page_title: Bermuda
section_title: Discovery
hierarchical_section_title: Bermuda / History / Discovery
caption_attribution_description: Español: Primer mapa de la isla de Bermuda en 1511, hecho por Pedro Mártir de Anglería en su libro Legatio Babylonica. English: First map of the island of Bermuda in 1511, made by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera in his book Legatio Babylonica.
context_page_description: Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 1,035 km east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; 1,236 km south of Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia; 1,759 km northeast of Cuba, and 1,538 km due north of the British Virgin Islands. Though it is typically referred to in the singular, Bermuda consists of 181 islands; the largest of these islands is known as Main Island. The capital city of Bermuda is Hamilton. Bermuda is internally self-governing, with its own constitution and cabinet of ministers selected from the elected Members of the lower house of a Parliament that enacts local laws. As the national government, the Government of the United Kingdom is ultimately responsible for ensuring good governance within British Overseas Territories, and retains responsibility for defence and foreign relations. As of July 2018, it has a population of 71,176, making it the most populous of the British overseas territories. Bermuda's largest economic sectors are offshore insurance, reinsurance, and tourism. Bermuda had one of the world's highest GDP per capita for most of the 20th century.
context_section_description: Bermuda was discovered in 1505 by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez. Bermuda had no indigenous population at the time of its discovery, nor at the time of the initial British settlement a century later. It was mentioned in Legatio Babylonica, published in 1511 by historian Pedro Mártir de Anglería, and was also included on Spanish charts of that year. Both Spanish and Portuguese ships used the islands as a replenishment spot to take on fresh meat and water; for example, shipwrecked Portuguese mariners are now thought to have been responsible for the 1543 inscription on Portuguese Rock (previously called Spanish Rock). Legends arose of spirits and devils, now thought to have stemmed from the calls of raucous birds (most likely the Bermuda petrel, or cahow) and the loud noise heard at night from wild hogs. Combined with the frequent storm-wracked conditions and the dangerous reefs, the archipelago became known as the 'Isle of Devils'. Neither Spain nor Portugal attempted to settle it.
caption: First map of the islands of Bermuda in 1511, made by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera in his book Legatio Babylonica
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