Citizendia

For other uses, see Bonaire (disambiguation).
Eilandgebied Bonaire
Teritorio Insular di Boneiru
Island Territory of Bonaire
Flag of BonaireCoat of arms of Bonaire
Flag
Anthem: Tera di Solo y suave biento
Location of Bonaire
Capital
(and largest city)		Kralendijk
12°15′N, 68°28′W
Official languagesDutch, Papiamentu
GovernmentSee Politics of the Netherlands Antilles
 - Administrator of BonaireHerbert Domacassé
 - Governor of N. flag of Bonaire has a large blue triangle in the lower right corner and a smaller yellow triangle in the upper left corner A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's Tera di Solo y suave biento is the National anthem of the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Kralendijk is the capital city of the island of Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Politics of the Netherlands Antilles, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic A. Frits Goedgedrag
Constitutional monarchypart of the Netherlands Antilles 
Area
 - Total294 km² 
113 sq mi 
Population
 - 2006 census14,006 
 - Density49/km² (ranked as part of N. A.)
99/sq mi
CurrencyNetherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Time zone-4 (UTC-4)
Internet TLD. Frits Martinus de los Santos Goedgedrag (born 1 November 1951 in Aruba) is the current Governor of the Netherlands Antilles. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch:) previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different surface Areas here is a list of areas between 1 million km² and 10 million km² The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The guilder (gulden is the currency of the Netherlands Antilles. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established A country an
Calling code+599

The Island Territory of Bonaire (Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas (Eilandgebieden) of the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the main island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called |||}The Netherlands Antilles is divided in five administrative divisions the Island Areas ( Eilandgebieden) Bonaire, including an islet called The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch:) previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles Klein Bonaire ( Dutch for "little Bonaire" is a small uninhabited Islet off the west coast of the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles. Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, The ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. They are the three most western Islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Leeward Antilles are a chain of Islands in the Caribbean – specifically the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and in turn the Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the

As part of the Netherlands Antilles, Bonaire is accordingly a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities The structure of the relationship between Bonaire, the Netherlands Antilles and the Kingdom is being considered for change under proposed legislation. The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities

Contents

History

Original Inhabitants

Bonaire's first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians, a branch of the Arawak who, around 1000 AD, sailed from what is now Venezuela. Caiquetios Indian was a tribe of the Arawak Indians which lived in Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire and were descendants from the Caiquetios who lived The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in Traces of Caquetio culture are at a number of archaeological sites, including those at Lac Bay and northeast of Kralendijk. Rock paintings and petroglyphs have survived at the caves at Spelonk, Onima, Ceru Pungi, and Ceru Crita-Cabai. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading The Caquetios were apparently a very tall people, for the Spanish dubbed the Leeward Islands 'las Islas de los Gigantes' (the islands of the giants).

Control

Bonaire was claimed for the Spanish by Amerigo Vespucci and Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. The Explorer and Cartographer Amerigo Vespucci ( March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was the first person to demonstrate Alonso de Ojeda (c 1465 &ndash 1515 was a Spanish explorer born of noble parentage in Cuenca. Under Spanish occupation, the natives were enslaved and transported to Hispaniola, but the island's physical resources were largely ignored. By 1526, the island was depopulated. That year, Juan de Ampues, regional governor, turned it into a cattle plantation and repopulated it with Indians.

In 1633, the Dutch, having lost the island of St. Maarten to the Spanish, retaliated by capturing Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba. While Curaçao emerged as a center of the slave trade, Bonaire became a plantation of the Dutch West India Company. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another A small number of African slaves were put to work alongside Indians and convicts, cultivating dyewood and maize and harvesting solar salt around Blue Pan. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants Slave quarters, rising no higher than a man's waist and built entirely of stone, still stand in the area around Rincon and along the saltpans as a grim reminder of Bonaire's repressive past.

The Netherlands lost control of the island twice, from 1800-1803 and 1807-1815. During these intervals, the British had control over the neighboring island of Curaçao, and, by extension, Bonaire. Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, During the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Bonaire was a protectorate of Britain and the United States.

Geography

Bonaire is a popular tourist destination for both shore diving and shore snorkeling.
Bonaire is a popular tourist destination for both shore diving and shore snorkeling. Recreational diving or sport diving is a type of diving that uses SCUBA equipment for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment
Bonaire Island and Klein Bonaire, from space, March 1996. The white and flat red areas in the south are salt flats.
Bonaire Island and Klein Bonaire, from space, March 1996. The white and flat red areas in the south are salt flats.
The Old Malmok lighthouse - in Washington Slagbaai National Park.
The Old Malmok lighthouse - in Washington Slagbaai National Park.

Bonaire has a land area of 288 km² (111 sq. miles), while Klein Bonaire is a further 6 km² (2. 3 sq. miles). Bonaire's Afdeling Bevolking (census) office reported that the population of was 14,006 inhabitants as of December, 2006,[1] which gives Bonaire island proper a population density of 49 inh. per km².

