The Netherlands Antilles,also known as the Dutch Antilles,was a constituent Caribbean country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands consisting of the islands of Saba,Sint Eustatius,and Sint Maarten in the Lesser Antilles,and Aruba,Curaçao,and Bonaire in the Leeward Antilles. The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies,and it was dissolved in 2010,when like Aruba in 1986,Sint Maarten and Curaçao gained status of constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands,and Saba,Sint Eustatius,and Bonaire gained status of special municipality of Netherlands as the Caribbean Netherlands. The neighboring Dutch colony of Surinam in continental South America,did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954. All the territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of the kingdom today,although the legal status of each differs. As a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean,regardless of their legal status. People from this former territory continue to be called Antilleans in the Netherlands.
Saba is a Caribbean island and the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the dormant volcano Mount Scenery,which at 870 metres (2,854.3 ft) is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies,southeast of the Virgin Islands. Together with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius it forms the BES islands,also known as the Caribbean Netherlands.
Sint Eustatius,known locally as Statia,is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality of the Netherlands.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Aruba and Curaçao,two constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,in accordance with a ruling from the Supreme Court of the Netherlands issued on 12 July 2024. In September 2021,a lower court in Curaçao ruled that preventing same-sex couples from marrying violates the equality provisions of the Constitution of Curaçao,but left the decision of whether to legalise same-sex marriage up to the Parliament. In December 2022,the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba,Curaçao,Sint Maarten,and of Bonaire,Sint Eustatius and Saba ruled on appeal that Aruba's and Curaçao's same-sex marriage bans were unconstitutional. The court order was set to go into effect on 7 March 2023 if not appealed to the Supreme Court;however,the governments of both Curaçao and Aruba subsequently appealed. On 12 July 2024,the Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling,effectively legalizing same-sex marriage in Aruba and Curaçao with immediate effect.
Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of 34 km2 (13 sq mi),it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin,while the northern 56% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg. Collectively,Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.
The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands,commonly known simply as the Netherlands,is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands,who functions as head of state. The realm is not a federation;it is a unitary monarchy with its largest subdivision,the eponymous Netherlands,predominantly located in Northwestern Europe and with several smaller island territories located in the Caribbean.
Johannes de Graaff (1729–1813),also referred to as Johannis de Graeff in some documents,was a Dutch Governor of Sint Eustatius,Saba and Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles representing the Dutch West India Company during the difficult time of the American Revolutionary War.
The Caribbean Netherlands is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe,in the Caribbean,consisting of three special municipalities. These are the islands of Bonaire,Sint Eustatius,and Saba,as they are also known in legislation,or the BES islands for short. The islands are officially classified as public bodies in the Netherlands and as overseas territories of the European Union;as such,European Union law does not automatically apply to them.
Sint Maarten,a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,has a government formed by the monarch,represented by the governor,and the ministers. The Prime Minister of Sint Maarten presides over the council of ministers. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The minister plenipotentiary is not part of the government and represents the Sint Maarten government in the Netherlands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The country is a parliamentary representative democratic country with a multi-party system. Sint Maarten has full autonomy on most matters,with the exceptions summed up in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the title "Kingdom affairs". The Constitution of Sint Maarten was ratified in September 2010,and entered into force on 10 October 2010.
The Dutch Caribbean are the New World territories,colonies,and countries of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea,mainly the northern and southwestern regions of the Lesser Antilles archipelago.
Jacob Wit was a Dutch jurist who was justice of the Caribbean Court of Justice,and located in Trinidad and Tobago. Beginning in 2010 he also served as the President of the Constitutional Court of Sint Maarten,and was once a Judge of the Rotterdam District Court and the Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.
The Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands oversees the heads of the Public Prosecution Service in the BES islands. The Public Prosecutor typically leads the investigation in a criminal matter,and the Public Prosecution Service ensures that the sentences given by the judges are properly executed. In addition,the service monitors any fines and penalties,the imprisonment process,and any required community service.
Abraham de Veer was a Dutch colonial administrator,who served as governor of Curaçao (1803–1804);the Dutch Gold Coast (1810–1816);Sint Eustatius,Saba and Sint Maarten (1817–1822);and Suriname (1822–1827).
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Bonaire,Sint Eustatius and Saba since 10 October 2012,the effective date of legislation passed by the States General of the Netherlands enabling same-sex couples to marry. The Caribbean Netherlands was the first jurisdiction in the Caribbean to legalise same-sex marriage,and was followed a few months later by French territories,including Guadeloupe and Martinique,in May 2013.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Sint Eustatius is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),which was confirmed to have reached the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius on 31 March 2020. On 5 May all cases recovered. The island's first COVID-19 death was recorded on 19 January 2022. The patient died at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMCC) where they had been transported for treatment according to the press release of the St. Eustatius government.
Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 7 April and 12 May 1995 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. The election was won by the Bonaire Democratic Party in Bonaire,the Party for the Restructured Antilles in Curaçao,the Saba Democratic Labour Movement in Saba,the Democratic Party Statia in Sint Eustatius,and the Democratic Party in Sint Maarten.
Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 7 May and 21 May 1999 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. The election was won by the Party for the Restructured Antilles in Curaçao,the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba,the Sint Eustatius Alliance in Sint Eustatius,and the Democratic Party in Sint Maarten.
Willem Frederik Meinhardt (Wem) Lampe was a politician of the Netherlands Antilles. Lampe served as Minister of Justice from 1951 to 1952,and from 1954 to 1955. He was Minister Plenipotentiary from 1955 to 1967.
Claudia Toet is a Dutch politician from The Hague who was appointed Deputy Government Commissioner of the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius,a special public body of the Netherlands,in 2021.
