The Netherlands Antilles (Dutch Dutch ( Nederlands ) is a West Germanic language spoken by over 22 million people as a native language and over 5 million people as a second language. Most native speakers live in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, with smaller groups of speakers in parts of France, Germany and several former Dutch colonies. It is closely related to other: Nederlandse Antillen (help·info), Papiamento Papiamento is the official and most widely spoken language on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called ABC islands). Papiamento is also spoken on the island of Sint Eustatius: Antia Hulandes[3]), previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, consists of two groups of islands An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically. The word archipelago is directly derived from the Greek arkhon (arkhi-) ("leader") and pelagos ("sea"). In Italian, possibly following a tradition of antiquity, the Archipelago (Greek: Αρχιπέλαγος) was the proper name for the Aegean Sea and, that form part of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. The islands are a long partly volcanic island arc, most of which wrap around the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea on the western boundary with the Atlantic Ocean, and in the Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean situated in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded to the southwest by the Central American countries of Panama, to the west by Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico, to the north by The Greater Antilles , and to the east by the Lesser Antilles. The islands are Curaçao Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Island Territory of Curaçao (Dutch: Eilandgebied Curaçao, Papiamentu: Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou), which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"), is one of five island territories of the and Bonaire The Island Territory of Bonaire is one of five island territories (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the main island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern, which are just off the Venezuelan Venezuela (pronounced /ˌvɛnɨˈzweɪlə/ ; Spanish: [beneˈswela]), officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea. The republic is coast and belong to the Leeward Antilles The Leeward Antilles are a chain of islands in the Caribbean – specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles along the southeastern fringe of the Caribbean Sea, just north of the Venezuelan coast of the South American mainland. The Leeward Antilles, while among the Lesser Antilles, are not to be confused with the Leeward Islands (; and Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius , also known affectionately to the locals as Statia, or Statius (/ˈjuːstəs/), is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands, Saba Saba is the smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, located at 17°38′N 63°14′W / 17.633°N 63.233°W and Sint Maarten The Island Territory of Sint Maarten is one of five island territories (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, encompassing the southern half of the island of Saint Martin. At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population of the Eilandgebied was 30,594. The official estimate of population as at 1 Jan 2009 was 40,917, for a population, which are located southeast of the Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands are the eastern island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Politically, the north-eastern islands form the British Virgin Islands and the south-western ones the United States Virgin Islands and are part of the Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands, part of the West Indies. They are situated where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. The southern part of the Lesser Antilles chain is called the Windward Islands. These Dutch The Netherlands (pronounced /ˈnɛðɚləndz/ ; Dutch: Nederland, pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑnt] ( listen)) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in North-West Europe. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany islands form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) is a sovereign state with territory in Western Europe (the Netherlands) and in the Caribbean (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). The three parts are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. Their constitutional. The islands' economy depends mostly upon tourism Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity, international financial services, shipping Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship, and petroleum Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, toxic, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, and other organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling. It is refined and separated, most easily by.
