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The colony's economic mainstays are international financial services, especially insurance, and tourism. Fine beaches, an excellent climate, and picturesque sites, have made Bermuda a fashionable and popular year-round resort. Semitropical produce, sales of fuel to aircraft and ships, and pharmaceuticals are among Bermuda's exports, though all are relatively minor in the overall economic picture. The British monarch, represented by a governor, is titular head of state. Bermuda is led by a prime minister and has a bicameral parliament with an appointed senate and an elected 40-member house of assembly.
Over 60% of Bermuda's inhabitants are of African ancestry, descended from slaves brought to the islands during the 18th cent.; there is also a sizable population of British descent. English is spoken. The main religions are the Anglican, Roman Catholic, and African Methodist Episcopal churches.
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