The Bermudas were visited in about 1505 by a Spanish sailor, Juan de Bermudez, and had been given the name 'La Bermuda' by 1510. Ferdinand d'Orviedo (also Spanish) sighted them in 1515. They remained uninhabited until 1609, when The Sea Venture, commanded by Sir George Somers on its way to Virginia with British settlers, was wrecked on reefs close to the eastern shores. The survivors were able to build 2 ships and continue their journey to Jamestown - bringing with them much needed supplies for Bermuda. News spread of the beauty and fertility of the islands, and in 1612 King James I and VI extended the charter of the Virginia Company to include them. The first emigrants went out in that year; others followed, and enslaved Africans were brought with them as house servants. The islands, which became known as Somers Islands, were bought about 1615 by some entrepreneurs from the City of London. The settlers became weary of the restrictions imposed on them by the Virginia Company and its successor the Bermuda Company. They took their case to London and in 1684 the company's charter was annulled, and government passed to the Crown. As elsewhere in the British Empire, slavery was abolished in Bermuda in August 1834.

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Bermuda is almost unique in its use of a defaced Red Ensign on land as a national flag. This was based on the defaced Red Ensign which Canada received permission to display in 1892 (the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario still use defaced Red Ensigns as state flags). Because there were connections between Canada, Bermuda and the Bahamas, the latter 2 started using defaced Ensigns without permission until 1967 when the Bermuda flag was given official recognition.

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The islands and islets of Bermuda (32 degrees 18'N and 64 degrees 46'W) lie along the southern rim of the summit of a submarine volcanic mountain in the Western Atlantic. Bermuda, a group of about 138 islands and islets, lies 570 miles east of the coast of North Carolina. The 8 main islands form a chain about 22 miles long, interconnected by bridges and causeways. The warming effect of the Gulf Stream makes Bermuda the most northerly group of coral islands in the world.

Bermuda is Britain's oldest colony and its Parliament, which first met in 1620, is the oldest legislature in the Commonwealth outside the British Isles. Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory and is self-governing with a high degree of control over its own affairs. Appointed by and representing the British monarch, the Governor in turn appoints the majority leader in the House of Assembly as Premier. The Premier has complete responsibility for choosing the Cabinet, which must include at least 6 other members of the legislature, and allocating portfolios, though the Governor retains responsibility for external affairs, defence, internal security and the police.

One key issue remains: independence, which the current government favours. A referendum on independence was last held in 1995, and of the 58% of the electorate who participated, 25% voted in favour. An opinion poll carried out in July 2007 showed 63% opposed to independence, 25% in favour and 12% undecided.

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