Netherland Antilles - ABC
The Netherlands Antilles, The ABC's consist of the islands of Aruba (autonomous, see below) Bonaire and Curaçao (popularly known as the ‘ABC’s’) 60-80 kilometres off the coast of Venezuela, outside the hurricane belt; and 880 kilometres further north (in the hurricane belt) are the ‘3 S’s’: Sint Eustatius (Statia), Saba, and the south part of Sint Maarten (St-Martin) in what are generally known as the Leeward Islands. Because of the distance separating the north islands from the other Dutch possessions, the 3 S’s are described in a separate section earlier in the Handbook.
Advertisement
There is some confusion regarding which islands are Leeward and which Windward: locals refer to the ABCs as ‘Leeward Islands’, and the other 3 as ‘Windward’, a distinction adopted from the Spaniards, who still speak of the Islas de Sotavento and de Barlovento with reference to the trade winds.
Each island is different from the others in size, physical features, the structure of the economy and the level of development and prosperity.
Ads
More . . .
History of Netherland Antilles - ABC
The first known settlers of the islands were the Caiquetios, a tribe of peaceful Arawak Indians, who lived in small communities under a...Curacao
Curaçao the largest of the five islands comprising the Netherlands Antilles, lies in the Caribbean Sea 60 km off the Venezuelan coast,...