During this period the first slaves were held and trafficked to the islands. As Bermudians settled the Carolina Colony and contributed to establishing other English colonies in the Americas, several other locations were named after the archipelago. In 1615, the colony, which had been renamed the Somers Isles in commemoration of Sir George Somers, was passed on to the Somers Isles Company. It is the oldest continually inhabited English town in the New World. George's Town) was settled that year and designated as the colony's first capital. In 1612, the English began settlement of the archipelago, officially named Virgineola, with arrival of the ship the Plough. Bermuda was now claimed for the English Crown. The new settlement became a prison labour camp, and built two ships, the Deliverance, and the Patience. They argued that they had a right to stay and establish their own government. The settlers were unwilling to move on, having now heard about the true conditions in Jamestown from the sailors, and made multiple attempts to rebel and stay in Bermuda. However, the flotilla was broken up by a storm and the flagship, the Sea Venture, drove onto Bermuda's reef to prevent her sinking, resulting in the survival of all her passengers and crew. Two years later, a flotilla of seven ships left England with several hundred settlers, food, and supplies to relieve the Jamestown colony. The English began to focus on the New World, initially settling in Virginia, starting British colonization in North America, establishing a colony at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. John Smith wrote one of the first histories of Bermuda in 1624 (combined with Virginia and New England).įor the next century, the island was frequently visited but not settled. Neither Spain nor Portugal attempted to settle it. With its frequent storm-racked conditions and dangerous reefs, the archipelago became known as the "Isle of Devils". Legends arose of spirits and devils, now thought to have stemmed from the calls of raucous birds (most likely the Bermuda petrel, or cahow) and loud nocturnal noises from wild hogs. Shipwrecked Portuguese mariners are now thought to have been responsible for the 1543 inscription on Portuguese Rock, previously called Spanish Rock. Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot to take on fresh meat and water. It was mentioned in Legatio Babylonica, published in 1511 by historian Pedro Mártir de Anglería, and was included on Spanish charts of that year. Bermuda had no indigenous population when it was discovered, nor during initial British settlement a century later. Black Bermudians, primarily descended from African slaves, make up around 50% of the population, while White Bermudians, primarily of British, Irish and Portuguese descent, account for 30%.īermuda is named after the Spanish sailor Juan de Bermúdez, who discovered the islands in 1505, while sailing for Spain from a provisioning voyage to Hispaniola in the ship La Garça.įirst map of the islands of Bermuda in 1511, made by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera in his book Legatio Babylonicaīermuda was discovered in the early 1500s by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez. After World War II the territory became an offshore financial centre and tax haven.Īs of 2019, Bermuda had a population of around 64,000 people, making it the second-most populous of the British overseas territories, after the Cayman Islands. More recently, tourism has been a significant contributor to Bermuda's economy. The first African slaves arrived in 1616, but as the slave trade ceased by the end of the 17th century, the colony developed into a base for merchants, privateers, and the Royal Navy. The islands have been permanently inhabited since 1612, and, forming part of British America, became a crown colony in 1684. The closest land outside the territory is in the US state of North Carolina, approximately 1,035 km (643 mi) to the northwest.īermuda is named after Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez, who discovered the archipelago in 1505. The Bermuda archipelago consists of 181 islands with a total land area of 54 km 2 (21 sq mi).
Bermuda ( / b ər ˈ m j uː d ə/ historically known as The Bermudas or Somers Isles) is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean.
0 kommentar(er)
