The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

territories, colonies, and countries (former and current) of the

Dutch Empire The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...

and the

Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...

located in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

, mainly the northern and southwestern regions of the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...

archipelago. The Dutch Caribbean comprises the

constituent countries A country is a geopolitical area–often synonymous with a sovereign state. Country or countries may also refer to: *Rural area, the country or countryside, an area away from towns or cities * Country (identity), a self-concept relating to an indi ...

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

and

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of , it encompasses ...

(the 'CAS' islands) and the special municipalities of

Bonaire Bonaire is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles, and is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially Public body (Netherlands), "public body") of the Netherlands. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (Windward an ...

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is an island in the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially "Public body (Netherlands), public body") of the Netherlands. The island is in the northern Leeward Islands ...

and

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...

(BES islands). The term "Dutch Caribbean" is sometimes also used for the

Caribbean Netherlands The Caribbean Netherlands (, ) is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe, in the Caribbean, consisting of three special municipalities. These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (island), Saba,"Bonair ...

, an entity consisting of the three special municipalities forming part of the constituent country of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

since 2010. The population of the Dutch Caribbean is 337,617 as of January 2019.

History

The islands of the Dutch Caribbean were, formerly, part of

Curaçao and Dependencies Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

(1815–1828), or

Sint Eustatius and Dependencies The SSS islands (), locally also known as the Dutch Windward Islands ( or ), is a collective term for the three territories of the Dutch Caribbean (formerly the Netherlands Antilles) that are located within the Leeward Islands group of the Less ...

(1815–1828), which were merged with the colony of Suriname (not actually considered part of the "Dutch Caribbean", although it is located on the Caribbean coast of northeastern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

). They were governed from

Paramaribo Paramaribo ( , , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's p ...

, Suriname, until 1845, when all the islands again became part of Curaçao and Dependencies. In 1954, the islands became the ''land'' (Dutch for "country") of

Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles (, ; ), also known as the Dutch Antilles, was a constituent Caribbean country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of the islands of Saba (island), Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles, ...

, lasting until 2010. The autonomy of the Netherlands Antilles' island territories was stipulated in the

Islands Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles The Islands Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles (, ERNA; , RIAH) described the autonomy of the island territories of the Netherlands Antilles. It was enacted on 3 March 1951 by royal decree and remained in force, in a consolidated form, until t ...

. Initially, the Netherlands Antilles consisted of four island territories—Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and the

SSS islands The SSS islands (), locally also known as the Dutch Windward Islands ( or ), is a collective term for the three territories of the Dutch Caribbean (formerly the Netherlands Antilles) that are located within the Leeward Islands group of the Less ...

. The latter split into the Island Territories of Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten, in 1983. The island of Aruba

seceded Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...

from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 to become a separate constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, leaving five island territories within the Netherlands Antilles. This arrangement lasted until the complete

dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010. After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean— Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—became ...

, as a unified political entity, in 2010; that year, Curaçao and Sint Maarten became

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

constituent countries within the Kingdom (like Aruba). Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba became special municipalities of the Netherlands proper (located on the

European mainland Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by so ...

), a member state of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Geography

Kingdom of the Netherlands location tree

Geographically, the six entities of the Dutch Caribbean are clustered into two vastly separated areas of the Caribbean: * Three are at the far northern end of the

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

, thus, the far northern end of the

. From north to south, these are

(occupying roughly the southern half of the island of Saint Martin),

, and

. * From west to east, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire are located just off of the Caribbean coastline of northern

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, at the far western end of the

Leeward Antilles The Leeward Antilles (; ) are a chain of islands in the Caribbean, specifically part of the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and, in turn, the Antilles and the West Indies) along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just no ...

(which extend west from the southern end of the

Windward Islands The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...

—thus they are at the southwestern end of the Lesser Antilles). Politically, each (six) entity of the Dutch Caribbean currently has one of two relationships with the Netherlands: * Three have the status of being constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. * Three have the status of being special municipalities of the Netherlands alone, as distinct from the Kingdom in its entirety.

Constituent countries

Three Caribbean polities are ''landen'' (Dutch for "countries") within the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. The Netherlands is the fourth and largest constituent country in the Kingdom. Sint Maarten comprises the southern half of the island of Saint Martin. The northern half of the island (the

Collectivity of Saint Martin The Collectivity of Saint Martin (), commonly known as simply Saint Martin (, ), is an overseas collectivity of France in the West Indies in the Caribbean, on the northern half of the Saint Martin (island), island of Saint Martin, as well as so ...

