Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Curaçao. It measures 32 kilometres (20 mi) long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 10 kilometres (6 mi) across at its widest point. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, these and the other three Dutch substantial islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean, of which Aruba has about one-third of the population. In 1986, it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba.
The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country consisted of several island territories located in the Caribbean Sea. The islands were also informally known as the Dutch Antilles. The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies. The Antilles was dissolved in 2010. The Dutch colony of Surinam, although it was relatively close by on the continent of South America, did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954. All the island 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.
Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about 65 km (40 mi) north of the Venezuelan coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Together with Aruba and Bonaire, it forms the ABC islands. Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.
Bonaire is an island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its 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.
.an was the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the former Netherlands Antilles. It was administered by the University of the Netherlands Antilles. The domain was phased out after the Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010. As of November 2010 the .an domain remained live with over 800 domains registered under .an, including secondary levels. On 31 July 2015, use of the domain was discontinued.
The Netherlands Antilles national football team was the national team of the former Netherlands Antilles. It was controlled by the Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie. The NAVU consisted of Curaçao and Bonaire. Aruba split in 1986 and has its own team.
The Netherlands Antillean Football Union was the governing body of football in the former Netherlands Antilles between September 1958 and February 2011. Its jurisdiction consisted of the islands of Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba.
The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Netherlands Antilles:
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known as simply the Netherlands, is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with 98% of its territory and population in Western Europe and with several small West Indian island territories in the Caribbean.
The Curaçao national football team represents Curaçao in International football and is controlled by the Curaçao Football Federation.
The Caribbean Netherlands are the three special municipalities of the Netherlands that are located in the Caribbean Sea. They consist of the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, although the term "Caribbean Netherlands" is sometimes used to refer to all of the islands in the Dutch Caribbean. In legislation, the three islands are also known as Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or the BES islands. The islands are currently classified as public bodies in the Netherlands and as overseas countries and territories of the European Union; thus, EU law does not automatically apply.
The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee, generally abbreviated NAOC was a member of the IOC from 1950 to 2011. It constituted the National Olympic Committee of the dissolved country Netherlands Antilles which consisted of the islands Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The organization is a federation of 31 sports federations. So far only FINA, FIFA and CONCACAF recognize Curaçao as successor of Netherlands Antilles.
The Dutch Caribbean are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-west of the Lesser Antilles archipelago.
The sport of association football in Curaçao is run by the Curaçao Football Federation. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Curaçao League. The main annual football tournament is the Chippie Polar Cup, an annual friendly event held since 2004 which has involved clubs from the Netherlands, Brazil, Suriname, Aruba and Curaçao.
The Bonaire Lawn Tennis Association ,abbreviated BLTB, is the governing body of tennis in Bonaire. Before Bonaire became a special municipality of the Netherlands after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, it was represented by the Netherlands Antilles Tennis Federation. In 2011, it decided to file for membership of the International Tennis Federation rather than to be part of the Royal Dutch Lawn Tennis Association of the Netherlands. Membership was approved in 2011 at the Annual General Meeting in Bangkok together with the Curaçao Lawn Tennis Association.
The Territory of Curaçao national football team was the official football team for the Territory of Curaçao, under the control of the Curaçaose Voetbal Bond (CVB).
The Bonaire national football team is the national football team of the Caribbean island of Bonaire, a public body of the Netherlands. It is under the control of the Bonaire Football Federation. It became a member of the CFU and an associate member of CONCACAF on 19 April 2013. after which it became a full CONCACAF member on 10 June 2014 The team can participate in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Caribbean Cup because of their membership in the confederation and sub-confederation. However, Bonaire is not a member of FIFA and therefore can not compete in the FIFA World Cup or other FIFA events.
Kopa MCB is an annual football domestic cup competition for teams on Bonaire. Until 2010 when the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, teams from Bonaire competed against teams from Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles Championship. After gaining new politic status, no competition was held on Bonaire in 2011. The inaugural Kopa MCB was held in 2012. The competition is organized by the Bonaire Football Federation with naming rights purchased by Maduro & Curiel's Bank.
Same-sex marriage in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba is legal following the entry into force of a law enabling same-sex couples to marry on 10 October 2012.
