The ABC islands are the three western-most islands of the Leeward
Antilles in the Caribbean Sea that lie north of Falcón State, Venezuela. From
west to east they are, in order Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. All three islands
are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, although they remain
outside the European Union. Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous, self-governing
constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire is a
special municipality of the Netherlands proper.
History Some think that the ABC islands were
first discovered by one of Christopher Columbus' captains, Alonso de Ojeda, who
landed on Curaçao in May of 1499. He is said to have called the islands Las
islas de los Gigantes or Islands of the Giants due to the native inhabitants,
the Caiquetio Indians. Officially they were discovered by Amerigo Vespucci,
whose cartographer Juan de la Cosa first described the islands. The first Spanish
colonists, unable to find any gold or silver, kidnapped most of the natives to
work on plantations on the island of Hispaniola. By 1527 the Spanish had
formed a government and established Catholicism on the islands.
In 1634, the Netherlands fought Spain over control of the islands. They won,
and the islands were then administered by the Netherlands. The Dutch West India
Company developed the areas, establishing a major port on Curaçao.
The abolition of the slave trade in 1863 had a devastating impact on their
economies, although the economy revived when oil was discovered in Venezuela
during the early 20th century, and the islands became major oil refineries.
The islands became part of the Netherlands Antilles in 1954, granting
them political autonomy within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1986
Aruba withdrew from the Netherlands Antilles, becoming a separate country
within the kingdom. Upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10
October 2010, Curaçao gained a similar status to Aruba. Bonaire became a
special municipality of the Netherlands proper, although it currently maintains
its status of an overseas territory of the European Union.
Geography The ABC islands are part of the Leeward
Antilles, which is the westernmost area of the Lesser Antilles. They lie
immediately to the north of Falcón State, Venezuela. Due to their political
history, they are sometimes considered to be part of North America along with
the other Caribbean islands, although they lie on South America's geographical
plate; the same case happens with Trinidad and Tobago. ABC does not
indicate the geographical order to each other, from west to east the islands are
Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire. Aruba is a flat island, exposed to the
ocean currents. Bonaire and Curaçao are surrounded by reefs, and so are much
more sheltered from the weather. Both Bonaire and Curaçao's reefs form popular
tourist destinations. = Environment=
Bonaire is known for being a "diving paradise", with ecotourism playing a
large part in its economy. The islands have a huge variety of wildlife,
famously including flamingoes and four species of sea turtle.
Demographics Afro-Caribbean and people of
AfricanNative descent make up a large proportion of the islands' populations.
Recently there has been substantial immigration from Latin America.
= Language= Dutch has been the official language of
the islands for most of their history. A unique creole language has developed
there known as Papiamentu. Unlike other creole languages, Papiamentu is not
decreasing in usage, and was made an official language on 7 March 2007.
Papiamentu's origins are debated, a dispute arising on whether it originates
from Portuguese or Spanish. Today it is heavily influenced by Spanish and
English. Politics
Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous countries of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, which have their own parliament and prime minister. Bonaire
is a "special municipality" of the Netherlands proper, and subject to
Netherlands law. Flags of the islands
See also BES islands
Dutch Empire SSS islands
References External links
Infobonaire.com ABC Islands Compared - a travel essay by
Attila Narin Map of the region
Map of the islands