Tony Thompson Jr., age 11, of Lynn, Mass., for his question:

WHO DISCOVERED BERMUDA?

Bermuda is a group of coral islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about 670 miles east of New York City. Now a British dependency, the Bermuda Islands were named for Juan de Bermudez, a Spaniard who discovered them early in the 1500s.

For almost 100 years after the visit from de Bermudez, the Bermuda Islands remained without permanent residents.

Then in 1609, a ship named the Sea Venture was headed from England to Virginia with a group of colonists. Captain of the craft was Admiral Sir George Somers. The ship was destroyed by a severe storm near the islands but most of the passengers and crew made it safely to land.

The colonists stayed for awhile and called the colony Somers Island after the captain, and also named the town of Saint George in his honor, too.

The reef on which the ship crashed still bears the name of Sea Venture. Bermudians celebrate Somers Day every July 28.

In 1610, all but two of the Sea Venture passengers sailed on to Virginia. The two remaining men became the island's first permanent white settlers.

King James I of England awarded Bermuda to the Virginia Company later in 1610. But then in 1613, the company sold its rights to a group of British merchants.

In 1684, the British Crown took over the administration of the islands. Saint George served as the capital until the seat of government was moved to Hamilton in 1815.

Bermuda carried on a thriving merchant trade with the West Indies and the North American continent during the 1800s.

During the Civil War, some Bermudians became very rich by turning to piracy. Blockade running for the Confederacy also became profitable.

During World War I, the United States built a naval base in Bermuda. Then during World War II additional naval bases as well as air stations were built on the islands.

Bermuda consists of more than 300 islands, but only 20 of them are inhabited. The islands form the most northerly group of coral islands in the world. Bridges now link the largest of the islands.

Bermuda totals only 21 square miles and is about 22 miles long. The largest island, called Bermuda, occupies about two thirds of the total area.

Bermuda has few sources of fresh water. Rain water is caught on the roofs of buildings and stored in tanks under the buildings. Some water tanks are outside. The government supplies small fish for outside tanks to keep them free from mosquito larvae.

Almost all buildings on the islands are made of limestone. Roofs are kept very clean and whitewashed to help keep the water supply pure.

There's an annual rainfall of about 60 inches. Average yearly temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Hurricanes often strike in the fall.