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Bonaire
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Bonaire is an island in the Netherlands
Antilles, and as such, is a part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Together with Aruba
and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the
ABC islands. While English, Papiamento and
Spanish are commonly spoken, the official
language is Dutch.
Bonaire has a land area of 288 km² (111 sq.
miles). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census,
the population was 10,791 inhabitants, which
means a population density of 37 inh. per km².
In 2004 the population was estimated at 10,185
inhabitants. Bonaire is served by Flamingo
International Airport.
The structure of the relationship between
Bonaire and the Kingdom is being considered for
change under proposed legislation.
Diving and Other Natural Features
Bonaire is one of the best places in the world
for shore diving.Bonaire is world renowned for
its excellent scuba diving and snorkeling
consistently rated among the top shore diving
and Caribbean diving locations in the world. The
island is ringed by a coral reef that is easily
accessible from the shore along the Western and
Southern sides. Furthermore, the entire
coastline of the island has been declared a
marine sanctuary, preserving local fish life. It
is also famed for its flamingo populations and
its donkey sanctuary.
Washington Slagbaai National Park, located at
the north side of the island, is an ecological
preserve. The highest point of Bonaire,
Brandaris, located within this preserve has a
complete view of the island.
Lac Bay on the eastern side of the island is a
windsurfer's paradise. Locals Taty and Tonky
Frans in 2004 were ranked in the top five of the
world's freestyle windsurfing professionals.
Klein Bonaire is a small, uninhabited island off
the west coast of the main island, within the
rough crescent formed by the main island.
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The Netherlands Antilles (Dutch:
Nederlandse Antillen), previously known as the
Netherlands West Indies, are part of the Lesser
Antilles and consist of two groups of islands in
the Caribbean Sea that form an autonomous part
of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (none of the
other Antilles use this term in their name). The
islands' economy is dependent mostly upon
tourism and petroleum.
History
Main articles: History of the Netherlands
Antilles,
Both the lewards(Alonso de Ojeda, 1499) and
Windward (Christopher Columbus, 1493) island
groups were discovered and initially settled by
the Spanish. In the 17th century, the islands
were conquered by the Dutch West India Company
and were used as bases for slave trade. Only in
1863 was slavery abolished.
In 1954, the islands were promoted from colony
to a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The
island of Aruba was part of the Netherlands
Antilles until 1986, when it was granted a
"status apart", and became a separate part of
the kingdom. Some of the other islands have
indicated that they wish to obtain the same
status, but no agreements on this have yet been
reached. Other options sometimes considered are
independence or together becoming a province of
the Netherlands. (see: Dutch colonial empire)
Future status
Beatrix
Queen of the NetherlandsIn 2004 a commission of
the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and
the Netherlands reported on a future status for
the Netherlands Antilles. The commission advised
to revise the Statute of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands
Antilles. Two new countries inside the Kingdom
of the Netherlands would be formed, Curaçao and
Sint Maarten. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius
would become directly part of the Netherlands as
Kingdom Islands. On November 28, 2005, an
agreement was signed between the Dutch
government and the governments of each island
that would put into effect the commission's
findings by July 2007. [1]
Islands
Main articles: Islands of the Netherlands
Antilles,
The Netherland Antilles have no major
administrative divisions, although each island
has its own local government.
The two island groups of which the Netherlands
Antilles consists are:
the "Leeward Islands" (Benedenwindse Eilanden)
off the Venezuelan coast (with also Aruba
nearby):
Bonaire, including an islet called Klein Bonaire
("Little Bonaire")
Curaçao, including an islet called Klein Curaçao
("Little Curaçao")
the "Windward Islands" (Bovenwindse Eilanden)
east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
These are part of what are in English called the
Leeward Islands, but in e.g. French, Spanish,
German, Dutch and the English spoken locally
these are considered part of the Windward
Islands.
Saba
Sint Eustatius
Sint Maarten, the southern half of the island
Saint Martin (the northern half, Saint-Martin,
is French and part of the overseas department of
Guadeloupe). |
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Background:
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Once
the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island
of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery
in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring
Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with
the construction of oil refineries to service the
newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island
of Saint Martin is shared with France; its northern
portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of
Guadeloupe, and its southern portion is named Sint
Maarten and is part of the Bonaire.
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 960 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint
Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the
island of Saint Martin)
water: 0 sq km
land: 960 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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more
than five times the size of Washington, DC |
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Climate:
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tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds |
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Terrain:
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generally hilly, volcanic interiors |
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Ethnic groups:
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mixed
black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
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Languages:
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Dutch
(official), Papiamento (a
Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect)
predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish |
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Currency:
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Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) |
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Currency code:
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ANG
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Exchange rates:
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Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.790
(fixed rate since 1989) |
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Internet country code:
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.an
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