) is an overseas territory of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Aruba and Curaçao are located in the far south of the Caribbean, roughly 30 kilometres and 65 kilometres from the coast of Venezuela, respectively.

Special municipalities

Stan Patrol P810 Jaguar Dutch Caribbean Coastguard

The three Caribbean islands that are special municipalities of the Netherlands alone are Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Abbreviated collectively, these are also known as the "

BES islands The Caribbean Netherlands (, ) is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe, in the Caribbean, consisting of three special municipalities. These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba,"Bonaire, Sint Eustati ...

", or the

. Bonaire is located in the far south of the Caribbean, being about 80 kilometres north of the coast of Venezuela; Saba is located about 50 kilometres south of Sint Maarten, and boasts the highest mountain in the Netherlands,

Mount Scenery Mount Scenery (pronounced like the word 'scenery') is a dormant volcano in the Caribbean Netherlands. Its lava dome forms the summit of the Saba island stratovolcano. At an elevation of , it is the highest point in both the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, at 880 m (2,887') above sea level). Sint Eustatius is located directly north of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

Dutch Caribbean islands

Photo gallery

File:View from above of colorful buildings in Oranjestad on the island of Aruba in the morning sun.jpg, Oranjestad, Aruba File:Bonaire (34769022732).jpg, Bonaire File:DRCUR-EXT-AerialBeach-6128-TM.jpg, Curacao File:View from Mt Scenery, Saba.jpg, Saba File:Quill dormant vulcano (cropped).jpg, Sint Eustatius Stm-aussicht-great-bay.jpg, Sint Maarten

Grouping of islands

The islands have also been informally grouped in the following ways. *Geographically, by location in the

(in alphabetical order): ** ABC islands, for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (within the

group) **

, for Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (within the

group) *Politically, by constitutional status (in order of population size): ** CAS islands, for Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten (constituent countries of the

) **

, for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (special municipalities of the

)

Demographics

Ethnic groups

The populations of the Dutch Caribbean descend from a diverse array of ethnic groups from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

South-America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Aruba has more

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

and

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

ancestry on average, while the other islands such as Curaçao have more African ancestry on average. The islands' populations have grown significantly in recent decades with a large percentage being foreign-born, mostly due to immigration to the islands from various countries and territories.

Languages

Inhabitants of the Dutch Caribbean are

multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

, speaking 2 to 4 (or more) languages at varying although often high degrees of fluency. Papiamento, a Portuguese-based creole with influences from Spanish, Dutch, West-African and

languages, is official and the predominant language on

and

. There are 2 main dialects of the language, Papiamento (Aruba) and Papiamentu (Curaçao and Bonaire). There are also small minorities of Papiamento speakers on the

SSS Islands The SSS islands (), locally also known as the Dutch Windward Islands ( or ), is a collective term for the three territories of the Dutch Caribbean (formerly the Netherlands Antilles) that are located within the Leeward Islands group of the Less ...

. English is official and predominates on

and

. Local varieties of Virgin Islands English Creole are also spoken. English is also widely known and spoken on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (especially on Aruba). Spanish is widely known and spoken on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao due to proximity, historical and cultural connections to

and

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. Many Spanish-speaking immigrants from

Latin-America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish and Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geography, and as such it includes countri ...

also reside on the Dutch Caribbean islands, especially on the ABC Islands. Dutch is an official language on all 6 Dutch Caribbean islands, however it is not the native or common language on any of the islands, although most inhabitants do know and can speak Dutch to varying degrees. Dutch is primarily used in official, legal matters, jobs and in education on the islands. Other languages such as Portuguese,

Haitian Creole Haitian Creole (; , ; , ), or simply Creole (), is a French-based creole languages, French-based creole language spoken by 10 to 12million people worldwide, and is one of the two official languages of Haiti (the other being French), where it ...

, French,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Sranan Tongo Sranan Tongo (Sranantongo, "Surinamese tongue", Sranan, Surinamese Creole) is an English-based creole language from Suriname, in South America, where it is the first or second language for 519,600 Surinamese people (approximately 80% of the popu ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, Chinese, Tagalog,

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

are also spoken by smaller communities of speakers on the islands.

Notes

References

External links

{{Special municipalities of the Netherlands Geography of the Caribbean Regions of the Netherlands Subdivisions of the Netherlands Dutch