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54-532: In 1999, the underwater park received the status of national park from the Netherlands Antilles . The uninhabited island Klein Bonaire was added to the underwater park as a legally protected nature reserve in 2001. The west side of Bonaire teems with diving sites that are easily accessible from the shore. The dive sites around Klein Bonaire are accessible by boat for divers. With the exception of

108-465: A Portuguese group of Sephardic Jews that arrived from Amsterdam and Brazil from 1654. In 1982, there was a population of about 2,000 Muslims , with an Islamic association and a mosque in the capital. Most Netherlands Antilleans were Dutch citizens and this status permitted and encouraged the young and university-educated to emigrate to the Netherlands. This exodus was considered to be to

162-477: A colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1865 a government regulation for Curaçao was enacted that allowed for some very limited autonomy for the colony. Although this regulation was replaced by a constitution ( Dutch : Staatsregeling ) in 1936, the changes to the government structure remained superficial and Curaçao continued to be ruled as a colony. The Dutch abolition of slavery in 1863 would hit most of

216-618: A fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of 1.79:1. A large percentage of the Netherlands Antilleans descended from European colonists and African slaves who were brought and traded there from the 17th to 19th centuries. The rest of the population originated from other Caribbean islands as well as Latin America, East Asia and elsewhere in the world. In Curaçao there was a strong Jewish element going back to

270-616: A new interim Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles was enacted in February 1951. Shortly afterwards, on 3 March 1951, the Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch : Eilandenregeling Nederlandse Antillen or ERNA ) was issued by royal decree , giving fairly wide autonomy to the various island territories in the Netherlands Antilles. A consolidated version of this regulation remained in force until

324-624: A non-existing entity since 2010, are allowed to field teams at the Chess Olympiad under this name, because the Curaçao Chess Federation remains officially registered as representing the dissolved country in the FIDE Directory. Unlike the metropolitan Netherlands, same-sex marriages were not performed in the Netherlands Antilles, but those performed in other jurisdictions were recognised. The main prison of

378-511: A northern group (part of Leeward Islands ) and a western group (part of the Leeward Antilles ). No part of the country was in the southern Windward Islands . This island subregion was located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, to the east of Puerto Rico . It consisted of three islands, collectively known as the " SSS islands ": The islands are located approximately 800–900 kilometers (430–490 nautical miles; 500–560 miles) northeast of

432-605: A single country – the Netherlands Antilles – in 1954, under the Dutch crown. The country was dissolved on 10 October 2010. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became distinct constituent countries alongside Aruba which had become a distinct constituent country in 1986; whereas Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (the BES islands ) became special municipalities within the Netherlands proper. From 1815 onwards Curaçao and Dependencies formed

486-615: A small area, the BNMP is completely open to divers with a total of 86 public dive sites. Due to an infiltration of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), scuba diving is currently prohibited at the dive sites located off the shores of Bonaire’s Washington Slagbaai National Park. SCTLD has also resulted in Klein Bonaire being closed to visitors in the afternoon. Signs posted at the island’s dive sites and dive shops instruct divers and snorkelers on how to sanitize their gear to help prevent

540-399: A vote in favour of retaining the Netherlands Antilles, the arrangement continued to be an unhappy one. Between June 2000 and April 2005, each island of the Netherlands Antilles had a new referendum on its future status. The four options that could be voted on were the following: Of the five islands, Sint Maarten and Curaçao voted for status aparte , Saba and Bonaire voted for closer ties with

594-417: A well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods were imported, with Venezuela , the United States, and Mexico being the major suppliers, as well as the Dutch government which supports the islands with substantial development aid . Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hampered the development of agriculture. The Antillean guilder had

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648-502: Is surrounded by fringing reefs . These consist of about 60 different coral species, including brain corals , elkhorn corals , fire corals and gorgonians . The reefs offer a variety of marine life. Some of the most common fish species are surgeonfish , parrotfish , reefperch and wrasses . In addition, countless invertebrates such as shrimp , crayfish and squid live here. Bonaire's coral reefs were seriously damaged in 1999 by hurricane Lenny . Furthermore, they are threatened by

702-582: The ABC islands . This island subregion was located in the southern Caribbean Sea off the north coast of Venezuela . There were three islands collectively known as the " ABC islands ": The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical trade-wind climate , with hot weather all year round. The Leeward islands are subject to hurricanes in the summer months, while those islands located in the Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier. Spanish explorers discovered both

756-687: The Dutch Antilles , was a constituent Caribbean country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of the islands of Saba , Sint Eustatius , and Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles , and Aruba , Curaçao , and Bonaire in the Leeward Antilles . The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies , and it was dissolved in 2010, when like Aruba in 1986, Sint Maarten and Curaçao gained status of constituent countries within

