Bermuda is an archipelago consisting of 181 islands, although the most significant islands are connected by bridges and appear to form one landmass. It has a land area of 54 sq km and a sub-tropical climate, with mild winters and warm summers but prone to severe weather. Historically known as Las Islas Bermudas, it is a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land is the American state of North Carolina, about 1,035 km west-northwest.