Hype for the Future 75E: The Caribbean Netherlands Explained

Introduction

While the Netherlands represent the “Low Countries” of the European continent, similarly low territories also occur throughout the Caribbean claims of the Netherlands, including the more autonomous territories Aruba 🇦🇼, Curaçao 🇨🇼, and Sint Maarten 🇸🇽 as well as the more dependent territories Bonaire 🇧🇶, Sint Eustatius, and Saba.

Correct Terminology

With regard to the islands of the Dutch Caribbean, each of the listed island territories can properly be referred to as the “Caribbean Netherlands.” However, multiple distinct definitions of the Caribbean Netherlands have also been identified, including the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao—all Papiamento and directly off the coast of South America and the western part of the Guianas) and the Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, Saba). When referring to the islands of the Caribbean Netherlands, the Papiamento Islands are, from west to east, Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. Each of these constituencies of varying status maintains at least some level of sovereignty, with Aruba and Curaçao notable for having more autonomy than most other regions of the Netherlands.

Hype for the Future 50D: Anguilla

Anguilla 🇦🇮 is a British Overseas Territory at effectively the northern end of the Leeward Islands and the Lesser Antilles. The island territory is located to the north of the island of St. Martin, which is split between the French territory of Saint-Martin in the north and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten 🇸🇽 in the south. Dutch Sint Eustatius is also located fairly nearby, though closer to Saint Kitts and Nevis and using Oranjestad as the capital town.

While Anguilla contains fourteen (14) regional districts, The Valley is the capital district of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. Blowing Point is home to the ferry service to the French side of the island of Saint Martin immediately to the south.

Hype for the Future 48/284: USVI and BVI Compared

The Virgin Islands 🇻🇬 and the Virgin Islands of the United States 🇻🇮 are related yet clearly distinct entities. Though the Spanish Virgin Islands of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 are also of interest, referring to islands of Puerto Rican control east of the Puerto Rican mainland, the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands alike are generally associated with the name “Virgin Islands.” Though originally a name attributed to Christopher Columbus, the United States Virgin Islands specifically refer to the portion of the archipelago containing Saint Thomas, Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island, while the British Virgin Islands is the portion containing Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke. Overall, however, the United States Virgin Islands is comprised of around fifty islands whereas the British Virgin Islands is comprised of around sixty islands. In either case, the USVI contains the larger land area, as well as the majority of the population associated with the archipelago. In comparison, the BVI contains relatively fewer people, definitely smaller than the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda and possibly also smaller than the Cayman Islands.