Palm, casuarina, and swamp mangrove are among the common trees. Hibiscus, oleander, poinsettia, and many other flowering plants and trees bloom lavishly. Acres of Easter lilies are cultivated for export and for making perfumes. About 200 species of birds have been noted, but most of these are migratory birds blown off their regular routes. The waters teem with fishes. Many are remarkable for their striking colors and markings.

Bermuda is believed to rest on the peaks of a volcanic mountain rising steeply from the ocean bottom to about 200 feet (60 meters) below the surface.

Above this level the islands consist mainly of limestone formed by seashells and corals. Along the shore rise huge rocks, sculptured by wind and water into fantastic pinnacles, pillars, and grottoes. The reefs surrounding the islands are built up by corals the northernmost point on Earth at which this type of growth occurs.

Coral stone gives Bermuda excellent road and building material. The white, smooth roads are simply the stone laid bare by stripping away surface soil or small hills. The stone is so soft that it is cut with handsaws, but it hardens with exposure to air. Even the roofs of the houses are built of stone, for they are used to catch rainwater, the chief water supply.

In an average year about 600,000 tourists, largely from the United States and Canada, visit the main islands. The money they spend gives the colony about 40 percent of its total income. International insurance and investment companies also contribute significantly to the economy through their foreign exchange earnings. Vegetables are exported for winter sale, but housing and industrial construction has reduced farm acreage. Pharmaceuticals and extracted scents for perfumes are major exports. Industry is confined to boat building, ship repairing, and furniture making. There is a little commercial fishing. Meat, flour, and most other foods are imported.

Early in World War II Bermuda became important as an outpost commanding Atlantic sea-lanes. In 1940 United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Great Britain 50 overage destroyers in exchange for advanced bases. In 1941 the United States took over, on a 99-year lease, 526 acres (213 hectares) for a base on the Great Sound at the western end of the islands.

One of the special charms of Bermuda before World War II was the absence of motor traffic. Automobiles were banned, and everyone traveled by bicycle, horse-drawn carriage, or boat, or on the motor-powered railway. In 1946 the ban on private cars, buses, taxicabs, and motorcycles was lifted, though cars are restricted to one per family, and car rentals are not allowed.

On Sept. 25, 1987, Bermuda was hit by the worst hurricane in many years. Hurricane Emily caused an estimated 35 million dollars in damage.