Overview
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, collectively known as the Caribbean Netherlands or the BES islands, form a geographic region of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean. These three islands are special municipalities of the Netherlands and are officially classified as public bodies within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Caribbean Netherlands has a total population of 31,980 and covers an area of 328 square kilometres (127 square miles).
Geographic Location
The three islands are distributed across different parts of the Lesser Antilles. Bonaire, which includes the islet of Klein Bonaire, is part of the Leeward Antilles and is located close to the coast of Venezuela. Sint Eustatius and Saba are located in the main Lesser Antilles group, positioned south of Sint Maarten and northwest of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The islands have distinct geographic characteristics. Bonaire and the wider Leeward Antilles have a mixed volcanic and coral origin and are warmer and drier than other Caribbean islands. Sint Eustatius and Saba are volcanic in origin and hilly, with limited land suitable for agriculture. Mount Scenery on Saba reaches 870 metres (2,850 feet) and is the highest point in the country and in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Legal and Political Status
The three islands acquired their current status as special municipalities following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010. Unlike other Caribbean territories in the Kingdom such as Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba, which are autonomous constituent countries, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are legally part of the constituent country of the Netherlands itself.
The special municipalities are administered through a Governing Council headed by an Island governor, with a main democratic body called the island council. Dutch citizens of these three islands are entitled to vote in Dutch national elections and European elections, having first voted in the 2012 Dutch general election.
Administration and Governance
The National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands (Dutch: Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland) is responsible for providing key services including taxation, policing, immigration, transport infrastructure, health, education, and social security on behalf of the Government of the Netherlands. The Representative for the public bodies represents the Government of the Netherlands on the islands and performs tasks similar to a King's Commissioner.
Many Dutch laws have special Caribbean Netherlands versions. For example, social security provision differs from that in the European Netherlands. The islands do not form part of the European Union but instead hold "overseas countries and territories" (OCT) status within the Union.
Climate
The islands enjoy a tropical climate with warm weather year-round. The Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier than the Windward Islands. Forest cover comprises approximately 6% of the total land area, with naturally regenerating forest covering 1,910 hectares as of 2020.
Languages
English is widely spoken throughout the Caribbean Netherlands and is the primary language in Sint Eustatius and Saba. In Bonaire, Papiamentu is the primary first language, though residents generally also speak Dutch, English, and Spanish. English serves as the lingua franca of the Caribbean Netherlands as a whole.
Currency
Until 1 January 2011, the three islands used the Netherlands Antillean guilder. After that date, all three islands switched to a different currency system.