Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bermuda
former: Somers Islands
etymology: the islands making up Bermuda are named after Juan de BERMUDEZ, a Spanish sea captain and the first European explorer of the archipelago in the early 16th century

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
parliamentary; self-governing territory

Capital:
name: Hamilton
geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 47 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:
9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
Bermuda Day, 24 May

Constitution:
several previous (dating to 1684); latest entered into force 8 June 1968; amended several times, last in 2003 (2015)

Legal system:
English common law

International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship:
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the UK
dual citizenship recognized: yes
residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor George FERGUSSON (since 23 May 2012)
head of government: Premier Michael DUNKLEY (since 20 May 2014)
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:
description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; members appointed - 3 by the governor, 5 by the premier, and 3 by the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve up to 5-year terms)
elections: last held on 17 December 2012 (next to be held not later than 2017)
election results: percent of vote by party - OBA 51.7%, PLP 46.1%, other 2.2%; seats by party - OBA 19, PLP 17

Judicial branch:
highest resident court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 4 justices); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, 4 puisne judges, and 1 associate justice); note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, in London, is the court of final appeal
judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal justice appointed by the governor; justice tenure by individual appointment; Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission and appointed by the governor; judge tenure NA
subordinate courts: commercial court (began in 2006); magistrates' courts

Political parties and leaders:
One Bermuda Alliance or OBA [Thad HOLLIS] Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Marc BEAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers or ABIR [Bradley KADING] Association of Bermuda International Companies or ABIC [George HUTCHINGS] Bermuda Employer's Council [Keith JENSEN] Bermuda Industrial Union or BIU [Chris Furbert] Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Kevin GRANT and Ed BALL] Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]

International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), ICC (NGOs), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC (NGOs), UPU, WCO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General Robert SETTJE (since August 2012)
consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3
mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300
telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342
FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, 296-9233

Flag description:
red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (a white shield with a red lion standing on a green grassy field holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag; it was the shipwreck of the vessel, filled with English colonists originally bound for Virginia, that led to the settling of Bermuda
note: the flag is unusual in that it is only British overseas territory that uses a red ensign, all others use blue

National symbol(s):
red lion

National anthem:
name: "Hail to Bermuda"
lyrics/music: Bette JOHNS
note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom)