View source for Netherlands Antilles

{{short description|1954-2010 Caribbean constituent country of the Netherlands}}
{{about|the former constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|the Dutch Caribbean islands in general|Dutch Caribbean|the current integral territories of the constituent country of the Netherlands|Caribbean Netherlands}}
{{redirect|N.W.I.|other uses|NWI (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name            = {{native name|nl|Land Nederlandse Antillen}}<br />{{native name|pap|Pais Antia Hulandes}}
| conventional_long_name = Netherlands Antilles
| common_name            = the Netherlands Antilles
| status                 = Constituent country
| status_text            = Constituent country of <br />the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]]
| image_flag             = Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986–2010).svg
| flag_type_article      = Flag of the Netherlands Antilles
| flag_type              = Flag<br />(1986–2010)
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Netherlands Antilles (1986-2010).svg
| symbol_type_article    = Coat of arms of the Netherlands Antilles
| symbol_type            = Coat of arms<br />(1986–2010)
| image_map              = Kingdom of the Netherlands in its region (Caribbean special).svg
| government_type        = Parliamentary [[constitutional monarchy]]
| national_motto         = <br/>{{langx|la|Libertate unanimus}} <br />{{langx|nl|In vrijheid verenigd}}<br />"Unified in freedom"
| national_anthem        = {{native name|nl|[[Wilhelmus]]|nolink=yes}}<br/>"William"<br/>(1954–1964){{parabr}}{{center|[[File:United States Navy Band - Het Wilhelmus (tempo corrected).ogg|noicon]]}}<br />{{native name|pap|[[Tera di solo y suave biento]]|nolink=yes}}<br/>"Land of Sun and Gentle Breeze"<br/>(1964–2000){{parabr}}{{center|[[File:Teradisoloisuavebiento.ogg]]}}<br />[[Anthem without a title|Anthem of the Netherlands Antilles]]<br/>(2000–2010){{parabr}}{{center|[[File:Anthem of the Netherlands Antilles.ogg]]}}
| common_languages       = [[Dutch language|Dutch]] <br />[[English language|English]] <br />[[Papiamento]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://decentrale.regelgeving.overheid.nl/cvdr/XHTMLoutput/Actueel/Nederlandse%20Antillen/10499.html |title=Landsverordening officiële talen |date=28 March 2007 |access-date=5 January 2011 |publisher=decentrale.regelgeving.overheid.nl |archive-date=26 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181226111339/http://decentrale.regelgeving.overheid.nl/cvdr/XHTMLoutput/Actueel/Nederlandse%20Antillen/10499.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| demonym                = Netherlands Antillean<br>Dutch Antillean
| capital                = [[Willemstad]]
| year_start             = 1954
| year_end               = 2010
| date_start             = 15 December
| date_end               = 10 October
| event_start            = [[Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands|Established]]
| event_end              = [[Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles|Disestablished]]
| event2                 = Secession of [[Aruba]]
| date_event2            = 1 January 1986
| p1                     = Curaçao and Dependencies
| flag_p1                = Flag of the Netherlands.svg
| s1                     = Aruba
| flag_s1                = Flag of Aruba.svg
| s2                     = Bonaire
| flag_s2                = Flag of Bonaire.svg
| s3                     = Curaçao
| flag_s3                = Flag of Curaçao.svg
| s4                     = Saba (island){{!}}Saba
| flag_s4                = Flag of Saba.svg
| s5                     = Sint Eustatius
| flag_s5                = Flag of Sint Eustatius.svg
| s6                     = Sint Maarten
| flag_s6                = Flag of Sint Maarten.svg
| legislature            = [[Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles]]
| title_leader           = [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|Monarchs]]
| leader1                = [[Juliana of the Netherlands|Juliana]]
| year_leader1           = 1954–1980
| leader2                = [[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Beatrix]]
| year_leader2           = 1980–2010
| title_representative   = [[Governor of the Netherlands Antilles|Governor]]
| representative1        = [[Teun Struycken (1906–1977)|Teun Struycken]]
| year_representative1   = 1951–1956 <small>(first)</small>
| representative2        = [[Frits Goedgedrag]]