810-482: The European Union , but instead listed as overseas countries and territories (OCTs). This status was kept for all the islands after dissolution, and will be kept until at least 2015. Tourism, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement (on Curaçao), as well as offshore finance were the mainstays of this small economy, which was closely tied to the outside world. The islands enjoyed a high per capita income and

864-593: The Kingdom act amending the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands with regard to the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles was signed by the three countries in the closing Round Table Conference on 9 September 2010 in The Hague . The Island Regulation had divided the Netherlands Antilles into four island territories : Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao ( ABC ), and the islands in the Leeward Islands. In 1983,

918-483: The Kingdom of the Netherlands , and Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Bonaire gained status of special municipality of Netherlands as the Caribbean Netherlands . The neighboring Dutch colony of Surinam in continental South America , did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954. All the territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of

972-492: The Netherlands alone: Bonaire , Sint Eustatius , and Saba . Collectively, these special municipalities of the Netherlands are also known as the BES islands . The Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles was proclaimed on 29 March 1955 by Order-in-Council for the Kingdom. Together with the Islands Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles it formed the constitutional basis for the Netherlands Antilles. Because

1026-628: The SSS islands , and increased tourism from Venezuela in the ABC islands , Spanish had also become increasingly used. The majority of the population were followers of the Christian faith, with a Protestant majority in Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten, and a Roman Catholic majority in Bonaire, Curaçao and Saba. Curaçao also hosted a sizeable group of followers of the Jewish religion, descendants of

1080-413: The effects of pollutants and the warming of the sea . In the lagoon of Lac Bay is the only significant concentration of mangroves on Bonaire. Here grow red , black and white mangrove as well as button mangrove . The 700-acre lagoon has been a Ramsar site since the 1980s, offering habitat to green sea turtle and other endangered species, such as queen conch ( Strombus gigas ). Already in 1939,

1134-729: The leeward ( Alonso de Ojeda , 1499) and windward ( Christopher Columbus , 1493) island groups in the late 16th century. However, the Spanish Crown only founded settlements in the Leeward Islands. In the 17th century the islands were conquered by the Dutch West India Company and colonized by The Netherlands. From the last quarter of the 17th century, the group consisted of six Dutch islands: Curaçao (settled in 1634), Aruba (settled in 1636), Bonaire (settled in 1636), Sint Eustatius (settled in 1636), Saba (settled in 1640) and Sint Maarten (settled in 1648). In

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1188-418: The 17th century slave trade. The language Papiamentu was predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire (as well as the neighboring island of Aruba). This creole descended from Portuguese and West African languages with a strong admixture of Dutch, plus subsequent lexical contributions from Spanish and English. An English-based creole dialect, formally known as Netherlands Antilles Creole , was the native dialect of

1242-611: The Bonaire National Marine Park is that it runs entirely on its own income (without subsidies ). The income comes from an entrance fee for divers. Other users, such as swimmers, surfers, kite boarders, kayakers and water sports enthusiasts, pay a lower entrance fee. This also gives access to the Washington Slagbaai National Park . In addition to nature protection, the BNMP provides information about responsible diving to tourists and

1296-609: The Boston Red Sox, in 2013 and 2018. Andruw Jones played for the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series hitting two home runs in his first game against the New York Yankees. Three athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics . They, alongside one athlete from South Sudan , competed under the banner of Independent Olympic Athletes . The Netherlands Antilles, though

1350-538: The Constitution depended on the Islands Regulation, which gave fairly large autonomy to the different island territories, and the Islands Regulation was older than the Constitution, many scholars describe the Netherlands Antilles as a federal arrangement. The head of state was the monarch of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who was represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. The governor and

1404-413: The Dutch government – led to increasing demands for autonomy within the population as well. In May 1948 a new constitution for the territory entered into force, allowing the largest amount of autonomy possible under the Dutch constitution of 1922. Among other things, universal suffrage was introduced. The territory was also renamed "Netherlands Antilles". After the Dutch constitution was revised in 1948,

1458-636: The Indian Ocean and into the western Pacific Ocean as far as New Zealand Laguncularia racemosa , occurring on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and along the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean [REDACTED] Index of plants with the same common name This page is an index of articles on plant species (or higher taxonomic groups) with the same common name ( vernacular name). If an internal link led you here, you may wish to edit

1512-555: The Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba , Curaçao , and Sint Maarten . (The Netherlands is the fourth constituent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.) Sint Maarten covers approximately 40% of the island of Saint Martin ; the remaining northern part of the island – the Collectivity of Saint Martin – is an overseas territory of France . There are three Caribbean islands that are special municipalities of

