Bermuda was first sited in 1503 by the Spanish explorer Juan de Bermuda who christened it "Las Bermudas", but because of the island's dangerous uncharted coral reefs and sudden storms it was never successfully settled until the British admiral Sir George Somers landed there in 1609 and established a colony. Its government is a parliamentary democracy with the basis of the law being English common law supplemented with Bermudian legislation. Its parliament is the oldest in the British Commonwealth, having first met in 1620. The island is known for its reliable and sophisticated infrastructure and stable environment.

Hamilton, Bermuda

The capital is Hamilton, where the EXPORT ASSIST office is located. The Bermuda dollar is fixed at par with the U.S. dollar and the local language is English. Bermuda is less than two hours by plane from New York City and there are daily flights from a number of other U.S. cities. It has excellent telephone, fax, and courier services. Its time zone is a convenient one hour ahead of New York and four hours behind London. Bermuda is ideally situated to service clients in Europe and in North America.

The island is a popular tourist destination with excellent hotels, restaurants, and shops, pristine sandy beaches, a deep harbor in Hamilton for cruise ships, and beautiful coral reefs for scuba diving.

Front Street, Hamilton

Bermuda is situated 700 miles southeast of New York City in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of approximately 20 square miles, and a population of approximately 60,000 persons. Bermuda’s climate is moderate, with summer temperatures at 85F degrees and winter temperatures at 70F degrees.