Castle Island, Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Castle Island is part of the chain which makes up Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

. It is located in St. George's Parish
St. George's Parish, Bermuda
St. George's Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after the founder of the Bermuda colony, Admiral Sir George Somers.It is located in the north-easternmost part of the island chain, containing a small part of the main island around Tucker's Town and the Tucker's Town...

, in the northeast of the territory.

The 3.5 acre (1.4 hectare) island is situated close to the entrance to Castle Harbour, to the north of the Tucker's Town Peninsula
Tucker's Town Peninsula, Bermuda
Tucker's Town Peninsula is a two-mile long peninsula which extends from the northeastern tip of the main island of Bermuda. It is in St...

.

Originally called King's Island, it is of historical significance. The King's Castle stone fortification on the island - which gives the harbour its name - dates to 1612, and is the oldest standing English fortification in the New World and oldest stone building still in existence in Bermuda. The castle was the site of the successful defence of Bermuda from Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 attack in 1614.

Several other fortifications from the same period are located on this, and nearby islands. This string of small islands, across the south of Castle Harbour, are known collectively as the Castle Islands. These forts, together with St. George's Town
St. George's, Bermuda
St. George's , located on the island and within the parish of the same names, was the first permanent settlement on the islands of Bermuda, and is often described as the third successful English settlement in the Americas, after St. John's, Newfoundland, and Jamestown, Virginia. However, St...

, and other forts in the parish, are part of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

"Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications"http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/983.
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