Netherlands Antilles - Country and People

The Netherlands Antilles is Dutch territory overseas consisting of five islands. They are located in the region of the Caribbean Sea called the Lesser Antilles and are together approximately 800 square kilometers in size. Curacao, the largest of the islands, and Bonaire, the smallest, are located next to the coast of Venezuela in the South, and together with neighbouring Aruba, are part of the “ABC” islands. The islands of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius are part of the North-Eastern Antilles called the Leeward Islands. St. Maarten shares its island territory with St. Martin, a French overseas territory, which does not belong to the Netherlands Antilles. Nevertheless, the borders between St. Martin and St. Maarten are only symbolic; people move freely in both directions on the island. The more southerly islands of Curacao and Bonaire are generally flat, mainly of coral origin and covered with vegetation typical for dry regions, like cacti and scrubland. St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius - also called Statia - are volcanic islands and present a more hilly topography, partly covered by rainforest.

Due to constantly changing colonial domination the Netherlands Antilles’ population of around 200,000 represent an enticing mixture of cultures and civilisations.. While the majority of the people are of African descent as a result of  slave trading, descendants of Portuguese, Latin-Americans immigrants and Europeans – in their majority Dutch - play a big role in the island’s social, political and economical texture. The result is a mixture of languages: In Curacao and Bonaire, you will hear more Dutch and Papiamento, a local language based mainly on Portuguese, West-African languages and Spanish, mixed with some Dutch and English. People in St. Maarten generally speak English or local Creole. Dutch, Papiamento and English are official languages. Although Dutch is used for legislation, English is predominantly used for business.