Netherlands Antilles | History, Flag, Capital, Currency, & Facts | Britannica (original) (raw)

Netherlands Antilles, group of five islands in the Caribbean Sea that formerly constituted an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The group is composed of two widely separated subgroups approximately 500 miles (800 km) apart. The southern group comprises Curaçao and Bonaire, which lie less than 50 miles (80 km) off the Venezuelan coast. The northern group is made up of Sint Eustatius, Saba, and Sint Maarten (the southern part of the island of Saint Martin; the northern part, Saint-Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France). Although the northern islands are locally referred to as “Windward,” they lie within the Leeward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles chain. The capital and largest city was Willemstad, on Curaçao.

After 1954 the Netherlands Antilles were an integral part of the Netherlands, with full autonomy in internal affairs. The island of Aruba, which lies to the west of Curaçao and Bonaire, had initially been part of the Netherlands Antilles, but in 1986 it seceded from the federation to become a separate Dutch territory. In 2006 the Dutch government and the remaining five islands agreed to dissolve the Netherlands Antilles within the following several years. The event took place on October 10, 2010. None of the islands chose full independence. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became autonomous countries within the kingdom, a status similar to that of Aruba. Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius became special municipalities with closer relations to the central government, similar to those of the municipalities in the Netherlands proper. This article discusses the Netherlands Antilles as a historical entity as it existed at the time of its dissolution.

Quick Facts

Also Known As:

Papiamentu

Antianan Hulandes

Nederlandse Antillen

Head Of Government:

Prime Minister

Population:

(2010 est.) 204,000

Head Of State:

Dutch Monarch represented by Governor

Official Languages:

Dutch; Papiamentu2; English

Official Name:

Nederlandse Antillen (Dutch); Antianan Hulandes (Papiamentu); Netherlands Antilles (English)

Monetary Unit:

Netherlands Antillean guilder (NAf.)

Political Status:

nonmetropolitan territory of the Netherlands with one legislative house (Staten, or Parliament [22])1

Dutch:

Nederlandse Antillen

Papiamentu:

Antianan Hulandes

Land

Relief

The southern islands are generally low in elevation, though hills rise to 787 feet (240 metres) at Brandaris on Bonaire and 1,230 feet (375 metres) at Mount Saint Christoffel on Curaçao. The islands consist mainly of igneous rocks and are fringed with coral reefs. The northern islands consist of volcanic rocks rising to 1,119 feet (341 metres) at Sentry Hill in the Dutch part of Saint Martin, 1,198 feet (365 metres) at The Quill, an extinct volcano on Sint Eustatius, with a large forested crater, and 2,910 feet (887 metres) at Mount Scenery, an extinct volcano on Saba that is the islands’ highest point.

Curaçao, the largest island of the Netherlands Antilles, covers 171 square miles (444 square km). It is indented in the south by deep bays, the largest of which, Schottegat, provides a magnificent harbour for Willemstad. Bonaire, with an area of 111 square miles (288 square km), lies about 20 miles (32 km) east of Curaçao. Sint Eustatius covers 8 square miles (21 square km) and Saba 5 square miles (13 square km); the two form the northwestern terminus of the inner volcanic arc of the Lesser Antilles. Saba is dominated by Mount Scenery and is surrounded by sea cliffs. The villages of The Bottom and Windward Side, occupying an old crater, are approached by a steep road from a rocky landing place on the southern coast.

Drainage and soils

For the most part, the islands have barren soil and little or no fresh water. On Curaçao and Bonaire there is much bare, eroded soil, the result of centuries of overgrazing. Drinking water on these islands is obtained mainly by distilling seawater.

Britannica Quiz Islands and Archipelagos

Climate

Temperatures in the southern islands vary little from an annual average in the low 80s F (about 27 °C), and the heat is tempered by the easterly trade winds. The islands lie west of the usual tropical cyclone (hurricane) zone. Precipitation in the south is low and variable, often less than 22 inches (550 mm) per year. The climate is similar in the northern islands, but there is more precipitation, and hurricanes are more common. The annual precipitation is greatest on Sint Eustatius and Saba, which receive averages of about 42 inches (1,000 mm) and 47 inches (1,200 mm), respectively, mainly between May and November.

Plant and animal life

The vegetation of the southern islands has been much overgrazed by livestock. Cacti and other drought-resistant plants abound. The island of Bonaire is known for its flamingos. Curaçao has many reptiles, including geckos, lizards, and sea turtles. In the northern group, Saba is noted particularly for its pristine beauty and tropical rainforest; orchids, tree ferns, and wildflowers are abundant, and the island’s sea life includes barracudas, sharks, sea turtles, and coral gardens.

People

The islands’ populations are mainly composed of “blacks” (people of African heritage) and mulattos (mixed African and European heritage) except for Saba’s, which is about evenly divided between people of African and of European (“white”) descent. Most of the islands have small white minorities. Migration to Curaçao from other Caribbean islands, Venezuela, and Europe increased after the opening of its oil refinery in 1918.

The official languages are English, Dutch, and Papiamentu, a local Spanish-based creole that includes Portuguese, Dutch, and some African words. Papiamentu is widely used in the southern islands and is taught in elementary schools. English is the principal language of the northern islands and is widely spoken in Curaçao as well; Spanish is also spoken in the south. Nearly three-fourths of the people adhere to Roman Catholicism; about one-sixth are Protestant; and there are small minorities of Spiritists, Buddhists, and Jews. Curaçao has a Sephardic Jewish community that dates from the 1650s; Willemstad has the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere.

The birth and death rates are relatively low, and the rate of natural increase is lower than on most other islands of the Caribbean. Migration to the Netherlands has tended to increase during economic downturns in the islands, such as during the late 1990s and the early 21st century. Life expectancy is in the mid-70s for males and the late 70s for females.

About four-fifths of the population is urban. The rural population of the islands is generally dispersed, and villages are scarce except on Saba. Nearly three-fourths of the inhabitants of the islands reside on Curaçao; the next two most-populous are Sint Maarten and Bonaire. Sint Eustatius and Saba account for a statistically tiny portion of the population. However, they are more densely settled than Bonaire. Sint Maarten has the highest population density.

Characteristic of Curaçao are its landhuizen, large 18th- and 19th-century rural mansions located on hills. Willemstad has some splendid sections of Dutch-style colonial architecture with tropical adaptations, painted in white and pastel colours.