Caribbean Netherlands

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

The Caribbean Netherlands^[9] (Dutch: Caribisch Nederland, pronounced [kaˈribis ˈneːdərlɑnt] ^ⓘ) is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe, in the Caribbean, consisting of three special municipalities.^[9] These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba,^{[10][nb 1]} as they are also known in legislation, or the BES islands for short. The islands are officially classified as public bodies^[11] in the Netherlands and as overseas territories of the European Union; as such, European Union law does not automatically apply to them.

Caribbean Netherlands Caribisch Nederland (Dutch)
Overseas region of the 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
Country	Netherlands
Special municipalities	Bonaire Sint Eustatius Saba
Incorporated into the Netherlands	10 October 2010 (dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles)
Official languages	Dutch
Recognised regional languages	English (Saba, St. Eustatius) Papiamentu (Bonaire)[1]
Government
• Monarch	Willem-Alexander
• Lt. Governors (see Politics of the Netherlands)	John Soliano (Bonaire) Alida Francis (Sint Eustatius)[2] Jonathan Johnson (Saba)
• National Rep.	Jan Helmond
Area
• Total	322[3] km2 (124 sq mi)
Highest elevation (Mount Scenery)	887 m (2,910 ft)
Population
• 2024 estimate	30.000[4]
• Density	77/km2 (199.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	US$725,000,000[5]
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
ISO 3166 code	BQ, NL-BQ1, NL-BQ2, NL-BQ3
Currency	United States dollar ($) (USD)[6]
Internet TLD	.nl .bq[a]

Bonaire (including the islet of Klein Bonaire) is one of the Leeward Antilles and is located close to the coast of Venezuela. Sint Eustatius and Saba are in the main Lesser Antilles group and are located south of Sint Maarten and northwest of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Caribbean Netherlands, which should not be confused with the more comprehensive Dutch Caribbean, has a population of 30,397.^[12]

Legal status

The three islands gained their current status following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010.^[13] At the same time, the islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten became constituent countries (Dutch: landen) within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.^[14] The island of Aruba is also an constituent country of the Kingdom; Aruba gaining its status in 1986 after seceding from The Netherlands Antilles.

The constituent countries of the Dutch kingdom are autonomous (self-governing) while the special municipalities (Caribbean Netherlands) are legally part of the constituent country of The Netherlands. The Kingdom Of The Netherlands consists of the constituent countries of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and The Netherlands (which includes Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius).

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 30,397 as of 2024.^[12] Their total area is 328 square kilometres (127 sq mi).

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 the 2012 Dutch general election.^[15]

Administration

The special municipalities (Dutch: bijzondere gemeenten) carry many of the functions normally performed by Dutch municipalities. The executive power rests with the Governing Council headed by an Island governor. The main democratic body is the island 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 being openbare lichamen (literally translated as "public bodies") and not gemeenten (municipalities). Unlike normal municipalities, they do not form part of a Dutch 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 the National 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 security is not on the same level as it is in the European Netherlands.^[18]

Flag	Name	Capital	Area[3]	Population[19] (January 2024)	Density
	Bonaire	Kralendijk	288 km2 (111 sq mi)	25,133	69/km2 (180/sq mi)
	Sint Eustatius	Oranjestad	21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)	3,204	150/km2 (390/sq mi)
	Saba	The Bottom	13 km2 (5.0 sq mi)	2,060	148/km2 (380/sq mi)
Total			322 km2 (124 sq mi)	30,397	77/km2 (200/sq mi)

Age Sex Pyramid

National Office

The National 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] The Representative for the public bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba represents the Government of the Netherlands on the islands and also performs tasks similar to a King's Commissioner.^{[citation needed]} The current representative is Gilbert Isabella.^[24]

Relationship with the European Union

The special territories of the European Union (2019 before UK secession)

The islands do not form part of the European Union and instead constitute "overseas countries and territories" (OCT status) of the Union, to which special provisions apply.^{[nb 2]} The Lisbon Treaty introduced a procedure where the European Council may 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 to outermost region (OMR).^[25][26] The position of the islands was reviewed after a five-year transitional period, which began with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in October 2010.^[27] The review was conducted as part of the planned review of the Dutch "Act for the public bodies Bonaire, 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

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 the Netherlands Armed Forces deployed in the Caribbean include:

• 32 Infantry Company of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps on Aruba;^[34]
• a Marine Corps detachment on Sint Maarten;
• a Fast Raiding Interception and Special Forces Craft (FRISC) troop (fast boats) on Curaçao and Aruba;
• a company of the Royal Netherlands Army on Curaçao on a rotational basis;
• a guardship, normally a Holland-class offshore patrol vessel, from the Royal Netherlands Navy on station on a rotational basis;
• the Royal Netherlands Navy support vessel HNLMS Pelikaan;
• Arumil (Aruban) and Curmil (Curaçaoan) militia elements;
• a Netherlands Armed Forces Royal Marechaussee brigade.^[35]

