The Gombeys performing

Bermuda was one of the earliest self-governing colonies under the British flag. In the early 1600’s the Virginia charter was amended to include Bermuda as part of its New World holdings. In 1620 the first meetings on colonial legislature were held in the parliamentary sessions house still standing in St. George’s today. Bermuda remains one of the oldest of Britain’s colonies with British-style and protocols still visible in everyday life; however, its culture is diverse with more and more influences from the US, Caribbean and Canada.

The population is 65,365 (July 2005 est) with the ethinic makeup of the Bermudian population being black (58.4%), white (31.1%), mixed (6.4%)and other races (4.3%) which include a small minority of descendents from the American Indian. Approximately 25% of the resident population are foreign-born working in Bermuda and come from the UK, USA, Azores, Portugal, Canada, Philippines and other Asian countries, as well as the Caribbean. The offical language is English; however, with a larger Portugese presence in Bermuda, that language is also prevelent.