| year_representative2   = 2002–2010 <small>(last)</small>
| title_deputy           = [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles|Prime Minister]]
| deputy1                = [[Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez]]
| year_deputy1           = 1951–1954 <small>(first)</small>
| deputy2                = [[Emily de Jongh-Elhage]]
| year_deputy2           = 2006–2010 <small>(last)</small>
| currency               = {{nowrap|[[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]}}
| cctld                  = [[.an]]
| iso3166code            = AN
| calling_code           = 599
}}
The '''Netherlands Antilles''' ({{langx|nl|Nederlandse Antillen}}, {{IPA|nl|ˈneːdərlɑntsə ʔɑnˈtɪlə(n)|pron|Nl-Nederlandse Antillen2.ogg}}; {{langx|pap|Antia Hulandes}}),<ref>{{cite book|title=Papiamentu/Ingles Dikshonario|language=pap|last=Ratzlaff|first=Betty|page=11}}</ref> also known as the '''Dutch Antilles''',<ref name="bbc">{{cite web |date=10 October 2010 |title=Status change means the Dutch Antilles no longer exists |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11511355 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011042955/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11511355 |archive-date=11 October 2010 |access-date=11 October 2010 |publisher=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> was a constituent [[Caribbean]] country of the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] consisting of the islands of [[Saba (island)|Saba]], [[Sint Eustatius]], and [[Sint Maarten]] in the [[Lesser Antilles]], and [[Aruba]], [[Bonaire]], and [[Curaçao]]  in the [[Leeward Antilles]]. The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of [[Curaçao and Dependencies]], and [[Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles|it was dissolved]] in 2010, when like Aruba in 1986, Sint Maarten and Curaçao gained status of [[Constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|constituent countries]] within the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]], and Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Bonaire gained status of [[Constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|special municipality]] of the [[Netherlands]] as the [[Caribbean Netherlands]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zaken |first=Ministerie van Algemene |date=2017-09-12 |title=What are the different parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands? - Government.nl |url=https://www.government.nl/topics/caribbean-parts-of-the-kingdom/question-and-answer/topics/caribbean-parts-of-the-kingdom/question-and-answer/what-are-the-different-parts-of-the-kingdom-of-the-netherlands |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=www.government.nl |language=en-GB}}</ref> The neighboring Dutch colony of [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Surinam]] in continental [[South America]], did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became [[Suriname (Kingdom of the Netherlands)|a separate sovereign country]] in 1954. All the territories that formerly belonged to Netherlands Antilles remain part of the Dutch kingdom today,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geschiedenis Statuut voor het Koninkrijk {{!}} Parlement.com |url=https://parlement.com/geschiedenis-statuut-voor-het-koninkrijk |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=parlement.com}}</ref> although the legal status of each island differs. As a group they are still commonly called the [[Dutch Caribbean]], regardless of their legal status.<ref>{{cite web |title=Visa for the Dutch Caribbean |url=http://unitedkingdom.nlembassy.org/passports-visas--consular/visas/visa-for-the-dutch-caribbean.html |publisher=Netherlands embassy in the United Kingdom |access-date=7 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119043938/http://unitedkingdom.nlembassy.org/passports-visas--consular/visas/visa-for-the-dutch-caribbean.html |archive-date=19 January 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Geographical grouping ==
{{Main|Geography of the Netherlands Antilles}}
The islands of the Netherlands Antilles are all part of the [[Lesser Antilles]] island chain. Within this group, the country was spread over two smaller [[archipelago|island groups]]: a northern group (part of [[Leeward Islands]]) and a western group (part of the [[Leeward Antilles]]). No part of the country was in the southern [[Windward Islands]].

