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Caribbean Netherlands

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For all of the Caribbean entities with constitutional links with the Netherlands, seeDutch Caribbean.

Caribbean Netherlands
Caribisch Nederland(Dutch)
Overseas region of theNetherlands
Flag of Caribbean Netherlands
Flag

Seal
Anthem:"Wilhelmus van Nassouwe"(Dutch)
(English:"William of Nassau")
Location of the Caribbean Netherlands (green and circled). From left to right: Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius
Location of the Caribbean Netherlands (green and circled). From left to right:Bonaire,Saba,andSint Eustatius
CountryNetherlands
Special municipalities
Incorporated into the Netherlands10 October 2010 (dissolution of theNetherlands Antilles)
Official languagesDutch
Recognised regional languages
Government
Willem-Alexander
• National Rep.
Jan Helmond
Area
• Total
322[3]km2(124 sq mi)
Highest elevation

(Mount Scenery)
887 m (2,910 ft)
Population
• 2022 estimate
27,726[4]
• Density
77/km2(199.4/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−4(AST)
ISO 3166 codeBQ,NL-BQ1, NL-BQ2, NL-BQ3
CurrencyUnited States dollar($) (USD)[5]
Internet TLD

TheCaribbean Netherlands[8](Dutch:Caribisch Nederland,pronounced[kaˈribisˌnedərˌlɑnt]ⓘ) is a geographic region of theNetherlandslocated outside of Europe, in theCaribbean,consisting of three special municipalities.[8]These are the islands ofBonaire,Sint EustatiusandSaba,[9][nb 1]as they are also known in legislation, or theBES islands(anacronymof their names) for short. The islands are officially classified aspublic bodies[10]in the Netherlands and asoverseas territoriesof theEuropean Union;as such,European Union lawdoes not automatically apply to them.

Bonaire (including the islet ofKlein Bonaire) is one of theLeeward Antillesand is located close to the coast ofVenezuela.Sint Eustatius and Saba are in the mainLesser Antillesgroup and are located south ofSint Maartenand northwest ofSaint Kitts and Nevis.The Caribbean Netherlands, which should not be confused with the more comprehensiveDutch Caribbean,has a population of 25,157 as of January 2019.[3]

Legal status[edit]

The three islands gained their current status following thedissolution of the Netherlands Antilleson 10 October 2010.[11]At the same time, the islands ofCuraçaoandSint Maartenbecame autonomous countries (Dutch:landen) within theKingdom of the Netherlands.[12]The island ofArubais also a constituent country of the Kingdom located in the Caribbean. The term "Dutch Caribbean"may refer to the three special municipalities (e.g. for stamps), but may also refer to all of the Caribbean islands within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The population of the Caribbean Netherlands is 26,706.[13][14]Their total area is 328 square kilometres (127 sq mi). These figures are not consistent with the table below.

In 2012, the islands of the Caribbean Netherlands voted for the first time, due to being special municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the2012 Dutch general election.[15]

Administration[edit]

The special municipalities (Dutch:bijzondere gemeenten) carry many of the functions normally performed byDutch municipalities.The executive power rests with the Governing Council headed by an Island governor. The main democratic body is theisland council.Dutch citizens of these three islands are entitled to vote in Dutch national elections and (as all Dutch nationals) in European elections.

Officially the islands are classed in Dutch law as beingopenbare lichamen(literally translated as "public bodies" ) and notgemeenten(municipalities). Unlike normal municipalities, they do not form part of aDutch province[16]and the powers normally exercised by provincial councils within municipalities are divided between the island governments themselves and the central government by means of theNational Office for the Caribbean Netherlands.For this reason, they are called "special" municipalities.

Many Dutch laws make special provisions for the Caribbean Netherlands.[17]For example,social securityis not on the same level as it is in the European Netherlands.[18]

Flag Name Capital Area[3] Population[19]
(January 2022) 		Density
Bonaire Bonaire
Kralendijk
 288 km2(111 sq mi) 22,573 69/km2(180/sq mi)
Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius
Oranjestad
 21 km2(8.1 sq mi) 3,242 150/km2(390/sq mi)
Saba (island) Saba
The Bottom
 13 km2(5.0 sq mi) 1,911 148/km2(380/sq mi)
Total 322 km2(124 sq mi) 27,726 77/km2(200/sq mi)
Age Sex Pyramid

National Office[edit]

TheNational Office for the Caribbean Netherlands(Dutch:Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland) is responsible for taxation, policing, immigration, transport infrastructure, health, education, and social security in the islands and provides these services on behalf of the Government of the Netherlands.[20]This agency was established as the Regional Service Center in 2008 and became the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands on 1 September 2010.[21][22]The current director is Jan Helmond.[23]TheRepresentative for the public bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Sabarepresents the Government of the Netherlands on the islands and also performs tasks similar to aKing's Commissioner.[citation needed]The current representative is Gilbert Isabella.[24]

