Bonaire is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles, and is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (leeward) coast 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.
Papiamento or Papiamentu is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands.
The music of Curaçao is known for typical waltzes, danzas, mazurkas and a kind of music called tumba, which is named after the conga drums that accompany it.
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".
Antriol is a neighbourhood of Kralendijk on the island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles. It used to be a separate village which has merged into Kralendijk.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Willemstad is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese encompasses the territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean: the countries Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba. The cathedra is in the city of Curaçao. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference.
The Catholic Church in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Caribbean guilder is a planned currency of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, two constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, officially slated for introduction in 2024. The Caribbean guilder is set to replace the Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) at par and be pegged to the U.S. dollar. The currency has an official launch scheduled for the second half of 2024; however, the launch has reportedly been pushed to 31 March 2025, pending confirmation from the ministry of finance. It is divided into 100 cents.
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.
The Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral also known as Pietermaai Cathedral or the Cathedral of the Holy Rosary is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church, which serves as the cathedral of the Diocese of Willemstad in Juliana Plein 5, Pietermaai, Willemstad a city on the island of Curacao and has under its jurisdiction all dependent islands of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela.
The Basilica of St. Anne It is a religious building that functions as Catholic Minor Basilica and at the same time as co-cathedral of the Diocese of Willemstad on the island of Curaçao in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. The other being the main cathedral dedicated to Our Lady the Queen of the Holy Rosary of the same city.
The St. Francis of Assisi Church also alternatively called Pro Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and serves as the pro-cathedral or temporary cathedral in the city of Oranjestad, on the Caribbean island of Aruba, an autonomous country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Lesser Antilles.
The St. Philomena's Church is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church located in the town of Paradera, on the Caribbean island of Aruba, an autonomous country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Lesser Antilles.
The St. Louis Bertrand Church is a religious building affiliated with the Catholic Church and is located in the town of Rincon on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, organized within the Dutch Caribbean as a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Our Lady of Coromoto Church also known as the Parish of Our Lady of Coromoto is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the town of Antriol on the island of Bonaire, a dependent territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea.
The Sacred Heart Church is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church and is located in the town of The Bottom capital of the Caribbean island of Saba a dependent territory that has the status of special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean sea or sea of the Antilles.
The Holy Rosary Church, also known as the Queen of the Holy Rosary Church, is a religious building affiliated with the Catholic church in the small town of Hell's Gate on the island of Saba, a dependent territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea.
The Mary Star of the Sea Church is a religious building of the Catholic Church located in the town of Simpson Bay in St. Maarten in the Dutch part of the Caribbean island of St. Martin in the Lesser Antilles, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Mamita Fox is a Curaçao-born nurse, activist, artist and writer who lives in Bonaire. Her autobiography, written in Papiamentu, is an important addition to works written in Creole languages. A well-known radio personality on the island, Fox became a vocal opponent to health care law changes by the Netherlands and how they impacted citizens of the former Netherlands Antilles. Her activism led to a change in the way health care was administered.
Diana Melinda Lebacs was a Curaçaoan educator, actress, and author, most known for her children's literature. She wrote in both Papiamento and Dutch. In 1976 she received the Zilveren Griffel award, one of the Netherlands' highest honors for youth literature, for her book Nancho van Bonaire. In 2003 she earned the inaugural Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied for her book Caimin's geheim and in 2007 she was honored as a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