=== Islands located in the Leeward Islands ===
This island [[subregion]] was located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, to the east of [[Puerto Rico]]. It consisted of three islands, collectively known as the "[[SSS islands]]":

* {{flag|Saba}}
* {{flag|Sint Eustatius}}
* {{flag|Sint Maarten}} (the southern part of the island of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]])

The islands are located approximately {{convert|800|-|900|km|nmi mi|sp=us|abbr=off}} northeast of the [[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]].{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

=== Islands located in the Leeward Antilles ===
This island subregion was located in the southern Caribbean Sea off the north coast of [[Venezuela]]. There were three islands collectively known as the "[[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]]":
* {{flag|Aruba}} (until 1 January 1986)
* {{flag|Bonaire}} including an islet called [[Klein Bonaire]] ("Little Bonaire")
* {{flag|Curaçao}}, including an islet called [[Klein Curaçao]] ("Little Curaçao")
[[File:Kralendijk en Klein Bonaire.jpg|thumb|The flat landscape of [[Klein Bonaire]]]]
[[File:Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië-Antilles part 2-Benj004ency01ill stitched.jpg|right|500px|thumb|Maps of the Netherlands Antilles, 1910s]]

== Climate ==
The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical trade-wind [[climate]], with hot weather all year round. The Leeward islands are subject to [[tropical cyclone|hurricanes]] in the summer months, while those islands located in the Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier.

== History ==
{{See also|Curaçao and Dependencies|Dutch colonial empire}}
[[File:Lower Town Sint Eustatius.jpg|right|thumb|In the 18th century, [[Sint Eustatius]] was the most important Dutch island in the Caribbean.]]
Spanish explorers discovered both the [[Leeward Islands|leeward]] ([[Alonso de Ojeda]], 1499) and [[Windward Islands|windward]] ([[Christopher Columbus]], 1493) island groups in the late 16th century. However, the Spanish Crown only founded settlements in the Leeward Islands.

In the 17th century the islands were conquered by the [[Dutch West India Company]] and colonized by The Netherlands. From the last quarter of the 17th century, the group consisted of six Dutch islands: [[Curaçao]] (settled in 1634), [[Aruba]] (settled in 1636), [[Bonaire]] (settled in 1636), [[Sint Eustatius]] (settled in 1636), [[Saba (island)|Saba]] (settled in 1640) and [[Sint Maarten]] (settled in 1648). In the past, [[Anguilla]] (1631–1650), the present-day [[British Virgin Islands]] (1612–1672), [[St. Croix]] and [[Tobago]] had also been Dutch.

During the [[American Revolution]] Sint Eustatius, along with Curaçao, was a major trade center in the Caribbean, with Sint Eustatius a major source of supplies for the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. It had been called "the Golden Rock" because of the number of wealthy merchants and volume of trade there. The British sacked its only town, Oranjestad, in 1781 and the economy of the island never recovered.

However, with the discovery of oil in [[Venezuela]] in the nineteenth century, the [[Royal Dutch Shell|Anglo-Dutch Shell Oil Company]] established refineries in Curaçao, while the U.S. processed Venezuelan crude oil in Aruba. This resulted in booming economies on the two islands, which turned to bust in the 1980s when the oil refineries were closed.<ref>Albert Gastmann, "Suriname and the Dutch in the Caribbean" in ''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture'', vol. 5, p. 189. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996.</ref>

The various islands were united as a single country – the Netherlands Antilles – in 1954, under the Dutch crown. The country was [[Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles|dissolved]] on 10 October 2010.<ref name="bbc" />
Curaçao and Sint Maarten became distinct [[Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|constituent countries]] alongside Aruba which had become a distinct constituent country in 1986; whereas Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (the [[BES islands]]) [[Caribbean Netherlands|became special municipalities]] within the [[Netherlands]] proper.<ref name="endofNA">{{cite news |title=Antillen opgeheven op 10-10-2010 |url=http://www.nos.nl/nosjournaal/artikelen/2009/10/1/011009_antillen.html |publisher=NOS {{clarify |date=May 2015}} |date=1 October 2009 |access-date=1 October 2009 |language=nl |archive-date=4 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004012255/http://www.nos.nl/nosjournaal/artikelen/2009/10/1/011009_antillen.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Curacao Willemstad (36699795245).jpg|thumb|right|[[Willemstad]]]]
From 1815 onwards [[Curaçao and Dependencies]] formed a colony of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1865 a government regulation for Curaçao was enacted that allowed for some very limited autonomy for the colony. Although this regulation was replaced by a constitution ({{langx|nl|Staatsregeling}}) in 1936, the changes to the government structure remained superficial and Curaçao continued to be ruled as a colony.<ref>Oostindie and Klinkers 2001: 12–13</ref>

The Dutch abolition of slavery in 1863 would hit most of the economies of the Dutch Caribbean islands hard as they were primarily slave labor-driven, plantation-based economies (the King of the Netherlands officially apologising for its part in the trade at a formal ceremony in 2023).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ferrer |first=Isabel |date=2023-07-01 |title=King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologizes for slavery in Dutch colonies |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-07-01/king-willem-alexander-of-the-netherlands-apologizes-for-slavery-in-dutch-colonies.html |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref> With the exception of Aruba, where slavery was not as widespread as the island was considered too dry by the Dutch for large-scale plantations.

