Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius
Oranjestad | |
---|---|
![]() Beach of Lower Town. | |
![]() Location on the island ofSint Eustatius | |
Coordinates:17°29′N62°59′W/ 17.483°N 62.983°W | |
Country | Netherlands |
Public body | Sint Eustatius |
Population (2001)[1] | |
• Total | 1,038 |
Time zone | UTC-4(AST) |
Climate | Aw |
Oranjestad Lighthouse | |
Constructed | 1893 (first) |
Foundation | concrete base |
Construction | metal skeletal tower |
Height | 20 metres (66 ft) |
Shape | square pyramidal skeletal tower with balcony and light[2][3] |
Power source | solar power![]() |
Focal height | 40 metres (130 ft) |
Range | 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl (3) W 15s. |
Oranjestad(Dutch pronunciation:[oːˈrɑɲəstɑt];English:Orange[4]Town) is a small town of 1,038 inhabitants;[1]it is the capital and largest town of the island ofSint Eustatiusin theCaribbean Netherlands.It's not to be confused with the far largerOranjestadinAruba.
Geography
[edit]Oranjestad is a historic harbour town which is divided into two main sections. Lower Town is a strip of buildings justabove sea levelalong the waterfront, which borders on the island's safest beach. Lower Town includes dive shops, numerous colonial-era ruins, and the harbour. Upper Town has a restored historic core, and is also the island's main commercial and residential centre. It is nestled betweenQuill & Boven National Park
Neighborhoods of Orajestad:
• Golden Rock
• Bay Brow
History
[edit]Historical sites
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Statia_Fort_Oranje_2012.jpg/220px-Statia_Fort_Oranje_2012.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Admin._Residence.jpg/220px-Admin._Residence.jpg)
The first colonist arrived between 1625 and 1629.[5]Sint Eustatius produced sugar and cotton, but most importantly developed into a centre of the North American slave trade.[6]In 1780, the island had an estimated population of 20,000 people including slaves. In 1781, during theFourth Anglo-Dutch War,the island wascaptured and plunderedbyGeorge Rodney.[5]During the capture, all archives were destroyed.[7]In 1786, it was home to 7,600 people (3,000 white, 600 coloureds and 4,000 slaves). In 1829, the population had decreased to 2,273.[5]
The main historical site in Oranjestad isFort Oranje,a well-maintained, 17th-century fort in the direct centre of the town, overlooking the waterfront. This cliff-side fort hascannons,intactbastionsand a courtyard. Nearby is a museum, the ruins of one of theoldest synagoguesin theWestern Hemisphere,and aJewishcemetery.[8]
The town's historical features also include aDutch Reformed churchbuilt in 1755,[8]which is partly in ruins but still accessible (its tower can be climbed for long-distance views), various restored 18th-century merchants' residences – including the oldest one, theGezaghebberHouse (former Lieutenant Governor's residence) on Kerkstraat – and restored wooden Caribbean-style houses. Snorkeling in Oranje Bay is also interesting because of the parts of 18th century buildings on the bay side that were swept into the sea.[9]
Facilities
[edit]Oranjestad itself contains grocery stores, restaurants, bars, a library, schools, a clinic and the administrative offices of the government.[citation needed]
Climate
[edit]Climate data for Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius, 1971-2000 normals | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.7 (89.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
32.9 (91.2) |
33.5 (92.3) |
33.6 (92.5) |
33.9 (93.0) |
33.7 (92.7) |
34.3 (93.7) |
33.5 (92.3) |
31.4 (88.5) |
34.3 (93.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.3 (82.9) |
28.4 (83.1) |
28.8 (83.8) |
29.4 (84.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.8 (85.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.9 (85.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.3 (77.5) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
26.6 (79.9) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.8 (74.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | 19.0 (66.2) |
18.9 (66.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.0 (69.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
18.8 (65.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 52.0 (2.05) |
50.5 (1.99) |
48.8 (1.92) |
55.7 (2.19) |
87.1 (3.43) |
60.6 (2.39) |
74.1 (2.92) |
106.9 (4.21) |
123.2 (4.85) |
106.5 (4.19) |
128.6 (5.06) |
74.6 (2.94) |
985.8 (38.81) |
Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.1 | 8.9 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 11.2 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 11.2 | 13.3 | 12.6 | 125.4 |
Source: Meteo Curacao[10] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"Geodata 2001, Saba & Sint.Eustatius, Census 2001".Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Netherlands Antilles.2001.Retrieved3 May2021.
Sum of Oranjestad Noord, Oranjestad Zuid, Concordia and Golden Rock
- ^Rowlett, Russ."Lighthouses of Saba and Sint Eustatius".The Lighthouse Directory.University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Retrieved2017-01-27.
- ^List of Lights,Pub. 110:Greenland, The East Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. Except the East Coast of Florida) and the West Indies(PDF).List of Lights.United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.2016.
- ^The House of Orange-Nassau—Dutch:Het Huis Oranje-Nassau— readPrince of Orange(Dutch:Prins van Oranje)and related articles for more.
- ^abcBenjamins & Snelleman 1917,p. 627.
- ^Benjamins & Snelleman 1917,p. 629.
- ^Benjamins & Snelleman 1917,p. 93.
- ^ab"Sint-Eustatius en alles wat reizen boeiend maakt".Groen Rood Wit(in Dutch).Retrieved4 May2021.
- ^Peter van Dun; Ben de Vries (2002)."Monumenten Boven de Wind".Jaarboek Monumentenzorg(in Dutch). pp. 139–140.
- ^"SUMMARY OF CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA, PERIOD 1971 - 2000"(PDF).Meteo Curacao.RetrievedFebruary 6,2021.
Bibliography
[edit]- Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917).Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië(in Dutch). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
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ignored (help)
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)