1566-493: The Netherlands Antilles was Koraal Specht , later known as Bon Futuro. It was known for ill treatment of prisoners and bad conditions throughout the years. The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez claimed that the Netherlands was helping the United States to invade Venezuela due to military games in 2006. White mangrove White mangrove may refer to several species of plants, including: Avicennia marina , occurring around

1620-447: The Netherlands reached an agreement with Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba: this agreement would make these islands special municipalities. On 3 November 2006, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were granted autonomy in an agreement, but this agreement was rejected by the then island council of Curaçao on 28 November. The Curaçao government was not sufficiently convinced that the agreement would provide enough autonomy for Curaçao. On 9 July 2007

1674-532: The Netherlands, and Sint Eustatius voted to stay within the Netherlands Antilles. On 26 November 2005, a Round Table Conference (RTC) was held between the governments of the Netherlands, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and each island in the Netherlands Antilles. The final statement to emerge from the RTC stated that autonomy for Curaçao and Sint Maarten, plus a new status for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (BES) would come into effect by 1 July 2007. On 12 October 2006,

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1728-459: The Netherlands. The islands of the former country of the Netherlands Antilles are currently divided in two main groups for political and constitutional purposes: There are also several smaller islands, like Klein Curaçao and Klein Bonaire , that belong to one of the island countries or special municipalities. There are three Caribbean islands that are countries ( Dutch : landen ) within

1782-537: The United Nations deemed decolonization of the territory complete and removed the Netherlands Antilles from the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories . Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles on 1 January 1986 after a 30 year-long political battle for separation, paving the way for a series of referendums among the remaining islands on the future of the Netherlands Antilles. Whereas

1836-766: The burning of a straw King Momo , cleansing the island of sins and bad luck. Netherlands Lesser Antilles competed in the Winter Olympics of 1988, notably finishing 29th in the bobsled, ahead of Jamaica who famously competed but finished 30th. Baseball is by far the most popular sport. Several players have made it to the Major Leagues, such as Xander Bogaerts , Andrelton Simmons , Hensley Meulens , Randall Simon , Andruw Jones , Kenley Jansen , Jair Jurrjens , Roger Bernadina , Sidney Ponson , Didi Gregorius , Shairon Martis , Wladimir Balentien , and Yurendell DeCaster . Xander Bogaerts won two World Series with

1890-553: The council of ministers, chaired by a prime minister, formed the government. The Netherlands Antilles had a unicameral legislature called the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles . Its 22 members were fixed in number for the islands making up the Netherlands Antilles: fourteen for Curaçao, three each for Sint Maarten and Bonaire, and one each for Saba and Sint Eustatius. The Netherlands Antilles were not part of

1944-417: The dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010. The new constitution was only deemed an interim arrangement, as negotiations for a Charter for the Kingdom were already under way. On 15 December 1954 the Netherlands Antilles, Suriname and the Netherlands acceded as equal partners to an overarching Kingdom of the Netherlands, established by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With this move,

1998-544: The economies of the Dutch Caribbean islands hard as they were primarily slave labor-driven, plantation-based economies (the King of the Netherlands officially apologising for its part in the trade at a formal ceremony in 2023). With the exception of Aruba, where slavery was not as widespread as the island was considered too dry by the Dutch for large-scale plantations. Economic prosperity on Curaçao and neighboring Aruba

2052-603: The economy of the island never recovered. However, with the discovery of oil in Venezuela in the nineteenth century, the Anglo-Dutch Shell Oil Company established refineries in Curaçao, while the U.S. processed Venezuelan crude oil in Aruba. This resulted in booming economies on the two islands, which turned to bust in the 1980s when the oil refineries were closed. The various islands were united as

2106-625: The famous diving pioneer Hans Hass visited Bonaire and reported in his books on the rich underwater world. Bonaire National Marine Park known as one of the hotspots for divers in the Caribbean and as one of the world's best places for snorkeling. For example, Forbes magazine ranked BNMP among the top 10 must-dive destinations in the world in 2017. In the Bonaire Marine Park, Dixon et al. (1994) found that most divers seldom venture further than 300 m in one direction and that there

2160-530: The inhabitants of Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten. After a decades-long debate, English and Papiamentu were made official languages alongside Dutch in early March 2007. Legislation was produced in Dutch, but parliamentary debate was in Papiamentu or English, depending on the island. Due to a massive influx of immigrants from Spanish-speaking territories such as the Dominican Republic in