Economic prosperity on Curaçao and neighboring Aruba was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields.

Colonial rule ended after the conclusion of the [[Second World War]]. [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina]] had promised in a 1942 speech to offer autonomy to the overseas territories of the Netherlands. During the war, the British and American occupation of the islands – with the consent of the Dutch government – led to increasing demands for autonomy within the population as well.<ref>Oostindie and Klinkers 2001: 29–32</ref>

In May 1948 a new constitution for the territory entered into force, allowing the largest amount of autonomy possible under the Dutch constitution of 1922. Among other things, [[universal suffrage]] was introduced. The territory was also renamed "Netherlands Antilles". After the Dutch constitution was revised in 1948, a new interim Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles was enacted in February 1951. Shortly afterwards, on 3 March 1951, the [[Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles]] ({{langx|nl|Eilandenregeling Nederlandse Antillen or ERNA}}) was issued by [[royal decree]], giving fairly wide autonomy to the various island territories in the Netherlands Antilles. A consolidated version of this regulation remained in force until the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.<ref>Oostindie and Klinkers 2001: 41–44</ref><ref>Overheid.nl – [http://decentrale.regelgeving.overheid.nl/cvdr/XHTMLoutput/Historie/Nederlandse%20Antillen/7402/7402_1.html KONINKLIJK BESLUIT van 3 maart 1951, houdende de eilandenregeling Nederlandse Antillen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212251/http://decentrale.regelgeving.overheid.nl/cvdr/xhtmloutput/Historie/Nederlandse |date=2 February 2019 }}</ref>

The new constitution was only deemed an interim arrangement, as negotiations for a [[Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands|Charter for the Kingdom]] were already under way. On 15 December 1954 the Netherlands Antilles, [[Suriname]] and the Netherlands acceded as equal partners to an overarching Kingdom of the Netherlands, established by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With this move, the United Nations deemed decolonization of the territory complete and removed the Netherlands Antilles from the [[United Nations list of non-self-governing territories]].<ref>Oostindie and Klinkers 2001: 47–56</ref>
[[File:Driedaags bezoek premier Den Uyl Weeknummer 74-36 - Open Beelden - 58221.ogv|thumb|Dutch prime minister Den Uyl visiting the Antilles, 1974]]
Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles on 1 January 1986 after a 30 year-long political battle for separation, paving the way for a series of referendums among the remaining islands on the future of the Netherlands Antilles. Whereas the ruling parties campaigned for the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the people voted for a restructuring of the Netherlands Antilles. The coalition campaigning for this option became the [[Party for the Restructured Antilles]], which ruled the Netherlands Antilles for much of the time until its dissolution on 10 October 2010.

=== Dissolution ===
{{main|Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles}}
[[File:Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1959–1986).svg|thumb|right|Flag of the Netherlands Antilles before Aruba seceded in 1986]]

Even though the referendums held in the early 1990s resulted in a vote in favour of retaining the Netherlands Antilles, the arrangement continued to be an unhappy one. Between June 2000 and April 2005, each island of the Netherlands Antilles had a new referendum on its future status. The four options that could be voted on were the following:
* closer ties with the Netherlands
* remaining within the Netherlands Antilles
* autonomy as a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (''[[status aparte]]'')
* independence

Of the five islands, Sint Maarten and Curaçao voted for ''status aparte'', Saba and Bonaire voted for closer ties with the Netherlands, and Sint Eustatius voted to stay within the Netherlands Antilles.

