Geography of Bermuda
Bermuda lies 570 miles from the coast of North Carolina and is surrounded by the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. With a landmass of only 21 square miles, it is one of the smallest territories in the world (Monaco and Gibraltar are the only notable ones smaller in size).
Bermuda is actually an archipelago consisting of around 140 islands. 8 of these (Ireland Island North, Ireland Island South, Boaz Island, Watford Island, Somerset Island, Bermuda Island, St George’s Island and St David’s Island) are linked by bridges to form a continuous fishhook shaped area of land, 22 miles in length and only 2 miles across at its widest point. This is the Bermuda which most locals and guests are familiar with; many of the other islands are uninhabited or mere rocks.
Bermuda is divided into 9 parishes, each named after major shareholders of the Virginia Company that colonised the islands. From east to west they are Sandys, Southampton, Warwick, Pembroke, Paget, Devonshire, Smiths, Hamilton, St George’s.
The parishes are linked by 3 major roads that run from east to west. Their names are fairly self-explanatory and are:
- North Shore Road
- Middle Road
- South Road