The Netherlands Antilles are scheduled to be dissolved as a unified political entity on 10 October 2010, so that the five constituent islands will each attain a new constitutional status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[4]
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History
Main article: History of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles were colonized by the Netherlands in the 17th century. The two islands Curaçao and Sint Eustatius were once the centers of the Caribbean slave trade and transit ports for the rest of the Caribbean. From the last quarter of the 17th century, the group consisted of six undisputedly Dutch islands: Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, See also: Dutch colonial empire In the 18th century St. Eustatius Sint Eustatius , also known affectionately to the locals as Statia, or Statius (/ˈjuːstəs/), is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands was the most important Dutch island in the Caribbean.Spanish-sponsored explorers discovered both the leeward The traditional nautical pronunciations are the elided forms /ˈljuːərd/ and /ˈwɪnərd/. However, nowadays these are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned, and the more literal /ˈliːwərd/ and /ˈwɪndwərd/ are common. The pronunciation for the Leeward and Windward Islands and the Leeward Antilles is normally the latter form (Alonso de Ojeda Alonso de Ojeda was born in 1466 Cuenca. He came from an impoverished noble family, but had the good fortune to start his career in the household of the Duke of Medinaceli. Early on he gained the patronage of Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca, bishop of Burgos and later Patriarch of the Indies, who made it possible for Ojeda to accompany Christopher, 1499) and windward The traditional nautical pronunciations are the elided forms /ˈljuːərd/ and /ˈwɪnərd/. However, nowadays these are sometimes regarded as old-fashioned, and the more literal /ˈliːwərd/ and /ˈwɪndwərd/ are common. The pronunciation for the Leeward and Windward Islands and the Leeward Antilles is normally the latter form (Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator, colonizer, and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere. With his four voyages of exploration and several attempts at establishing a settlement on the island of Hispaniola, all funded by Isabella I of, 1493) island groups, but Spain Spain (pronounced /ˈspeɪn/ spayn; Spanish: España, pronounced [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[note 6] Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for founded settlements only in the leeward islands. In the 17th century, the islands were conquered by the Dutch West India Company Dutch West India Company was a chartered company (known as the "GWC") of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx (1567-1647?). On June 3, 1621, it was granted a charter for a trade monopoly in the West Indies (meaning the Caribbean) by the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands and given jurisdiction over the and were used as military outposts and trade bases. In the late 18th century St. Eustatius Sint Eustatius , also known affectionately to the locals as Statia, or Statius (/ˈjuːstəs/), is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands became the most prosperous island of the Northeastern Caribbean, earning the nickname "The Golden Rock." Both Curaçao and Sint Eustatius became prominent in the slave trade The history of slavery covers systems throughout human history in which one human being is legally the property of another, can be bought or sold, is not allowed to escape and must work for the owner without any choice involved. A critical element is that children of a slave mother automatically become slaves. It does not include forced labor by. Slavery was abolished in 1863.
In 1954, the status of the islands was up-graded from a colonial territory to a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) is a sovereign state with territory in Western Europe (the Netherlands) and in the Caribbean (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). The three parts are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. Their constitutional as a separate country within the kingdom. The island of Aruba Aruba is a 33-kilometre (21 mi)-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of the coast of Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles was part of the Netherlands Antilles until 1986, when it was granted status aparte, becoming yet another part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) is a sovereign state with territory in Western Europe (the Netherlands) and in the Caribbean (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). The three parts are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. Their constitutional as a separate country within the kingdom.
Between June 2000 and April 2005, each island of the Netherlands Antilles had a 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 to 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, Saba, and Sint Eustatius would come into effect by 1 July 2007.[5] On 12 October 2006, the Netherlands reached an agreement with Saba, Bonaire, and Sint Eustatius; this agreement would make these islands special municipalities.[6]
On 3 November 2006, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were granted autonomy in an agreement,[7] but this agreement was rejected by the then island council of Curaçao on November 28.[8] The Curaçao government was not sufficiently convinced that the agreement would provide enough autonomy for Curaçao.[9] On 9 July 2007 the new island council of Curaçao approved the agreement previously rejected in November 2006.[10]
Constitution
Main article: Politics of the Netherlands AntillesThe head of state is the ruling monarch of the Netherlands The Netherlands (pronounced /ˈnɛðɚləndz/ ; Dutch: Nederland, pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑnt] ( listen)) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in North-West Europe. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany, who is represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. A council of ministers, chaired by a prime minister, forms the local government. Together with the governor, who holds responsibility for external affairs and defense, it forms the executive branch On the study of political science the executive branch of government has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the separation of powers of the government.
The legislative branch A legislature is a type of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. Legislatures are known by many names, the most common being parliament and congress, although these terms also have more specific meanings. In parliamentary systems of government, is two-layered. Delegates of the islands are represented in the government of the Netherlands Antilles, but each island has its own government that takes care of the daily affairs on the island.
The Netherlands Antilles are not part of the European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 member states which are located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993 upon the foundations of the European Communities. With over 500 million citizens, the EU combined generated an estimated 28% share (US$ 16.5. Since 2006 the Islands have given rise to diplomatic disputes between Venezuela and the Netherlands. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the President of Venezuela. As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Chávez promotes a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation. He is also a critic of neoliberalism, globalization, and United States foreign policy claims that the Netherlands might allow the United States to install military bases that would be necessary for what he views as a planned U.S. invasion of Venezuela.[11] Curaçao is under consideration as a Cooperative Security Location, not a full Main Operating Base.