On 26 November 2005, a Round Table Conference (RTC) was held between the governments of the Netherlands, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and each island in the Netherlands Antilles. The final statement to emerge from the RTC stated that autonomy for Curaçao and Sint Maarten, plus a new status for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (BES) would come into effect by 1 July 2007.<ref name="bzk2">{{cite web |publisher=Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations |title=Closing statement of the first Round Table Conference |url=http://english.minbzk.nl//subjects/aruba-and-the/publications/@70051/closing_statement_of |date=26 November 2005 |access-date=19 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121171959/http://english.minbzk.nl//subjects/aruba-and-the/publications/@70051/closing_statement_of |archive-date=21 November 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
On 12 October 2006, the Netherlands reached an agreement with Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba: this agreement would make these islands special municipalities.<ref>{{cite web |author=Radio Netherlands |title=Caribbean islands become Dutch municipalities |url=http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/ant061012mc |date=12 October 2006 |access-date=2 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20061213212643/http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/ant061012mc |archive-date=13 December 2006 }}</ref>

On 3 November 2006, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were granted autonomy in an agreement,<ref>{{cite news |title=Curaçao and St Maarten to have country status |url=http://www.government.nl/News/Press_releases_and_news_items/2006/November/Cura_ao_and_St_Maarten_to_have_country_status |publisher=Government.nl |date=3 November 2006 |access-date=21 January 2008}}</ref> but this agreement was rejected by the then island council of Curaçao on 28 November.<ref name="bzk">{{cite web |publisher=Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations |title=Curacao rejects final agreement |url=http://www.minbzk.nl/bzk2006uk/subjects?ActItmIdt=103621 |date=29 November 2006 |access-date=2 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930183633/http://www.minbzk.nl/bzk2006uk/subjects?ActItmIdt=103621 |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> The Curaçao government was not sufficiently convinced that the agreement would provide enough autonomy for Curaçao.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nu.nl/news/901903/11/Cura%E7ao_verwerpt_slotakkoord.html |title=Curaçao verwerpt slotakkoord |date=29 November 2006 |publisher=Nu.nl |access-date=2010-10-10 |archive-date=16 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016105827/https://www.nu.nl/algemeen/901903/curaao-verwerpt-slotakkoord.html?redirect=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 9 July 2007 the new island council of Curaçao approved the agreement previously rejected in November 2006.<ref name="approved">{{cite web |author=The Daily Herald St. Maarten |title=Curaçao IC ratifies November 2 accord |url=http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k045/ratify045.html |date=9 July 2007 |access-date=13 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711181904/http://www.thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k045/ratify045.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=11 July 2007}}</ref> A [[Curaçao status referendum, 2009|subsequent referendum]] approved the agreement as well.

The acts of parliament integrating the [[Caribbean Netherlands|"BES" islands]] ('''B'''onaire, Sint '''E'''ustatius and '''S'''aba) into the Netherlands were given royal assent on 17 May 2010. After ratification by the Netherlands (6 July), the Netherlands Antilles (20 August), and Aruba (4 September), the ''Kingdom act amending the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands with regard to the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles'' was signed by the three countries in the closing Round Table Conference on 9 September 2010 in [[The Hague]].