Relationship with the European Union[edit]

Thespecial territories of the European Union (pre-Brexit)

The islands do not form part of theEuropean Unionand instead constitute "overseas countries and territories" (OCT status) of the Union, to whichspecial provisions apply.[nb 2]TheLisbon Treatyintroduced a procedure where theEuropean Councilmay change the status of an overseas territory of Denmark, France, or the Netherlands regarding the application of the EU treaties to that territory.[nb 3]In June 2008, the Dutch government published a survey of the legal and economic impacts by a switched status from OCT tooutermost region(OMR).[25][26]The position of the islands was reviewed after a five-year transitional period, which began with thedissolution of the Netherlands Antillesin October 2010.[27]The review was conducted as part of the planned review of the Dutch "Act for thepublic bodiesBonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba "(Dutch:"Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba (WolBES)"), where the islands have been granted the option to become an OMR – and thus a direct part of the European Union.[28]In October 2015, the review concluded the present legal structures for governance and integration with European Netherlands was not working well within the framework of WolBES, but no recommendations were made in regards of whether a switch from OCT to OMR status would help improve this situation.[29][30][31][32]

Foreign policy and defence[edit]

The Kingdom of the Netherlands has overarching responsibility for foreign relations, defence and Dutch nationality law in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.[33]Units of theNetherlands Armed Forcesdeployed in the Caribbean include:

Additionally, theDutch Caribbean Coast Guardis funded by the four countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Coast Guard is managed by the Ministry of Defence and is directed by the commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean.[36]

Geography[edit]

TheCaribbean Netherlands form part of theLesser Antilles.Within this island group:

  • Map showing Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
    Map showing Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
  • Relative distance between mainland Netherlands in Europe and the Caribbean Netherlands
    Relative distance betweenmainland Netherlandsin Europe and the Caribbean Netherlands
  • The Caribbean BES islands are subdivisions of the country of the Netherlands and are therefore referred to as the "Caribbean Netherlands."
    The Caribbean BES islands are subdivisions of the country of the Netherlands and are therefore referred to as the "Caribbean Netherlands."

Climate[edit]

The islands of the Caribbean Netherlands enjoy atropicalclimatewith warm weather all year round. The Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier than the Windward islands. In summer, the Windward Islands can be subject tohurricanes.

Currency[edit]

Until 1 January 2011, the three islands used theNetherlands Antillean guilder;after that all three switched to theU.S. dollar,rather than theeuro(which is used in the European Netherlands) or theCaribbean guilder(which is being adopted by the other two former Antillean islands ofCuraçaoandSint Maarten).[37]

Communications[edit]

The telephonecountry coderemains599,that of the former Netherlands Antilles, and is shared with Curaçao. TheInternational Organization for Standardizationhas assigned theISO 3166-1 Alpha -2country codeISO 3166-2:BQfor these islands.[38]TheIANAhas not established a root zone for the.bqInternetccTLDand whether it will be used is unknown.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^.bq is designated, but not in use, for the Caribbean Netherlands.[6][7]Like the rest of the Netherlands,.nl is primarily in use.
  1. ^"Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba" is the listed English name for the territorial grouping in theInternational Organization for Standardization'sISO 3166-1,where the English spelling was corrected with the release ofISO 3166-1 Newsletter VI-9Archived5 February 2016 at theWayback Machine.
  2. ^Per the Annex II of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
  3. ^Now contained in Article 355(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

References[edit]

