Kralendijk ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkraːlə(n)dɛik] ) is the capital and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands . The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu , but Dutch and English are widely used. As of 2017, the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or "beach".
28-514: Off the coast of Kralendijk lies the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire , noted for diving and snorkeling activities. This small island can be reached by water taxi , or, for divers, by practically all of the local dive operators. Kralendijk is an alteration of the Dutch word Koralendijk , which means "coral dike." Fort Oranje was built in 1639 to defend Bonaire's main harbor. The fort
56-687: A bronze 1-cent coin was introduced in 1942, followed by a cupro-nickel 5-cent coin in 1943. Bronze 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 cent and silver 1 and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 guilders were introduced in 1944. The coinage of 1941–44 was minted in the United States and carried "P" or "D" mintmarks , and for most denominations a small palm tree . This money was also intended for use in Suriname . The alternate Dutch names for some of these coins are: 5 cent— stuiver ; 10 cent— dubbeltje ; 25 cent— kwartje ; and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 guilders— rijksdaalder . From 1952,
84-766: A marine preserve, the last unsuccessful attempt being in 1995. Concerned locals rallied to save Klein Bonaire and raise funds to do so and The Foundation for the Preservation of Klein Bonaire (FPKB) was born. Through efforts of the FPKB and other concerned parties, and with monies from the Department of the Interior and Kingdom Affairs of the Netherlands, the World Nature Fund of the Netherlands and FPKB,
112-486: A month as happened during 1970/1971, 1988/1989, 1999/2000, 2010/2011 and 2022/2023. Kralendijk is served by Flamingo International Airport and a cruise ship terminal. Taxis are available in town and at the airport. There is no public bus service, but collective taxis run between Kralendijk and Rincon. Car rentals are available at the airport. Bicycle and scooter rentals are available in town. Water taxi service goes to Klein Bonaire and several resort areas departing from
140-508: Is a small uninhabited islet off the west coast of the Caribbean island of Bonaire , and is part of the Dutch special municipality of Bonaire. The Klein Bonaire islet, which sits within the rough crescent formed by the main island, is 6 square kilometres (1,483 acres) and extremely flat, rising no more than two meters above the sea. The only structures on the island are some ruins of slave huts (small, single-room structures dating to
168-471: Is now the Divi Bonaire. The town of Kralendijk is a result of the merger of five villages: Antriol (Entrejol), Nikiboko, Noord Saliña, Playa, and Tera Kora. The Tourism Corporation Bonaire has a "Historical Walking Tour" brochure that lists 25 historical sites in the downtown area: The "Public Beach", also known as Windsock, is located 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) south of downtown at the west end of
196-489: The Curaçaosche Bank introduced notes in denominations of 25 and 50 cents, 1 and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 guilders. This was the only issue of the cent denominations. Notes for 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 guilders followed in 1900. The 1 and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 guilder notes were suspended after 1920 but reintroduced by the government in 1942 as muntbiljet . From 1954, the name "Nederlandse Antillen" appeared on
224-542: The Netherlands Antilles along with Bonaire , Saba , and Sint Eustatius . It is subdivided into 100 cents (Dutch plural: centen ). The guilder was replaced on 1 January 2011 on the islands of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius by the United States dollar . In Curaçao and Sint Maarten, a new currency, the Caribbean guilder , was proposed, but has been stalled indefinitely by negotiations over
252-539: The Netherlands Antillean guilder ceased to be legal tender in those territories. Curaçao and Sint Maarten intended to replace their currency, ceasing production thereof, but as of December 2020 , these territories still use the Antillean guilder. Current banknotes and coins now require replacement, and only two years of Antilles guilder physical currency remaining for use. There has been talk that
280-628: The Netherlands Antilles, it was issued in the name of Curaçao , with the first banknotes and coins, denominated in the Dutch currency, introduced in 1892 and 1900, respectively. The name "Netherlands Antilles" ( Nederlandse Antillen ) was introduced in 1952. In 1940, following the German occupation of the Netherlands, the link to the Dutch currency was broken, with a peg to the U.S. dollar of 1.88585 guilders = 1 dollar established. The peg
308-737: The centre of Kralendijk. Previously Dutch Antilles Express , a now-defunct airline, had its head office in the Plasa Medardo SV Thielman in Kralendijk. In April 2007 the airline moved its head office from Bonaire to Curaçao , where the airline's flight operations had been based. The airline's call centre and its revenue accounting and handling departments remained in Bonaire. [REDACTED] Media related to Kralendijk at Wikimedia Commons Klein Bonaire Klein Bonaire ( Dutch for "Little Bonaire")
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#1732790621207336-498: The coast of South America. There is a short rainy season between October and January due to stronger northeasterly flow during the retreat of the monsoon; however it is erratic and heavily influenced by the Southern Oscillation , frequently failing completely during El Niño years. During La Niña years, however, rainfall may reach up to 1,000 millimetres (39 in) over a year and over 350 millimetres (14 in) in
364-499: The establishment of a separate central bank for Curaçao. In November 2020, the Central Bank announced the introduction of the replacement guilder, which was planned for implementation in the first half of 2021; however, release of the new currency was delayed several times. The new guilder's official launch at the end of March 2025 was eventually planned. In Papiamentu , the local language of Aruba , Bonaire and Curaçao ,