== Political grouping ==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ddd;"
! Flag
! Name
! <!-- Lage -->Capital
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! Currency
! Official languages
! Remarks
|-
| [[File:Flag of Curaçao.svg|border|40px]]
| [[Curaçao]]
| <!-- [[File:Curacao Location.png|100px]] -->[[Willemstad]]
| style="text-align:right;"|444 
| {{nowrap|[[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]}}
| rowspan="3" | Dutch and Papiamento
| Capital of the Netherlands Antilles<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/news/regional/10/09/netherlands-antilles-no-more/ |title=Netherlands Antilles no more |date=9 October 2010 |publisher=Stabroek News |access-date=2010-10-10 |archive-date=17 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017233244/https://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/news/regional/10/09/netherlands-antilles-no-more/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Flag of Bonaire.svg|border|40px]]
| [[Bonaire]]
| <!-- [[File:Bonaire Location.png|100px]] -->[[Kralendijk]]
| style="text-align:right;"|288 
| {{nowrap|[[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]}}
|
|-
| [[File:Flag of Aruba.svg|border|40px]]
| [[Aruba]]
| [[Oranjestad, Aruba|Oranjestad]]
| style="text-align:right;"|180 
| [[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]<br>(from 1986 [[Aruban florin]])
| Seceded on 1 January 1986
|-
| [[File:Flag of Sint Maarten.svg|border|40px]]
| [[Sint Maarten]]
| <!-- [[File:SaintMartinIle.PNG|100px]] -->[[Philipsburg, Sint Maarten|Philipsburg]]
| style="text-align:right;"|34
| [[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]
| rowspan="3" | Dutch and English
| rowspan="3" |The [[SSS islands]] formed a single [[Island territories of the Netherlands Antilles|island territory]] until 1983, when it was split up into three separate island territories.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Consider this: Timeline |url=https://smn-news.com/index.php/st-maarten-st-martin-news/40732-consider-this-timeline-2.html |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=St. Maartin News Network}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arduin |first=R.J.A. (Nilda) |date=April 2022 |title=Position paper: Initiating an approach to amending the Charter |url=http://www.sxmparliament.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IS-761-dd-07apr2022-R.J.A.Arduin-Position-paper-CCAD-roundtable-panel.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619153358/http://www.sxmparliament.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IS-761-dd-07apr2022-R.J.A.Arduin-Position-paper-CCAD-roundtable-panel.pdf |archive-date=2024-06-19 |website=Parliament of St. Martin}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Flag of Sint Eustatius.svg|border|40px]]
| [[Sint Eustatius]]
| <!-- [[File:Location SintEustatius.png|100px]] -->[[Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius|Oranjestad]]
| style="text-align:right;"|21
| {{nowrap|[[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]}}
|-
| [[File:Flag of Saba.svg|border|40px]]
| [[Saba (island)|Saba]]
| <!-- [[File:Saba Konum.png|100px]] -->{{nowrap|[[The Bottom]]}}
| style="text-align:right;"|13
| {{nowrap|[[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]}}
|- class="sortbottom" style="background:#ccc;"
| [[File:Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1959–1986).svg|border|40px]]
| {{nowrap|Netherlands Antilles}}
| [[Willemstad]]
| style="text-align:right;"|980 (before 1986)<br>800
| [[Netherlands Antillean guilder]]
|
| style="text-align:right;"|
|}

=== Constitutional grouping at time of dissolution ===
The [[Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles|Island Regulation]] had divided the Netherlands Antilles into four [[Island territories of the Netherlands Antilles|island territories]]: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao ([[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC]]), and the islands in the Leeward Islands. In 1983, the island territory of the Leeward was split up to form the new island territories of Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius ([[SSS islands|SSS]]). In 1986, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles, reducing the number of island territories to five. After the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, Curaçao and Sint Maarten became autonomous countries within the Kingdom and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba ([[BES islands|BES]]) became special municipalities of the Netherlands.

=== Current constitutional grouping ===
[[File:Kingdom of the Netherlands location tree.svg|thumb|300px|Countries and special municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that are located in the Caribbean (blue background)]]

The islands of the former country of the Netherlands Antilles are currently divided in two main groups for political and constitutional purposes:
* those islands that have the status of constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
* those islands that have the status of special municipality of the Netherlands alone, as distinct from the Kingdom in its entirety.

There are also several smaller islands, like [[Klein Curaçao]] and [[Klein Bonaire]], that belong to one of the island countries or special municipalities.

There are three Caribbean islands that are [[Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands|countries]] ({{langx|nl|landen}}) within the Kingdom of the Netherlands: [[Aruba]], [[Curaçao]], and [[Sint Maarten]]. (The [[Netherlands]] is the fourth constituent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.)

Sint Maarten covers approximately 40% of the island of [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]]; the remaining northern part of the island – the ''[[Collectivity of Saint Martin]]'' – is an overseas territory of [[France]].

There are three Caribbean islands that are [[public body (Netherlands)|special municipalities]] of the [[Netherlands]] alone: [[Bonaire]], [[Sint Eustatius]], and [[Saba (island)|Saba]]. Collectively, these [[Caribbean Netherlands|special municipalities of the Netherlands]] are also known as the [[BES islands]].

