Flag of Bermuda

Flag origins

Bermuda’s flag has a red field with the Union Jack and Bermuda’s coat of arms. The Union Jack reflects its continuing status as a British overseas territory. A red lion in the arms symbolizes ties with Britain and holds a shield showing a sailing ship wrecked on rocks in a rough sea. The ship is the Sea Venture, wrecked off Bermuda in 1609. The incident led to English settlement and is shown as a defining historical event. Government material likewise connects the wreck with the start of settlement.

Flag story

English settlement in Bermuda began with a shipwreck, not a planned landing. In 1609, the Sea Venture was sailing from England to Jamestown in Virginia when a hurricane struck. With the ship taking on water, George Somers and his companions deliberately grounded it on Bermuda’s reefs to avoid sinking. About 150 people and a dog reached shore. After roughly ten months, the survivors built two ships using salvaged and other materials, then continued to Jamestown in 1610. Accounts reaching England are thought to have helped inspire Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Bermuda also competes in the Olympics in its own right. It won boxing bronze in Montreal in 1976. Flora Duffy earned its first gold in the women’s triathlon at Tokyo 2020, making this territory of about 60,000 people the least populous country or territory to win Summer Olympic gold.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Bermuda — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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