Bermuda

Bermuda is a self-governing British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean, off the coast of North America east of North Carolina. It is one of the last remains of the once vast British colonial empire in North America.

Bermuda is divided into nine parishes (from east to west):

• St. George's Parish - Encompassing the area around the historic Town of St. George as well as the island of St. David's across its harbor.
• Hamilton Parish - Location of Crystal Caves and Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo.
• Smith's Parish - Home to Flatts Village, Spittle Pond Nature Preserve and Devil's Hole Aquarium.
• Devonshire Parish - The quiet parish.
• Pembroke Parish - Where the city of Hamilton is located.
• Paget Parish - Numerous resorts, Elbow Beach, Bermuda Botanical Gardens and Paget Marsh for birdwatching.
• Warwick Parish - Golf, horseback riding and the island's best cliffs.
• Southampton Parish - The best beaches and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse.
• Sandys Parish - The Royal Naval Dockyard fortress and shops, but also Somerset Village, Fort Scaur, Gilbert Nature Reserve and some fine beaches.

Bermuda consists of about 138 islands and islets, with all the major islands aligned on a hook-shaped but roughly east-west axis and connected together by road bridges. Despite this complexity, Bermudans usually refer to Bermuda as "the island". In terms of terrain, the islands are comprised of low hills separated by fertile depressions, and interspersed with a complex set of waterways.
The inhabited island chain is actually the southern sector of a circular pseudo-atoll, the remainder of the coral ring being submerged or inter-tidal reefs (Bermuda, while having been formed volcanically, is not a true atoll). As a result the northern shores of inhabited islands are relatively sheltered, whilst the southern shores are exposed to the ocean swell. Consequently most of the best beaches are on the southern shore.