Netherlands Antilles
The
Netherlands Antilles (
Dutch:
Nederlandse Antillen), previously known as the
Netherlands West Indies or
Dutch Antilles/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.
See also Dutch colonial empire.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 as an
associated state within a
federacy. 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.
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.
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 a revision of the
Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands Antilles.
Two new
associated states within 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]
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).
 |
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 metres (2,828
ft), 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.
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.
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,
East Asia and elsewhere in the world.
Papiamento is predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire (as well as the neighboring 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.
Although the official language is
Dutch, the Netherlands Antillean government officially recognizes the usage of both
English and
Papiamentu. While legislature is produced in Dutch, parliamentary speeches or political discussion is in English or
Papiamentu, depending on the island.
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.
The origins of the population and location of the islands give the Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture. The Wikipedia articles on the specific islands have more information on culture.
Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the
United States has increased the regional United States influence. On all the islands, the holiday of
Carnival is, like in many
Caribbean and
Latin American countries, an important one.
See also: Music of Aruba and the Netherlands AntillesBoth 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.
*
Communications in the Netherlands Antilles*
Foreign relations of the Netherlands Antilles*
Military of the Netherlands Antilles*
Postage stamps and postal history of the Netherlands Antilles*
Transportation in the Netherlands Antilles*
Scouting Antiano*
Antillenhuis-- Cabinet of the minister plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles in the Hague
*
GOV.an - Main governmental site
*
Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles
*
map*
Antillenhuis - Cabinet of the Netherlands Antilles' Plenipotentiary Minister in the Netherlands
* [https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nt.html CIA World Factbook: Netherlands Antilles]
