 | |
 Location of the Dutch Caribbean islands | |
| Area | 980 km2 (380 sq mi)[1] |
|---|---|
| Population (as of January 2019) | 337,617[1] |
| GDP (Nominal) | US$8.911 billion[2] |
| GDP per Capita (Nominal) | US$29,240[2] |
| Density | 343/km2 (890/sq mi) |
| Languages | Dutch,English,Papiamento |
| Government | 3constituent countries 3special municipalities |
TheDutch Caribbean[a] (historically known as theDutch West Indies) are theNew World territories, colonies, and countries (former and current) of theDutch colonial empire and theKingdom of the Netherlands located in theCaribbean Sea, mainly the northern and southwestern regions of theLesser Antilles archipelago.
The Dutch Caribbean comprises theconstituent countries ofCuraçao,Aruba andSint Maarten (the 'CAS' islands) and thespecial municipalities ofBonaire,Sint Eustatius andSaba (BES islands).[1] The term "Dutch Caribbean" is sometimes also used for theCaribbean Netherlands, an entity consisting of the three special municipalities forming part of the constituent country of theNetherlands since 2010.[3][4] The population of the Dutch Caribbean is 337,617 as of January 2019.[1]
The islands of the Dutch Caribbean were, formerly, part ofCuraçao and Dependencies (1815–1828), orSint Eustatius and Dependencies (1815–1828), which were merged with thecolony of Suriname (not actually considered part of the "Dutch Caribbean", although it is located on the Caribbean coast of northeasternSouth America). They were governed fromParamaribo, Suriname, until 1845, when all the islands again became part of Curaçao and Dependencies.
In 1954, the islands became theland (Dutch for "country") ofNetherlands Antilles, lasting until 2010. The autonomy of the Netherlands Antilles' island territories was stipulated in theIslands Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles. Initially, the Netherlands Antilles consisted of four island territories—Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and theSSS islands. The latter split into theIsland Territories of Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten, in 1983.
The island of Arubaseceded 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 completedissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, as a unified political entity, in 2010; that year, Curaçao and Sint Maarten becameautonomous constituent countries within the Kingdom (like Aruba). Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba becamespecial municipalities of the Netherlands proper (located on theEuropean mainland), a member state of theEuropean Union.
Geographically, the six entities of the Dutch Caribbean are clustered into two vastly separated areas of the Caribbean:
Politically, each (six) entity of the Dutch Caribbean currently has one of two relationships with the Netherlands:
Three Caribbean polities arelanden (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 ofSaint Martin. The northern half of the island (theCollectivity of Saint Martin) is an overseas territory ofFrance. Aruba and Curaçao are located in the far south of the Caribbean, roughly 30 kilometres and 65 kilometres from the coast of Venezuela, respectively.
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", or theCaribbean Netherlands. 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, at 880 m (2,887') above sea level). Sint Eustatius is located directly north ofSaint Kitts.
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The islands have also been informally grouped in the following ways.
The populations of the Dutch Caribbean descend from a diverse array of ethnic groups fromEurope,Africa,South-America andAsia.[5] Aruba has moreEuropean andAmerindian ancestry on average,[6] while the other islands such as Curaçao have moreAfrican ancestry on average.[7]
The islands' populations have grown significantly in recent decades with a large percentage beingforeign-born, mostly due to immigration to the islands from various countries and territories.[8]
Inhabitants of the Dutch Caribbean aremultilingual, speaking 2 to 4 (or more) languages at varying although often high degrees of fluency.[9]
Papiamento, aPortuguese-based creole with influences from Spanish, Dutch,West-African andAmerindian languages,[10] is official and the predominant language onAruba,Bonaire andCuraçao.[11] There are 2 main dialects of the language, Papiamento (Aruba) and Papiamentu (Curaçao and Bonaire). There are also small minorities of Papiamento speakers on theSSS Islands.[12]
English is official and predominates onSint Maarten,Saba andSint Eustatius. Local varieties ofVirgin Islands English Creole are also spoken.[13] 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 toVenezuela andColombia. Many Spanish-speaking immigrants fromLatin-America 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,[14] 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 asPortuguese,Haitian Creole,French,Italian,Sranan Tongo,German,Chinese,Tagalog,Hindi are also spoken by smaller communities of speakers on the islands.
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