Bonaire
With origins similar to Curaçao, Bonaire was captured by the Dutch
in 1634, and was a granary for the Dutch East Indian Company until
1791, when the government reclaimed control.
Sint Eustatius
The first settlement in Sint Eustatius was established in 1636 and
changed hands between the Dutch, French, and Spanish 22 times in its
history. In the 18th century the island became a duty-free port for
overburdened colonizers shipping back to the homeland, which
propelled it into a major port with rapid population growth that
lost momentum after the American-British peace treaty in 1783.
Saba
Columbus was the first to sight Saba, but it was the Dutch who
colonized the island in 1640 with a party from Sint Eustatius.
Because of its difficult terrain, the island's growth progressed
slowly, and it remains the least populated island in the Dutch
Kingdom.
Sint Maarten
The Dutch were the first to colonize Sint Maarten in 1631, but
within 2 years the Spanish invaded and evacuated the settlers. The
Dutch failed in an attempt to regain the island in 1644, but 4 years
later the Spanish abandoned the island of their own accord. In 1648
the island was divided between the Dutch and the French; however,
complete control of the island was seized numerous times in a series
of conflicts. The British became involved as well, taking power for
6-year and 10-year stints. Finally, in 1817, the current partition
line between Dutch and French was established. The island flourished
under a slave-based plantation economy and the exportation of salt
until abolition of slavery in 1863.
Unification
In 1845 the Dutch Windward islands united with Curaçao, Bonaire, and
Aruba in a political unit. The abolition of slavery hurt the
islands' economy until the 20th century, when oil was discovered off
the shores of Venezuela and a refinery was established on Curaçao.
In addition, during the same period, an offshore financial sector
was created to serve Dutch business interests. Since 1945, the
federation of the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, Bonaire, Saba, Sint
Eustatius, and Sint Maarten), which is a constituent part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, has been semi-autonomous in most
internal affairs. The Kingdom retains authority over foreign
affairs, defense, final judicial review, and "Kingdom matters"
including human rights and good governance. Aruba was part of this
federation until January 1, 1986, when it gained status apart within
the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
About 85% of Curacao's population is of African derivation. The
remaining 15% is made up of various races and nationalities,
including Dutch, Portuguese, North Americans, natives from other
Caribbean islands, Latin Americans, Sephardic Jews, Lebanese, and
Asians. Roman Catholicism predominates, but several other religions
are represented, which include Anglican, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant,
Mormon, Baptist, Islam, and Hindu. The Jewish community is the
oldest in the Western Hemisphere, dating back to 1634. While
faltering economic conditions caused the Netherlands Antilles to
experience high rates of migration by citizens to the Netherlands
from 1998-2002, this trend has largely been reversed in recent
years. |
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