Bonaire lies outside the hurricane belt, and is served by Flamingo International Airport. The hurricane belt is an area in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, which is prone to Hurricanes during the Flamingo International Airport or Bonaire International Airport is an international airport located at Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Bonaire is world renowned for its excellent scuba diving and is consistently rated among the top shore diving and Caribbean diving locations in the world. Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. Bonaire's license plates carry the logo Diver's Paradise (in English). The island is ringed by a coral reef which is easily accessible from the shore along the Western and Southern sides. Furthermore, the entire coastline of the island has been declared a marine sanctuary, preserving local fish life. Marine Protected Area (MPA is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of marine areas with some level of restriction to protect living non-living cultural and/or historic Bonaire is also consistently recognised as one of the best destinations for snorkeling. Snorkeling ( British spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of Swimming at the surface of a body of water while equipped with a Diving mask, a

The coral reef around uninhabited Klein Bonaire is particularly well conserved, and it draws divers, snorkelers, and boaters. Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water Klein Bonaire ( Dutch for "little Bonaire" is a small uninhabited Islet off the west coast of the Caribbean island of Bonaire.

Bonaire also has several coral reefs where seahorses are common.

Bonaire is also famed for its flamingo populations and its donkey sanctuary. Flamingos or flamingoes ( are gregarious Wading birds in the Genus Phoenicopterus and family The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family and an odd-toed ungulate. Flamingos are drawn to the brackish water, which harbours shrimp they feed on. Starting in the 1500s, the Dutch raised sheep, goats, pigs, horses and donkeys on Bonaire, and the descendants of the goats and donkeys roam the island today. The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae.

Washington Slagbaai National Park, located at the north side of the island, is an ecological preserve. The highest point of Bonaire, Brandaris, located within this preserve has a complete view of the island.

Lac Bay, (also known as Lac Cai or Lac Cay) on the eastern side of the island, is a windsurfer's paradise. Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board also commonly called a sailboard usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail Locals Taty and Tonky Frans in 2004 were ranked in the top five of the world's freestyle windsurfing professionals.

Finally, Atlantis Beach, on the western part of the island, is the local kitesurfing spot. Kitesurfing, kiteboarding, uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small Surfboard or a kiteboard (which is like a Wakeboard)

Cities/Towns

The only generally recognized towns on the island are Kralendijk and Rincon. Kralendijk is the capital city of the island of Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles. Rincon is one of the only two towns on Bonaire, situated in the north of the island in an inland valley

Kralendijk has many suburbs/neighbourhoods (on an island with such a small population, the distinction is not always clearcut). Kralendijk's suburbs/neighbourhoods include:

Other smaller settlements include

Several smaller towns had existed in the national park, but are now abandoned. Antriol is a settlement on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean nation of the Netherlands Antilles. Boven Bolivia is a small settlement on the island of Bonaire at the head of a lagoon on the island's east coast They were: Labra, Ishiri, Kokorobi, Jan Doran, Vlijt, Rigot, Porto Spano, and Kunchi.

Languages

The official languages are Dutch, Papiamentu, and English. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States English became an official language of the Netherlands Antilles in March, 2007. In practice, it is not used for official purposes on Bonaire. Spanish and English are widely spoken on the island.

Gallery

Homestead with a cactus fence. A cactus fence is a hedge or Fence made of closely-spaced Cactus plants sometimes with Barbed wire or wood interwoven with the cacti

A cactus fence.

Iguana.

The clear water of Bonaire.

Divers and a large orange sponge.

French Angelfish with dive boat in background.

Two Caribbean Reef Squid.

Divers and a large orange sponge.

Christmas tree worms in a brain coral. Spirobranchus giganteus, commonly known as christmas tree worm s are small tube-building Polychaete worms belonging to the family Serpulidae Brain coral is a Common name given to several genera of Coral which are characterized by the Spheroid shape of their colonies, and

Pederson's Shrimp.

Grey reef shark

Close-up of a Long-lure Frogfish. The gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, is one of the most common Sharks in Indo-Pacific waters from the Red Sea to Easter Frogfish are a family Antennariidae, of Anglerfish. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans and seas around the world

Diver on the wreck of the Hilma Hooker.

Oscellated Frogfish. Frogfish are a family Antennariidae, of Anglerfish. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans and seas around the world

Diver under the Salt Pier.

Sponges and Cup Corals at night on the Town Pier.

Freshly caught Wahoo by local fisherman. wahoo ( Acanthocybium solandri) is a dark blue scombrid Fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas

See also

References

  1. ^ Bonaire Reporter February 9, 2007

External links

Government:

Island Information:

Nature:

News:

WebCams:

Other Photos of Bonaire


Mapquest zoom level 7 only has the Kralendijk region; this region is also available in zoom level 8, 9, and 10. In 1948 Pierre Schunck (1906-1993 stemming from a family of weavers and son of the builder of the famous Glaspaleis in Heerlen, the Netherlands (see Schunck Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system.


Dictionary

Bonaire

-proper noun

  1. An island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea off the west coast of Venezuela, belonging to the Netherlands Antilles.
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