Hamilton, city, central Bermuda, capital of the British dependency, on Bermuda Island. It is the chief port, on Hamilton Harbour at the eastern end of the Great Sound (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). Tourism is the chief industry. Points of interest include the harbor, made a free port in 1956; Sessions House, containing government offices; and the fortification of old Fort Hamilton. The community was founded in 1790 and replaced Saint George as the colonial capital in 1815. Population (1990 estimate) 1,000.