Netherlands Antilles

Netherlands Antilles (in Dutch, De Nederlandse Antillen), integral part of the kingdom of the Netherlands, comprising two island groups in the Caribbean Sea—Curaçao and Bonaire, situated 25 to 65 km (15 to 40 mi) off the Venezuelan coast, north-east of the Gulf of Venezuela; and Saba, St Eustatius, and the southern half of the island of St Martin (Sint Maarten), which lie some 800 km (500 mi) to the north-east, near Puerto Rico; the remainder of St Martin is under French jurisdiction. Curaçao and Bonaire have a combined area of about 732 sq km (282 sq mi), and together with neighbouring Aruba (part of the Netherlands Antilles until 1986) are called by the Dutch the Benedenwindse Eilands, or “Leeward Islands”. Sint Maarten, St Eustatius, and Saba cover a total area of about 68 sq km (26 sq mi); although part of the Leeward Islands, situated at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles chain, they are called by the Dutch the Bovenwindse Eilands, or “Windward Islands”. The capital and largest city of the Netherlands Antilles is Willemstad, on Curaçao.

The three Netherlands Windward Islands are volcanic in origin, with fertile soils; Curaçao and Bonaire are rocky with flinty soils. Both groups have a tropical maritime climate. However, Sint Maarten, St Eustatius, and Saba have a much higher rainfall than Curaçao and Bonaire, and are covered with lush vegetation; Saba has a tropical rainforest. Curaçao and Bonaire have little surface water and water supplies come from desalination plants. The islands have few natural resources, the most important being Curaçao’s calcium phosphate deposits. Willemstad has one of the best natural harbours in the Caribbean.

The Netherlands Antilles have a total population of 223,472 (2007 estimate), of whom three quarters live on Curaçao. Willemstad is the business and financial centre, as well as the capital of the Netherlands Antilles. The only other sizeable settlements are Kralendijk, the capital of Bonaire, and Philipsburg, capital of Sint Maarten. The majority of the population is of mixed descent, primarily African, but also Native American, Dutch, and Spanish. The official language of the Netherlands Antilles is Dutch. However, the Creole language, Papiamento—a mixture of elements of Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Native American, French, English, and various African languages—is the main language used on Curaçao and Bonaire; since 1989 it has been taught in primary schools. In the Netherlands Windward Islands, English is the main everyday language.

Formerly a Dutch colony, the Netherlands Antilles (then including Aruba) on December 29, 1954, became an integral and internally self-governing part of the kingdom of the Netherlands. Executive power is exercised by a governor, who is an appointee of the Dutch Crown, and the council of ministers. Legislative authority is vested in the Staten, which is composed of 22 (formerly 27) members from all five islands, popularly elected for four-year terms. Defence and foreign affairs are the responsibility of the Netherlands government. Each island also has its own administration responsible for local affairs, comprising an elected island council, executive council, and lieutenant-governor. On January 1,1986, Aruba gained separate administrative status, although economic and monetary links have been retained through the cooperative Union of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

The major industry of the Netherlands Antilles is the refining of crude oil imported from Venezuela; the Isla refinery on Curaçao, the most industrialized of the islands, is one of the largest in the Caribbean. Crude oil and petroleum products account for almost 90 per cent of the annual value of imports and exports. Industries associated with oil refining include ship bunkering and petrochemicals. Other industries include, on Curaçao and Bonaire, the manufacture of textiles, paint, and electronic equipment, and brewing, soap making and flour milling; on Sint Maarten the main industries are rum manufacturing and fish processing. Free trade zones have been established on Curaçao to provide employment in transshipment and distribution activities. Calcium phosphate is mined on Curaçao and salt on Bonaire. Tourism is also extremely important, especially on Bonaire and Sint Maarten. The Netherlands Antilles guilder, or gulden, is the currency unit (1.81 guilders equalled US$1; early 2007).

Like Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire were originally populated by Arawak. All three islands were discovered in 1499 by the explorer Alonso de Ojeda, who claimed them for Spain. However, unlike Aruba, which was largely left alone by the Spanish, Curaçao and Bonaire were settled from 1527. The Arawak were wiped out and replaced as plantation labour by imported African slaves. The Spanish took possession of the Leeward Islands in 1527. The Dutch took control of the group in 1634. The three Netherlands Windward Islands were inhabited by Carib when Christopher Columbus sighted them in 1493. The Dutch took possession of St Eustatius and Saba in 1632 and the southern portion of Sint Maarten in 1648. Apart from a period during the Napoleonic Wars when they fell into British hands, all five islands have been under the jurisdiction of the Netherlands ever since. The islands of the Netherlands Antilles—known as the Dutch West Indies between 1828 and 1845—formed a colony of the Netherlands until 1954, when they were made an integral, self-governing part of the kingdom of the Netherlands. During the American War of Independence the island of St Eustatius became a great trading centre. Slavery was abolished in 1863 and the economies of Curaçao and Bonaire went into a decline until the establishment of the oil refinery on Curaçao in 1916. In 1964 the Netherlands Antilles was recognized as an associate member of the European Community (now European Union). Aruba left the Netherlands Antilles and became self-governing in 1986. In the 2002 election, the socialist Party Workers’ Liberation Front received 23 per cent of the vote (5 seats in the Staten), the centrist Party for the Reconstructed Antilles got 20.5 per cent (4 seats), and the National People’s Party, a Christian-democratic grouping, received 13.4 per cent of the vote (3 seats).