Bonaire is an island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It's capital is Kralendijk, near the ocean on the lee side of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC islands, 80 km off the coast of Venezuela. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, the ABC islands lie outside Hurricane Alley. The islands have an arid climate that attracts visitors seeking warm, sunny weather all year round. Bonaire is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination because of its multiple shore diving sites and easy access to the island's fringing reefs.
The ABC islands is the physical group of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. These have a shared political history and a status of Dutch underlying ownership, since the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 ceded them back to the Netherlands, as Curaçao and Dependencies from 1815. They are a short distance north of Falcón State, Venezuela. Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous, self-governing constituent countries of the Netherlands, while Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the countries, and municipality, are outside the European Union; citizens have Dutch nationality and the former colonial power benefits from preferential trade, mineral and natural resource rights, particularly offshore.
Hooiberg is a 165 m (541 ft) high volcanic formation on the island of Aruba. It is located almost in the center of the island and can be seen from virtually anywhere on the island.
Kralendijk is the capital city and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. As of 2017, the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or "beach".
Libidibia coriaria is a leguminous tree or large shrub native to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Common names include Divi-divi, Cascalote, Guaracabuya, Guatapana, Nacascol, and Watapana (Aruba).
The Arikok National Park takes up approximately 18 percent of the island of Aruba and includes three primary geological formations: the Aruba lava formation, a quartz diorite formation, and a limestone formation that extends inward from the coast. These formations have directly influenced Aruba's human settlement, as well as its natural wonders.
Ayo Rock Formations are monolithic rock boulders located on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean. They are located near Ayo village, about 3.2 km from the natural bridge towards Casibari. Casibari Boulders are about 3.2 km inland between Natural Bridge and Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, west of Boca Andicuri.
The Casibari Rock Formation is located on the island of Aruba, towards the center of the island north of the Hooiberg. The formation is a tourist attraction, similar to the Ayo Rock Formations. The rocks in the formation are composed of quartz diorite. Evidence of prehistoric rock drawings is still visible at the formation.
The Brandaris is a lighthouse on the Dutch Wadden Sea island Terschelling, in Friesland. It is the oldest lighthouse in the Netherlands, listed as a Rijksmonument, number 35032 and rated with a very high historical value.
Daimari Beach is a large, secluded beach and bay on the northern coast of Aruba, on the north end of Arikok National Park.
The sport of association football in the island of Bonaire is run by the Bonaire Football Federation. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Bonaire League.
Plaza Beach Resort Bonaire is the largest diving resort in the southern Caribbean Island of Bonaire, located at 80 Julio A. Abraham Boulevard, south of Kralendijk, just north of Flamingo International Airport. It is operated by the Van der Valk family of hoteliers and is also known as the Plaza Resort Van der Valk. American divers have reportedly voted it one of the top 10 dive resorts in the world. The resort, which claims to be five-star, although this is disputed by several independent publications, is situated on a peninsula, at the mouth of a man-made lagoon with turquoise blue waters. Plaza Beach Resort Bonaire Its beach measures 500 metres (1,600 ft) long and 50–100 metres (160–330 ft) deep and is a notable scuba diving location, known as Toucan Diving.
Washington Slagbaai National Park is a national park and ecological reserve on the northwestern part of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The 5,643 hectares (21.79 sq mi) park covering approximately a fifth of the island of Bonaire is managed by STINAPA Bonaire, a non-profit foundation, on behalf of the Bonaire government. Established in 1969, Washington Slagbaai National Park was the first nature reserve to be established in the former Netherlands Antilles.
The Aruba Natural Bridge was a tourist attraction in Arikok National Park, Aruba that was formed naturally out of coral limestone. It collapsed on 2 September 2005.
The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is a regional partnership of conservation organisations, including the national parks on the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean and is intended to support and strengthen the nature on the islands.
Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino is a diving resort hotel and casino on the Caribbean island of Bonaire. The grounds include a scuba centre, bars, restaurants and casino reported to be the world's first "barefoot casino". The hotel has 141 rooms. The headquarters for Divi Resorts is located in Chapel Hill, NC.
Cas di torto is a traditional building technique from Aruba. It refers to a type of houses made of adobe with rounded corners. These houses were usually found around the plantations. The few structures that still exist are the oldest structures that are left standing in the country.
Piscadera Bay is a waterway in the Netherlands Antilles. It is situated at the western side of Otrobanda, in the southern part of Willemstad, the capital of the southern Caribbean island of Curaçao. It contains a fort of the same name, the Caribbean Marine Biological Institute, and several hotels. It has a small beach, as well as a vacation village and holiday resort, with tennis courts and casinos. Sint Anna Bay is nearby. In the 17th century, maps of Piscadera Bay showed it to be a popular locale for fishing, with over 400 different species noted.
The St. Bernard Church is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the city of Kralendijk the capital of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a territory in the Caribbean Dutch organized as a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Antilles.
The STINAPA Bonaire or National Parks Bonaire Foundation is a non-governmental organization responsible for the management of the national parks on Bonaire in Caribbean Netherlands. STINAPA is a member of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance.