== Constitution ==
{{Main|Politics of the Netherlands Antilles}}
[[File:EU OCT and OMR map en.png|thumb|right|Map of the European Union in the world with overseas countries and territories and outermost regions]]
The [[Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles]] was proclaimed on 29 March 1955 by Order-in-Council for the Kingdom. Together with the [[Islands Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles]] it formed the constitutional basis for the Netherlands Antilles. Because the Constitution depended on the Islands Regulation, which gave fairly large autonomy to the different island territories, and the Islands Regulation was older than the Constitution, many scholars describe the Netherlands Antilles as a federal arrangement.<ref>Borman 2005:56</ref>

The head of state was the monarch of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who was represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. The governor and the council of ministers, chaired by a prime minister, formed the government. The Netherlands Antilles had a [[unicameral]] legislature called the [[Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles]]. Its 22 members were fixed in number for the islands making up the Netherlands Antilles: fourteen for Curaçao, three each for Sint Maarten and Bonaire, and one each for Saba and Sint Eustatius.

The Netherlands Antilles were not part of the [[European Union]], but instead listed as [[overseas countries and territories]] (OCTs). This status was kept for all the islands after dissolution, and will be kept until at least 2015.{{Update after|2019|7|26}}

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of the Netherlands Antilles}}

Tourism, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement (on Curaçao), as well as offshore finance were the mainstays of this small economy, which was closely tied to the outside world. The islands enjoyed a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region.<ref name="CIA GDP">[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/curacao/ COUNTRY COMPARISON GDP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504114256/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/curacao/ |date=4 May 2023 }}, [[Central Intelligence Agency]].</ref>

Almost all consumer and capital goods were imported, with [[Venezuela]], the United States, and [[Mexico]] being the major suppliers, as well as the Dutch government which supports the islands with substantial [[development aid]]. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hampered the development of agriculture. The [[Antillean guilder]] had a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of 1.79:1.

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of the Netherlands Antilles}}

A large percentage of the Netherlands Antilleans descended from European colonists and African [[Slavery|slaves]] who were brought and traded there from the 17th to 19th centuries. The rest of the population originated from other Caribbean islands as well as Latin America, East Asia and elsewhere in the world. In Curaçao there was a strong Jewish element going back to the 17th century slave trade.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

The language [[Papiamento|Papiamentu]] was predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire (as well as the neighboring island of Aruba). This [[creole language|creole]] descended from [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and West African languages with a strong admixture of Dutch, plus subsequent lexical contributions from Spanish and English. An English-based creole dialect, formally known as [[Netherlands Antilles Creole]], was the native dialect of the inhabitants of Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten.

After a decades-long debate, English and Papiamentu were made official languages alongside [[Dutch language|Dutch]] in early March 2007.<ref name=atmost>[http://www.atmost.nl/pdf/week_10_2007_klein.pdf "Antilles allow Papiamentu as official language"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191545/http://www.atmost.nl/pdf/week_10_2007_klein.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}, The Times Hague/Amsterdam/Rotterdam, 9 March 2007, page 2.</ref>
Legislation was produced in Dutch, but parliamentary debate was in Papiamentu or English, depending on the island. Due to a massive influx of immigrants from Spanish-speaking territories such as the [[Dominican Republic]] in the [[SSS islands]], and increased tourism from [[Venezuela]] in the [[ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)|ABC islands]], Spanish had also become increasingly used.

The majority of the population were followers of the Christian faith, with a Protestant majority in Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten, and a Roman Catholic majority in Bonaire, Curaçao and Saba. Curaçao also hosted a sizeable group of followers of the Jewish religion, descendants of a [[Portugal|Portuguese]] group of [[Sephardic]] Jews that arrived from Amsterdam and [[Brazil]] from 1654. In 1982, there was a population of about 2,000 [[Muslims]], with an Islamic association and a [[mosque]] in the capital.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Ingvar Svanberg |author2=David Westerlund |title=Islam Outside the Arab World |date=6 December 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-11330-7 |page=447}}</ref>

Most Netherlands Antilleans were [[Dutch nationality law|Dutch citizens]] and this status permitted and encouraged the young and university-educated to emigrate to the Netherlands. This exodus was considered to be to the islands' detriment, as it created a [[brain drain]]. On the other hand, immigrants from the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Haiti]], the [[Anglophone Caribbean]] and [[Colombia]] had increased their presence on these islands in later years.

