The archipelago of Bermuda, officially a British Overseas Territory, is situated in the vast expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean. Its geographical position is notably isolated, with the closest point of mainland being Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, located approximately 1,050 kilometers to the west-northwest. This places the territory at a latitude of about 32 degrees north, which is roughly parallel to the coastline of the southeastern United States. Its location is often mistakenly associated with the Caribbean, but Bermuda is neither geologically nor spatially part of the West Indies, lying more than 1,300 kilometers to the north of those islands. The islands form a distinctive fishhook shape, stretching about 40 kilometers in length but averaging less than 1.6 kilometers in width, with the main islands connected by a series of bridges and causeways.

The discovery of Bermuda is credited to the Spanish navigator Juan de Bermúdez, who first sighted the islands around 1503 or 1505. He sailed near them on a voyage to Hispaniola, but he did not attempt a landing. The islands were subsequently named in his honor, appearing on Spanish charts as early as 1511. Despite this early European knowledge, no settlement was established for over a century. The islands were shunned due to daunting tales of spirits and devils, which were likely the calls of the native cahow birds and the howling of the wind through the rocky cliffs, leading sailors to refer to it as the "Isle of Devils".

Bermuda’s first permanent inhabitants arrived quite by accident in 1609. The English flagship, the Sea Venture, part of a fleet bound for the struggling Jamestown colony in Virginia, was wrecked on Bermuda's reefs during a hurricane. The 150-odd survivors, led by Admiral Sir George Somers, were stranded on the island for ten months. During this time, they built two new ships from the island's native cedar trees, completing their journey to Jamestown the following year. This event is so central to Bermuda's identity that it is depicted on the national coat of arms, and the islands were briefly known as the Somers Isles.