392-462: The guilder is called a "florin". The first two letters of the currency's ISO 4217 code, ANG, are the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code assigned to the Netherlands Antilles , and the third letter, G, comes from G ulden. NAFl, sometimes used as an abbreviation for the currency, is derived from N etherlands A ntilles Fl orin. In the 18th century, the Dutch guilder circulated in the Netherlands Antilles. This
420-596: The island was successfully purchased in 1999 for 9 million Netherlands Antillean guilder (US$ 5 million). Klein Bonaire is now part of the Bonaire National Marine Park. Long-term plans include reintroduction of the native vegetation. Klein Bonaire is permanently home to green ( Chelonia mydas ) and hawksbill sea turtles ( Eretmochelys imbricata ). During the nesting season it is also home to loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta ) and occasional flamingos . Montastraea annularis
448-648: The islands could opt for the euro or possibly the US dollar in lieu of implementing their own new currency. In November 2019, Curaçao Finance Minister Kenneth Gijsbertha confirmed the introduction of the Caribbean guilder, and the Central Bank announced the same a year later. By August 2021, it was reported that the new guilder was expected to launch in either 2023 or 2024. In September 2022, however, CBCS announced an introduction date of 2024. Then in July 2023, its release
476-451: The name "Nederlandse Antillen" appeared on the coins. In 1970, nickel replaced silver, although the 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -guilder coin was not reintroduced until 1978. Aluminium 1 and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 cents were introduced in 1979. In 1989, aluminium 1 and 5 cents, nickel-bonded-steel 10 and 25 cents, and aureate-steel 50 cents, 1 and 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 guilders were introduced. Aureate-steel 5-guilder coins followed in 1998. In 1892,
504-464: The reef, which is very close to the beach. When facing the water at the rocks the current runs from right to left. Netherlands Antillean guilder [REDACTED] Sint Maarten [REDACTED] Netherlands Antilles [REDACTED] Caribbean Netherlands The Netherlands Antillean guilder ( Dutch : gulden ; Papiamento : florin ) is the currency of Curaçao and Sint Maarten , which until 2010 formed
532-427: The region's period of slavery ), and a small open shelter on the beach facing Bonaire. The island has no running water or sanitation facilities. In 1868, Klein Bonaire was sold to Angel Jeserun and remained in private hands until 1999. During this period the native trees were removed, resulting in a scrub growth across the island. The development of Klein Bonaire was attempted a few times prior to its establishment as
560-647: The reverse of the notes of the Curaçaosche Bank and, from 1955, the muntbiljet ( 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 guilders only) was issued in the name of the Nederlandse Antillen. In 1962, the bank's name was changed to the Bank van de Nederlandse Antillen . Starting in 1969, notes dated 28 AUGUSTUS 1967 began to be introduced. The front of these notes all feature the Statuut monument at front left instead of
588-654: The runway of the Flamingo International Airport . Another public beach is at the site of the Bonaire Sunset Beach Hotel about two kilometres (1.2 miles) north of downtown. Kralendijk has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSh ) with uniformly hot, humid but dry weather due to the divergence between the trade winds and the North American Monsoon , along with a strong drying effect from winds parallel to
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#1732790621207616-411: The shore of Klein Bonaire is about 800 metres (0.50 miles) at the nearest point. This span is frequently traversed by private and commercial boats and can be done by kayak with some difficulty. The primary attraction for visitors is scuba diving and snorkeling the pristine coral reef surrounding the islet. Numbered yellow painted rocks near the open shelter show where divers can cross low points on
644-465: Was adjusted to 1.79 guilders = 1 dollar in 1971. In 1986, Aruba gained a status aparte and left the Netherlands Antilles. Shortly after that, Aruba began to issue its own currency, the Aruban florin , which replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder at par. In 2011, a year after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles , Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius switched to the United States dollar , and
672-409: Was extensively modified around the end of the seventeenth century. The English settlement of "Playa" was established adjacent to the fort in 1810. The town was named "Kralendijk" by the Dutch colonial rulers in 1830. On May 10, 1940, 461 Dutch and German citizens were transported to Bonaire and interned in a camp just south of the fort. After World War II , this camp was converted into a hotel, which
700-473: Was postponed to 2025 at the latest. Indeed, by June 2024, that guilder was planned to be introduced on 31 March 2025. After the introduction of the Caribbean guilder , the Netherlands Antillean guilder will remain legal tender until 30 June 2025. In 1794, silver coins were issued for use in the Dutch West Indies in denominations of 2 stuiver, 1 ⁄ 4 , 1, and 3 guilders. The Dutch guilder
728-461: Was reintroduced in 1828, and some 1 guilder coins were cut into quarters and stamped with a "C" in 1838 to produce 1 ⁄ 4 -guilder coins. In 1900 and 1901, silver 1 ⁄ 10 and 1 ⁄ 4 -guilder coins were introduced, which circulated alongside Dutch coins. Following the German occupation of the Netherlands and the separation of the Netherlands Antillean currency from the Dutch,
756-486: Was supplemented in 1794 by an issue of coins specific for the Dutch holdings in the West Indies. At this time, the guilder was subdivided into 20 stuiver . Between 1799 and 1828, the reaal circulated on the islands, with 1 reaal = 6 stuiver or 3 + 1 ⁄ 3 reaal = 1 guilder. The Dutch guilder was reintroduced in 1828, subdivided into 100 cents. When currency began again to be issued specifically for use in
784-419: Was the most common coral seen during a recent 2011 survey. Klein Bonaire has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of threatened or restricted-range bird species, including bare-eyed pigeons , least terns and Caribbean elaenias . It is also a breeding site for Wilson's and snowy plovers . The distance from the shore of Bonaire to
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