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'Bonaire' is an island in the Netherlands Antilles, and as such, is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 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. While Papiamentu, Spanish, and English are commonly spoken, the official language is Dutch.
Bonaire has a land area of 288 km² (111 sq. miles). Bonaire's Afdeling Bevolking (census) office reported that the population was 14,006 inhabitants as of December, 2006,^[1] which means a population density of 49 inh. per km². Uninhabited Klein Bonaire, nestled in the western crescent of the main island, is 6 km² (2.3 sq. miles). Bonaire is served by Flamingo International Airport. The island lies outside the hurricane belt.
The structure of the relationship between Bonaire and the Kingdom is being considered for change under proposed legislation.

Contents

History

Original Inhabitants

Control

Geography

Cities/Towns

Gallery

See also

References

External links

History

Original Inhabitants

Bonaire's first inhabitants were the Caiquetios, a branch of the Arawak Indians who sailed across from what is now Venezuela around 1000 AD. Traces of Caiquetio 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. The Caiquetios 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. 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. 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. 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. During the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Bonaire was a protectorate of Britain and the United States.

Geography

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. 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. Bonaire is also consistently recognised as one of the best destinations for snorkeling.
The coral reef around uninhabited Klein Bonaire is particularly well conserved, and it draws divers, snorkelers, and boaters.
Bonaire also has several coral reefs where seahorses are common.
Bonaire is also famed for its flamingo populations and its donkey sanctuary. 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.
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. 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.

Cities/Towns

The only generally recognized towns on the island are Kralendijk and Rincon.
Kralendijk has many suburbs/neighbourhoods (on an island with such a small population, the distinction is not always clearcut). Kralendijk's suburbs/neighbourhoods include:

★ Antriol

★ Belnem

★ Hato

★ Lima

★ Noord Salina

★ Nikiboko

★ Republiek

★ Sabadeco

★ Sabana

★ Santa Barbara

★ Tera Cora
Other smaller settlements include

★ Boven Bolivia

★ Fontein

★ Lagoen

★ Sorobon

★ Spelonk

★ Wanapa
Several smaller towns had existed in the national park, but are now abandoned. They were: Labra, Ishiri, Kokorobi, Jan Doran, Vlijt, Rigot, Porto Spano, and Kunchi.

Gallery

See also

★ Schunck's Kledingindustrie Bonaire

References

1. Bonaire Reporter February 9 2007

External links

★ www.gov.an - official governmental portal of the Netherlands Antilles

★
★ Bonaire-gov.an - official website of the government of Bonaire

★
★ BonaireEconomy.org - Department of Economic & Labour Affairs (DEZA)

★ InfoBonaire.com - The Bonaire Information Site

★ Lonely Planet - Bonaire

★ Bonaire National Marine Park

★ Breathe Bonaire - Live 'fast refreshing webcams' from Bonaire (including the first MEGAPIXEL underwater webcam)

★ Bonaire Nature

★ BonaireTalk.com - Active Bonaire Discussion Board

★ BonaireWebCams.com - Live WebCams from the island of Bonaire (including the Bonaire ReefCam)

★ Bonaire Reporter - English language weekly newssheet about Bonaire

★ Extra Bonaire - Papiamentu language daily newspaper about Bonaire

★ Bonaire Update - Bonaire activity information, updated bi-weekly
Mapquest zoom level 7 only has the Kralendijk region; this region is also available in zoom level 8, 9, and 10.