  1. ^"Invoeringswet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba"(in Dutch). wetten.nl.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2015.Retrieved14 October2012.
  2. ^"Benoeming regeringscommissaris en plaatsvervanger Sint Eustatius".Government of the Netherlands(in Dutch). 18 June 2021.Retrieved19 December2021.
  3. ^abcZaken, Ministerie van Algemene (19 May 2015)."Waaruit bestaat het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden?".Rijksoverheid.nl.
  4. ^"The Caribbean Netherlands in Numbers 2022: How has the population evolved over the past decade?".cbs.nl.Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2023.
  5. ^"Wet geldstelsel BES".Dutch government. 30 September 2010.Retrieved11 January2014.
  6. ^"BQ – Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba".ISO.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2016.Retrieved29 August2014.
  7. ^"Delegation Record for.BQ".IANA.20 December 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2011.Retrieved30 December2010.
  8. ^ab"The Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands"(PDF).Government of the Netherlands. 3 April 2023.Retrieved17 November2023.Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are special municipalities. They are referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands.
  9. ^"Nature Policy Plan The Caribbean Netherlands"(PDF).Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands.3 February 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 November 2018.Retrieved20 November2018.... while the other islands, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, are Dutch overseas public bodies and as such are part of the country of the Netherlands. Collectively these three islands are known as the Caribbean Netherlands...
  10. ^"What are the different parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands?".Government of the Netherlands. 12 September 2017.Retrieved17 November2023.
  11. ^"Besluit van 23 september 2010 tot vaststelling van het tijdstip van inwerkingtreding van de artikelen I en II van de Rijkswet wijziging Statuut in verband met de opheffing van de Nederlandse Antillen"(in Dutch). Overheid.nl. 1 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 15 July 2011.Retrieved27 June2011.
  12. ^"Caribbean Parts of the Kingdom".Government.nl. 14 December 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2016.
  13. ^"World Population Prospects 2022".United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs,Population Division.Retrieved17 July2022.
  14. ^"World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100"(XSLX)( "Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)" ).United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs,Population Division.Retrieved17 July2022.
  15. ^"Verkiezingen Caribische graadmeter – Binnenland – Telegraaf.nl".telegraaf.nl.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2017.Retrieved2 May2018.
  16. ^"31.954, Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba"(in Dutch). Eerste kamer der Staten-Generaal.Archivedfrom the original on 25 November 2010.Retrieved15 October2010.De openbare lichamen vallen rechtstreeks onder het Rijk omdat zij geen deel uitmaken van een provincie. (The public bodies (...), because they are not part of a Province).
  17. ^"Wet- en regelgeving"(in Dutch). Archived fromthe originalon 14 May 2011.[verification needed]
  18. ^Rob Bijl and Evert Pommer."Summary and conclusions – The Caribbean Netherlands five years after the transition"(PDF).kennisopenbaarbestuur.nl.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 September 2020.Retrieved13 November2018.
  19. ^"The Caribbean Netherlands in Numbers 2022: How has the population evolved over the past decade?".cbs.nl.Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. Archived fromthe originalon 6 February 2023.
  20. ^"Vacatures".Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland.Retrieved29 May2013.
  21. ^"Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland".Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland.Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2015.Retrieved29 May2013.
  22. ^"FAQ".Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland.Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2015.Retrieved29 May2013.
  23. ^"Agreement on labor conditions Civil servants Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland".Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland.Archivedfrom the original on 3 October 2016.Retrieved30 September2016.
  24. ^"Mr. Isabella will be Kingdom Representative for the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba".Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland.Retrieved30 September2016.
  25. ^"Schurende rechtsordes: Over juridische implicaties van de UPG-status voor de eilandgebieden van de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)"(PDF)(in Dutch). Eerstekamer.nl. 19 June 2008.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2 April 2015.
  26. ^"Economische gevolgen van de status van ultraperifeer gebied voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba / SEOR"(PDF)(in Dutch). Eerstekamer.nl. 19 June 2008.Archived(PDF)from the original on 14 July 2014.
  27. ^"Tweede Kamer, vergaderjaar 2008–2009, 31700 IV, nr.3: Brief van de staatssecretaris van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties met het kabinetsstandpunt over de rapporten over de UPG status voor de eilandgebieden van de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba"(PDF)(in Dutch). Eerstekamer.nl. 21 October 2008.Archived(PDF)from the original on 14 July 2014.
  28. ^"Kamerstuk 31954 nr.7: Regels met betrekking tot de openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba (Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba)"(in Dutch). Overheid.nl. 14 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2014.
  29. ^Pro Facto – Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (August 2015)."Vijf jaar Caribisch Nederland: De werking van wetgeving"(PDF)(in Dutch).Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 March 2017.
  30. ^DSP-Groep (23 September 2015)."Vijf jaar Caribisch Nederland: Werking van de nieuwe bestuurlijke structuur"(PDF)(in Dutch).Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 March 2017.
  31. ^Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (October 2015)."Vijf jaar Caribisch Nederland: Gevolgen voor de bevolking"(PDF)(in Dutch).Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 March 2017.
  32. ^Evaluatiecommissie Caribisch Nederland (12 October 2015)."VIJFJAAR VERBONDE BONAIRE, SINT EUSTATIUS, SABA EN EUROPEES NEDERLAND (Rapport van de commissie evaluatie uitwerking van de nieuwe staatkundige structuur Caribisch Nederland)"(PDF)(in Dutch).Archived(PDF)from the original on 22 March 2017.
  33. ^"Responsibilities of the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten – Caribbean Parts of the Kingdom – Government.nl".16 October 2019.
  34. ^"Commander Netherlands Forces in the Caribbean – Royal Netherlands Navy – Defensie.nl".6 April 2018.
  35. ^"Units and locations – Caribbean territories – Defensie.nl".3 June 2022.
  36. ^"Kustwacht – Taken in Nederland – Defensie.nl".7 November 2022.
  37. ^"The Dutch Caribbean".Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal.Archivedfrom the original on 20 June 2014.
  38. ^"ISO 3166-1 decoding table".International Organization for Standardization.Archivedfrom the original on 4 June 2012.Retrieved16 December2010.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCaribbean Netherlands.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forCaribbean Netherlands.
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