Additionally, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard is 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

The Caribbean Netherlands form part of the Lesser Antilles. Within this island group:

• Bonaire is part of the ABC islands within the Leeward Antilles island chain off the Venezuelan coast. The Leeward Antilles have a mixed volcanic and coral origin.
• Saba and Sint Eustatius are part of the SSS islands within the Leeward Islands. They are located east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The locals (French, Spanish, Dutch and the locally spoken English) consider them part of the Windward Islands, although, in the international English language, the Windward Islands refer to other islands further south. These two islands are of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving little ground suitable for agriculture. The highest point is Mount Scenery, 887 m (2,910 ft), on Saba. This is the highest point in the country and in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands.

• 
  Map showing Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
• 
  Relative distance between mainland Netherlands in 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."
• 
  Klein Bonaire (Bonaire in the background)
• 
  The hilly terrain of Saba

Climate

The islands of the Caribbean Netherlands enjoy a tropical climate with warm weather all year round. The Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier than the Windward islands. In summer, the Windward Islands can be subject to hurricanes.

Forest cover is around 6% of the total land area of the Caribbean Netherlands, equivalent to 1,910 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 1,910 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 0 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 17% of the forest area was found within protected areas.^[37][38]

Currency

Until 1 January 2011, the three islands used the Netherlands Antillean guilder; after that all three switched to the U.S. dollar, rather than the euro (which is used in the European Netherlands) or the Caribbean guilder (which is being adopted by the other two former Antillean islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten).^[39]

Communications

The telephone country code remains 599, that of the former Netherlands Antilles, and is shared with Curaçao. The International Organization for Standardization has assigned the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code ISO 3166-2:BQ for these islands.^[40] The IANA has not established a root zone for the .bq Internet ccTLD and whether it will be used is unknown.

See also

• Geography portal
• North America portal
• Caribbean portal
• Netherlands portal

• 2010 Bonaire constitutional referendum
• Identity cards of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• ISO 3166-2:BQ, the ISO codes for the subdivisions of the Caribbean Netherlands
• Postage stamps and postal history of the Caribbean Netherlands

Notes

1. .bq is designated, but not in use, for the Caribbean Netherlands.^[7][8] 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 the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1, where the English spelling was corrected with the release of ISO 3166-1 Newsletter VI-9 Archived 5 February 2016 at the Wayback 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

1. "Invoeringswet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba" (in Dutch). wetten.nl. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
2. "Benoeming regeringscommissaris en plaatsvervanger Sint Eustatius". Government of the Netherlands (in Dutch). 18 June 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
3. Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene (19 May 2015). "Waaruit bestaat het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden?". Rijksoverheid.nl.
4. "The Caribbean Netherlands in Numbers 2024: Population of The Caribbean Netherlands up by nearly a thousand".
5. Caribbean Netherlands; gross domestic product (GDP), Statistics Netherlands, Wikidata Q131100722
6. "Wet geldstelsel BES". Dutch government. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
7. "BQ – Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba". ISO. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
8. "Delegation Record for .BQ". IANA. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
9. "The Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands" (PDF). Government of the Netherlands. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are special municipalities. They are referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands.
10. "Nature Policy Plan The Caribbean Netherlands" (PDF). Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. 3 February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018. ... 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 ...
11. "What are the different parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands?". Government of the Netherlands. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
12. "Population of Caribbean Netherlands up by nearly a thousand".
13. "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. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
14. "Caribbean Parts of the Kingdom". Government.nl. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016.
15. "Verkiezingen Caribische graadmeter – Binnenland – Telegraaf.nl". telegraaf.nl. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
16. "31.954, Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba" (in Dutch). Eerste kamer der Staten-Generaal. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 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 from the original on 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 from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
19. "Population Of The Caribbean Netherlands Up By Nearly a Thousand (2024)". cbs.nl. Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek.
20. "Vacatures". Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
21. "Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland". Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
22. "FAQ". Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
23. "Agreement on labor conditions Civil servants Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland". Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
24. "Mr. Isabella will be Kingdom Representative for the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba". Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
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. Archived from 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. Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2023.
38. "Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba". Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
39. "The Dutch Caribbean". Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
40. "ISO 3166-1 decoding table". International Organization for Standardization. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2010.

External links

• Official website of the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands
• Official website of the government of Bonaire
• Official website of the government of Saba
• Official website of the government of St. Eustatius