Future status
Main article: Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles Map of the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) is a sovereign state with territory in Western Europe (the Netherlands) and in the Caribbean (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). The three parts are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. Their constitutional. The Netherlands The Netherlands (pronounced /ˈnɛðɚləndz/ ; Dutch: Nederland, pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑnt] ( listen)) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in North-West Europe. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany and the Caribbean islands are on the same scale.The Netherlands Antilles is to be disbanded on 10 October 2010.[4] The idea of the Netherlands Antilles as a state never enjoyed the full support of all of the islands, and political relations between islands were often strained. Aruba Aruba is a 33-kilometre (21 mi)-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of the coast of Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, and formed its own state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) is a sovereign state with territory in Western Europe (the Netherlands) and in the Caribbean (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). The three parts are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. Their constitutional. The desire for secession has also been strong in Sint Maarten The Island Territory of Sint Maarten is one of five island territories (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, encompassing the southern half of the island of Saint Martin. At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population of the Eilandgebied was 30,594. The official estimate of population as at 1 Jan 2009 was 40,917, for a population.
In 2004, a commission of the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and the Netherlands The Netherlands (pronounced /ˈnɛðɚləndz/ ; Dutch: Nederland, pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑnt] ( listen)) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in North-West Europe. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany reported on a future status for the Netherlands Antilles. The commission advised a revision of the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands Antilles.
Two new constituent countries A constituent country is a country that is part of a larger entity, such as a sovereign state or supranational body within the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) is a sovereign state with territory in Western Europe (the Netherlands) and in the Caribbean (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). The three parts are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality as partners in the Kingdom. Their constitutional would be formed: Curaçao Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Island Territory of Curaçao (Dutch: Eilandgebied Curaçao, Papiamentu: Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou), which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"), is one of five island territories of the and Sint Maarten The Island Territory of Sint Maarten is one of five island territories (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, encompassing the southern half of the island of Saint Martin. At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population of the Eilandgebied was 30,594. The official estimate of population as at 1 Jan 2009 was 40,917, for a population.[12][13] Meanwhile, the BES islands Bonaire The Island Territory of Bonaire is one of five island territories (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the main island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern, Saba Saba is the smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, located at 17°38′N 63°14′W / 17.633°N 63.233°W , and Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius , also known affectionately to the locals as Statia, or Statius (/ˈjuːstəs/), is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands would become direct parts of the Netherlands as special municipalities (bijzondere gemeenten), a form of "public body" (openbaar lichaam) as outlined in article 134 of the Dutch Constitution. These municipalities will resemble ordinary Dutch municipalities in most ways (they will have a mayor, aldermen and a municipal council, for example) and will have to introduce most Dutch law. Residents of these three islands will also be able to vote in Dutch national and European elections.
There are, however, some derogations for these islands. Social security, for example, will not be on the same level as it is in the Netherlands. Furthermore, it was decided in November 2008 that the official currency will be the U.S. dollar and not the Euro.[14] All five of the island territories may also continue to access the Common Court of Justice of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles (with the Joint Court probably receiving a new name).[15]
Originally the term used[by whom?] for Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius to describe their expected association with the Netherlands was "Kingdom Islands" (Koninkrijkseilanden). The Dutch province of North Holland has offered the three new municipalities the opportunity to become part of the province.
Additionally, the Kingdom Council of Ministers would consist of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands and one mandated minister per Caribbean country. The special municipalities would be represented in the Kingdom Council of Ministers by the Netherlands, as they can vote for the Dutch parliament.
The Netherlands has proposed that the Treaty of Lisbon allow the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to opt for the status of Outermost Region (OMR) also called Ultra Peripheral Region (UPR), if they wish.[16]
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Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:13:37 GMT+00:00
Sail World At the head of the men's competition Netherlands Antilles sailor Just Van Aanholt became the only competitor to have made the top ten in each of the four ...
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Netherlands Antilles
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hu, 24 Jun 2010 20:51:29 GM
On wednesdaynight 23rd of June (Olympic Day) NAOC summoned its annual General Assembly in the Hilton Hotel on Curacao. There were a total of 24 national sportsfederations present, including representatives from Bonaire, St. ...
