Bermuda - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Bermuda, it was the islands making up Bermuda are named after Juan de BERMUDEZ, an early 16th century Spanish sea captain and the first European explorer of the archipelago. The Government system in this country is the Overseas Territory of the UK with limited self-government; parliamentary democracy type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick
National symbols
Red lion.
The flag
The National flag of Bermuda has 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.
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note: the flag is unusual in that it is only British overseas territory that uses a red ensign, all others use blue
The National Anthem
| Title | Hail to Bermuda |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Bette JOHNS |
Info
note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the King" is official (see United Kingdom)
More about the government of Bermuda
| Date of Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Bermuda Day, 24 May; note - formerly known as Victoria Day, Empire Day, and Commonwealth Day |
| Legal system | English common law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous (dating to 1684); latest entered into force 8 June 1968 (Bermuda Constitution Order 1968) |
| Amendments | Proposal procedure - NA; passage by an Order in Council in the UK; amended several times, last in 2012 |
| 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 |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Rena LALGIE (since 14 December 2020) |
| Head of government | Premier David BURT (since 19 July 2017) |
| 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: Senate (11 seats; 3 members appointed by the governor, 5 by the premier, and 3 by the opposition party; members serve 5-year terms) House of Assembly (36 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve up to 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Senate - last appointments in 2022 (next appointments in 2027) House of Assembly - last held on 1 October 2020 (next to be held by 2025) |
| Election results | Senate - composition- men 5, women 6, percentage women 63.6% House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - PLP 62.1%, OBA 32.3%, other 5.4%, independent 0.2%; seats by party - PLP 30, OBA 6; composition - men 28, women 7, percentage women 20%; total Parliament percentage women 28.3% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and at least 2 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 based on terms of appointment |
| Subordinate courts | Commercial court (began in 2006); magistrates' courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Acting Consul General James SALLAY (since 20 August 2022) |
| Embassy | US Consulate Bermuda, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire, DV 03, Bermuda |
| Mailing address | 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 |
| Telephone | (441) 295-1342 |
| FAX | (441) 295-1592 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://bm.usconsulate.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DV O3 |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 1 (cultural); note - excerpted from the UK entry |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Bermuda
Info
International organization participation
All Important Facts about Bermuda
Want to know more about Bermuda? Check all different factbooks for Bermuda below.
