Nonmetropolitan island territory of The
Netherlands (pop., 2005 est.: 183,000), in the
Caribbean Sea. Area: 308 sq mi (800 sq km). It consists of two widely separated groups of islands: Sint Eustatius, the southern section of
St. Martin, and
Saba making up the northern group, at the northern end of the
Leeward Islands; and
Curaçao and Bonaire (and also
Aruba until 1986) constituting the southern group, about 500 mi (800 km) to the southwest, off the coast of Venezuela.
The capital, on Curaçao, is Willemstad. Originally inhabited by Arawak and Carib Indians, the islands were encountered in the late 15th century and claimed for Spain. In the 17th century the Dutch gained control, and in 1845 the islands became the Netherlands Antilles. In 1954 they became an integral part of The Netherlands, with full autonomy in domestic affairs. Aruba seceded from the federation in 1986.
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