, it's only 21 miles long and just over a mile wide at it's widest point, making the whole shebang only 21 square miles total. And it's not just one island! Over 180 islands make up 'The Bermudas', but the nine largest are connected by bridges and causeways to make up the main island.
3. It's considered a sub-tropical island and boasts the northern-most coral reef system in the world. 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.
4. The island was named for Juan de Bermudez, a Spanish sailor who first recorded it's existence in the 1503.
5. It was populated in 1609 by British survivors of a shipwreck that was originally bound for the Jamestown Colony in Virginia. Sir George Somers claimed it for Britain and the island was also referred to as Somers Isles.
6. Bermuda is the oldest British Colony and has the second oldest parliamentary democracy in the world.
7. There are no fresh water lakes or rivers on the island. The only source of fresh/drinking water is rain, which is collected on roofs and stored in huge tanks under residential homes. In other words, no basements!
8. Tennis was introduced to the US from Bermuda by an American sportswoman who went on to set up the first US tennis court in Staten Island, NY
9. Bermuda enjoys the highest per capita income in the world (50% higher than the US). According to statistics from June 2003, the average cost of a house was $976,000 USD (speaking from personal experience... it's much higher now!).
10. 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.
11. Bermuda is mostly famous for three things. The first is the shorts, which were adapted from the British military uniform specifically for the hot climate
12. The second is the iconic pink sand, which gets its color from the crushed coral skeletons of a tiny creature called a formaniferan. Speaking of sand, Horseshoe Beach is considered one of the top ten beaches in the world. And finally...
13. No factsheet about Bermuda would be complete without a mention of the Bermuda Triangle, said to be responsible for mysterious ship wrecks, disappearances and air crashes. The other points of the triangle are Miami, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a Bermudian, let me assure you that 'The Triangle' wasn't something that came up often, except by curious tourists. In my 18 years there, I didn't disappear, discover bizarre time portals, or see any strange weather occurrences outside of the expected gales, hurricanes and fan-bloody-tastic sunny days. But what good fodder for my next book!

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