== Culture ==
{{See also|Music of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles|Culture of St. Martin|Culture of Saba}}

[[File:bulawaya-1.jpg|thumb|A Bulawaya dance in [[Curaçao]]]]
The origins of the population and location of the islands gave the Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture.

Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the United States increased the regional United States influence. On all the islands, the holiday of [[Carnival]] had become an important event after its importation from other [[Caribbean]] and Latin American countries in the 1960s. Festivities included "jump-up" parades with beautifully colored costumes, floats, and live bands as well as beauty contests and other competitions. Carnival on the islands also included a middle-of-the-night [[j'ouvert]] (juvé) parade that ended at sunrise with the burning of a straw [[King Momo]], cleansing the island of sins and bad luck.

== Sports ==
{{See also|Netherlands Antilles at the Olympics}}
Netherlands Lesser Antilles competed in the Winter Olympics of 1988, notably finishing 29th in the bobsled, ahead of Jamaica who famously competed but finished 30th.

Baseball is by far the most popular sport. Several players have made it to the Major Leagues, such as [[Xander Bogaerts]], [[Andrelton Simmons]], [[Hensley Meulens]], [[Randall Simon]], [[Andruw Jones]], [[Kenley Jansen]], [[Jair Jurrjens]], [[Roger Bernadina]], [[Sidney Ponson]], [[Didi Gregorius]], [[Shairon Martis]], [[Wladimir Balentien]], and [[Yurendell DeCaster]]. Xander Bogaerts won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox, in 2013 and 2018.  Andruw Jones played for the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series hitting two home runs in his first game against the New York Yankees.

Three athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles competed in the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]. They, alongside one athlete from [[South Sudan]], competed under the banner of [[Independent Olympic Athletes at the 2012 Summer Olympics|Independent Olympic Athletes]].

The Netherlands Antilles, though a non-existing entity since 2010, are allowed to field teams at the [[Chess Olympiad]] under this name, because the Curaçao Chess Federation remains officially registered as representing the dissolved country in the [[Fédération Internationale des Échecs|FIDE]] Directory.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ratings.fide.com/fide_directory.phtml?country=AHO&list=778 |title=FIDE Directory – Netherlands Antilles |publisher=FIDE |access-date=10 October 2018 |archive-date=14 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014100300/https://ratings.fide.com/fide_directory.phtml?country=AHO&list=778 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Crime==

The main prison of the Netherlands Antilles was [[Sentro di Detenshon i Korekshon Kòrsou|Koraal Specht]], later known as Bon Futuro. It was known for ill treatment of prisoners and bad conditions throughout the years.<ref name=volkskrant>{{cite news |author=Rob Gollin |url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/archief/article/detail/452539/1998/02/23/Koraalspecht-is-het-ergst-zeggen-zelfs-Colombiaanse-gevangenen.dhtml |title=Koraalspecht is het ergst, zeggen zelfs Colombiaanse gevangenen |language=nl |newspaper=[[de Volkskrant]] |date=23 February 1998 |access-date=6 October 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal bar|Caribbean|Netherlands|Geography}}
* [[Index of Netherlands Antilles-related articles]] <!-- Please place links to les-related articles]] -->
* [[Outline of the Netherlands Antilles]]
* [[British West Indies]], [[West Indies Federation]]
* [[Danish West Indies]]
* [[French West Indies]]
* [[Spanish West Indies]]
{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* Borman, C. (2005) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=2-tZN0vj5QwC&pg=PP1 Het Statuut voor het Koninkrijk]'', Deventer: Kluwer.
* Oostindie, G. and Klinkers, I. (2001) ''Het Koninkrijk inde Caraïben: een korte geschiedenis van het Nederlandse dekolonisatiebeleid 1940–2000''. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|Netherlands Antilles|voy=Netherlands Antilles}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101018032207/http://www.gov.an/ GOV.an]&nbsp;– Main governmental site
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nt.html Netherlands Antilles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205173858/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nt.html |date=5 December 2010 }}. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081025074859/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/netherlandsantilles.htm Netherlands Antilles] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{Wikiatlas|Netherlands Antilles}}

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