History

Main article: History of the Netherlands Antilles

Both the leeward (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)

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Politics

Main article: Politics of the Netherlands Antilles

The head of state is the ruling monarch of the Netherlands, who is represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. The governor is also head of the local government, and forms, together with the council of ministers, the executive branch of the government.

The legislative branch is two-layered. Delegates of the islands are represented in the government of the Netherlands Antilles, but each island has its own government that takes care of the daily tasks on the island.

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Future status

Image:Queen Beatrix.PNG In 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]

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Islands

Main article: 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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Geography

Main article: Geography of the Netherlands Antilles

Image:Nt-map.png

The windward islands are all of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving little ground suitable for agriculture. The leeward islands have a mixed volcanic and coral origin. The highest point is Mount Scenery, 862 m, on Saba (also the highest point in all the Netherlands).

The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical climate, with warm weather all year round. The windward Islands are subject to hurricanes in the summer months.

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Economy

Main article: Economy of the Netherlands Antilles

Tourism, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement (on Curaçao), as well as offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are 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 hamper the development of agriculture. The Antillean guilder has a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of 1.79:1.

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Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Netherlands Antilles

A large part of the Netherlands Antilleans descends from European colonists and African slaves that were brought and traded here from the 17th to 19th century. The rest of the population originates from other Caribbean islands, Latin America, Asia and in general from all over the world. Although the official language is Dutch, Papiamento is predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire (as well as the neighboring Dutch island of Aruba). This creole language is formed from elements of Dutch, Spanish, English and Portuguese. English is the chief language of the northern islands (St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius). Spanish is becoming the second language after English in the northern islands, mostly in St. Maarten.

The majority of the population are followers of the Christian faith, mostly Roman Catholic. Curaçao also hosts a sizeable group of Jews, descendants of a Portuguese group of Sephardic Jews that arrived from Amsterdam and Brazil in 1654.

A large group of young and/or highly educated Antilleans have emigrated to the Netherlands over the past decades, which leaves the islands with substantial social and economic problems. On the other hand, immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia have increased their presence in the last years.

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Culture

The origins of the population and location of the islands give the Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture. Dutch influence can still be seen, even though not much of the population is of Dutch origin.

Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the United States has increased the regional United States influence.

The holiday of Carnival is, like in many Caribbean and Latin American countries, an important one.

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Miscellaneous topics

Both the land area and population of the Netherlands Antilles are just more than half that of Zeeland, a mainland province. Unlike the metropolitan Netherlands, same-sex marriages cannot be performed here, but those performed in other jurisdictions are recognized. Also unlike the mainland, prostitution and marijuana are also illegal.

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External links

GOV.an - Main governmental site
Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles
map
Antillenhuis - Cabinet of the Netherlands Antilles' Plenipotentiary Minister in the Netherlands
CIA World Factbook: Netherlands Antilles

Countries in the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda \| Bahamas \| Barbados \| Cuba \| Dominica \| Dominican Republic \| Grenada \| Haiti \| Jamaica \| Saint Kitts and Nevis \| Saint Lucia \| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines \| Trinidad and Tobago
Dependencies: Anguilla \| Aruba \| British Virgin Islands \| Cayman Islands \| Guadeloupe \| Martinique \| Montserrat \| Navassa Island \| Netherlands Antilles \| Puerto Rico \| Turks and Caicos Islands \| U.S. Virgin Islands

Caribbean Community (CARICOM)	Image:Caricom-Flag.png
Antigua and Barbuda \| Bahamas¹ \| Barbados \| Belize \| Dominica \| Grenada \| Guyana \| Haiti \| Jamaica \| Montserrat \| Saint Kitts and Nevis \| Saint Lucia \| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines \| Suriname \| Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members: Anguilla \| Bermuda \| Cayman Islands \| British Virgin Islands \| Turks and Caicos Islands
Observer status: Aruba \| Colombia \| Dominican Republic \| Mexico \| Netherlands Antilles \| Puerto Rico \| Venezuela
¹ member of the community but not the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy.	edit

Dutch colonial empire
Former colonies
Africa: Arguin Island \| Cape Colony \| the fort & factory Lydsaamheid in Maputo Bay \| Dutch Gold Coast \| Gorée \| Mauritius \| The Americas: Berbice \| New Holland (in Brazil) (part) \| Dutch Guiana \| Demerara \| Essequibo \| New Netherland (New Amsterdam, New Sweden) \| Tobago \| Virgin Islands (part) Dutch colonization of the Americas Asia: Ceylon \| Dutch India ( Dutch Bengal - Coromandel Coast - Malabar Coast) \| Deshima island in Japan \| Dutch East Indies \| Malacca \| Taiwan \| Arctic & Oceania: Netherlands New Guinea (Indonesian Irian Jaya) \| New Zealand (part) \| Smeerenburg on Amsterdam island
See also: Dutch East India Company \| Dutch West India Company\|
Present colonies (only Caribbean)
Kingdom of the Netherlands: Netherlands Antilles \| Aruba