Home

Antillen

Antillen is the Dutch name for the Antilles, a Caribbean group of islands. In Dutch usage it most often referred to the Netherlands Antilles, a former constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that historically included Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

On 10 October 2010 the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Aruba had already become a separate country within

Geography and population: The islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, near the coast of South America.

Government and economy: The Caribbean Netherlands are governed as municipalities of the Netherlands, while Curaçao and

the
Kingdom
in
1986.
Curaçao
and
Sint
Maarten
became
separate
countries
within
the
Kingdom,
while
Bonaire,
Sint
Eustatius
and
Saba
became
special
municipalities
of
the
Netherlands,
commonly
known
as
the
Caribbean
Netherlands.
The
population
reflects
a
mix
of
Caribbean,
Dutch
and
Latin
American
influences.
Official
languages
in
administration
include
Dutch,
with
regional
languages
such
as
Papiamento
widely
spoken
on
Curaçao,
Bonaire
and
Aruba,
and
English
commonly
used
in
Sint
Maarten
and
in
tourism.
Sint
Maarten
maintain
autonomous
governments
within
the
Kingdom.
The
economy
centers
on
tourism,
with
additional
activities
in
offshore
services
and
maritime
sectors
on
some
islands.
Currency
varies
by
island:
the
Caribbean
Netherlands
use
the
US
dollar,
while
Curaçao
and
Sint
Maarten
use
the
Netherlands
Antillean
guilder,
and
Aruba
uses
the
Aruban
florin.