St. George's Parish, Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. It is named after the founder of the Bermuda colony, Admiral Sir George Somers
George Somers
This article is about the English naval hero. For the American football player, see George Somers Admiral Sir George Somers was an English naval hero. Born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, the son of John Somers, his first fame came as part of an expedition led by Sir Amyas Preston against the Spanish...
.
It is located in the north-easternmost part of the island chain, containing a small part of the main island around Tucker's Town
Tucker's Town, Bermuda
Tucker's Town is a small community in St. George's Parish, Bermuda at the mouth of Castle Harbour, on Tucker's Town Peninsula on Bermuda's main island.-Forgotten community:...
and the Tucker's Town Peninsula
Tucker's Town Peninsula, Bermuda
Tucker's Town Peninsula is a two-mile long peninsula which extends from the northeastern tip of the main island of Bermuda. It is in St...
, as well as the island of St. George
St. George's Island, Bermuda
St. George's Island is one of the main islands of the territory of Bermuda. It lies in the northeast of the territory. It is divided between the town of St. George's and St. George's Parish...
, and many smaller islands, notably Coney
Coney Island, Bermuda
Coney Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The island cover 14.5 acres , close to the western entrance to Castle Harbor, southwest of the town of St. George's and close to the southern entrance to Ferry Reach....
, Paget
Paget Island, Bermuda
Paget Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 36 acre island is located at the northern entrance to St. George's Harbor, east of the town of St. George's and just to the north of the slightly larger Smith's...
, Nonsuch
Nonsuch Island, Bermuda
Nonsuch Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory. It is 5.7 ha in area and is situated at the eastern entrance to Castle Harbour, close to the south-easternmost point of Cooper's Island...
, Castle
Castle Island, Bermuda
Castle Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 3.5 acre island is situated close to the entrance to Castle Harbour, to the north of the Tucker's Town Peninsula.Originally called King's Island, it is of...
, and Smith's Island
Smith's Island, Bermuda
Smith's Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 61 acre island is located close to the northern entrance to St. George's Harbour, east of the town of St. George's to the south of the slightly smaller Paget...
s.
Technically, St. George's also includes the island of St. David's
St. David's Island, Bermuda
St. David's Island is one of the main islands of Bermuda. It is located in the far north of the territory, one of the two similarly sized islands that makeup the majority of St...
, though this is often considered a separate entity. St. David's Island, and Cooper's Island
Cooper's Island, Bermuda
Cooper's Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda. It is located in St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.The 77 acre island is located in the northeast of Castle Harbor, and thanks to reclamation work is now joined to St...
, and Longbird Island became a single, contiguous landmass during the Second World War construction of what is now L.F. Wade International Airport, formerly a joint USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
/RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base, Kindley Field (and subsequently a USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
base, Kindley Air Force Base
Kindley Air Force Base
Kindley Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base in Bermuda from 1948–1970, having been operated from 1943 to 1948 by the United States Army Air Force as Kindley Field.-World War II:...
, then a US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
air station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
, NAS Bermuda.
The parish is joined to Hamilton Parish
Hamilton Parish, Bermuda
Hamilton Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It was renamed for Scottish aristocrat James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton when he purchased the shares originally held in the Virginia Company by Lucy, Countess of Bedford.It is located in the northwest of the island chain, and is...
in the south, via The Causeway
The Causeway, Bermuda
The Causeway is a narrow strip of reclaimed land and bridges in the north of Bermuda linking Hamilton Parish on the mainland in the southwest and Bermuda International Airport on St. David's Island in St. George's Parish in the northeast, which are otherwise divided by Castle Harbour.The need for...
(which, like the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a chain of small islands which have been connected by reclaimed land and bridges) and also at Tucker's Town. The parish is unique among those in Bermuda, in that it does not cover 2.3 square miles (about 6.0 km² or 1500 acres). The reason for this is the land reclamation that took place when Kindley Air Force Base was constructed, which expanded the parish's area by some 150 acres (60 hectares) to a little over 2.5 square miles (6.6 km², 1620 acres).
Natural features in St. George's include Castle Harbour
Castle Harbour, Bermuda
Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called Southampton Port, it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early decades of the Seventeenth century.-Geography:A gem of...
, St. George's Harbour
St. George's Harbour, Bermuda
St. George's Harbour is a natural harbour in the north of Bermuda. It serves as the port for the town of St. George's and separates St. George's Island in the north and west from St. David's Island in the south and east. Several other islands lie to the south and east, closing the harbour from the...
, St. David's Head
St. David's Head, Bermuda
St. David's Head is a headland in the northeast of St. David's Island, Bermuda. It is the easternmost point of the territory, and is located in St. George's Parish...
, Tobacco Bay
Tobacco Bay, Bermuda
Tobacco Bay is located in the far north of Bermuda. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean coast, close to the town of St. George's and to the historic Fort St. Catherine. One of Bermuda's national parks, it is a popular public beach...
, and Ferry Reach
Ferry Reach, Bermuda
Ferry Reach is a three mile long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St. George's Island in the north and St. David's Island in the south south-west of the town of St. George's.It extends south from St...
.
Other notable features of St. George's include the St. David's Lighthouse, Fort St. Catherine, and the Bermuda Biological Station for Research
Bermuda Biological Station for Research
The Bermuda Biological Station for Research is an independent non-profit science and education center located in Ferry Reach, St. George, Bermuda...
.