2214-503: The island territory of the Leeward was split up to form the new island territories of Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius ( SSS ). In 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles, reducing the number of island territories to five. After the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, Curaçao and Sint Maarten became autonomous countries within the Kingdom and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba ( BES ) became special municipalities of

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2268-481: The islands' detriment, as it created a brain drain . On the other hand, immigrants from the Dominican Republic , Haiti , the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia had increased their presence on these islands in later years. The origins of the population and location of the islands gave the Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture. Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the United States increased

2322-501: The kingdom today, although the legal status of each differs. As a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean , regardless of their legal status. People from this former territory continue to be called Antilleans ( Antillianen ) in the Netherlands. The islands of the Netherlands Antilles are all part of the Lesser Antilles island chain. Within this group, the country was spread over two smaller island groups :

2376-587: The lagoon Lac . Part of the park is also the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire . The national park also contains several important wetlands, which are particularly protected under the Ramsar Convention . In general Bonaire reef ecosystem has fewer macroalgae , a higher coral cover and more young corals per square metre than comparable reefs on UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger such as Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System . The flora and fauna of

2430-593: The maintenance of moorings (buoys) for boats with divers. The management is in the hands of the Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA) which also manages the Washington Slagbaai National Park. Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch : Nederlandse Antillen , pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑntsə ʔɑnˈtɪlə(n)] ; Papiamento : Antia Hulandes ), also known as

2484-479: The new island council of Curaçao approved the agreement previously rejected in November 2006. A subsequent referendum approved the agreement as well. The acts of parliament integrating the "BES" islands ( B onaire, Sint E ustatius and S aba) into the Netherlands were given royal assent on 17 May 2010. After ratification by the Netherlands (6 July), the Netherlands Antilles (20 August), and Aruba (4 September),

2538-463: The open water off the coast of Bonaire are not well researched. The water, as typical of the region, is quite warm and contains few natural nutrients, but large quantities of phytoplankton live in this area. Large fish occasionally observed in this area include tuna , wahoo , marlin and swordfish . Also whale sharks have already been spotted in the waters. At the bottom of the Bonaire National Marine Park are extensive seagrass beds, which are of

2592-760: The past, Anguilla (1631–1650), the present-day British Virgin Islands (1612–1672), St. Croix and Tobago had also been Dutch. During the American Revolution Sint Eustatius, along with Curaçao, was a major trade center in the Caribbean, with Sint Eustatius a major source of supplies for the Thirteen Colonies . It had been called "the Golden Rock" because of the number of wealthy merchants and volume of trade there. The British sacked its only town, Oranjestad, in 1781 and

2646-517: The regional United States influence. On all the islands, the holiday of Carnival had become an important event after its importation from other Caribbean and Latin American countries in the 1960s. Festivities included "jump-up" parades with beautifully colored costumes, floats, and live bands as well as beauty contests and other competitions. Carnival on the islands also included a middle-of-the-night j'ouvert (juvé) parade that ended at sunrise with

2700-526: The ruling parties campaigned for the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the people voted for a restructuring of the Netherlands Antilles. The coalition campaigning for this option became the Party for the Restructured Antilles , which ruled the Netherlands Antilles for much of the time until its dissolution on 10 October 2010. Even though the referendums held in the early 1990s resulted in

2754-495: The seagrass species Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme and green algae , dominantly of the genus Halimeda . In the seagrass beds, one can find a nursery for reef fish and a foraging ground for endangered queen conch and green turtles as well. They are important for the egg-laying and rearing of the young for many species of fish. In addition, large populations of marine snails , such as beautiful flamingo tongue snails ( Cyphoma gibbosum ), live here. Bonaire

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2808-481: The spread of SCTLD, with most dive shops offering sanitizing rinse bins. Snorkelers heading to Washington Slagbaai Park are required to stop at the ranger-run sanitizing stations just inside the park. Dive sites can close without warning, so check with your dive shop or STINAPA prior to heading out to dive. The national park covers the waters around Bonaire from the high water mark to a depth of 60 meters. Also some coastal stretches with mangrove forests , for example in

2862-416: Was a decreasing physical impact on reef communities with increasing distance from a mooring buoy. Analyzing coral cover, they estimate that the diver carrying capacity threshold for the Bonaire Marine Park is between 4000 and 6000 dives per site per year. In addition, various activities such as kitesurfing , sailing and windsurfing are offered in the area of the Bonaire National Marine Park. Unique to

2916-528: Was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. Colonial rule ended after the conclusion of the Second World War . Queen Wilhelmina had promised in a 1942 speech to offer autonomy to the overseas territories of the Netherlands. During the war, the British and American occupation of the islands – with the consent of

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