Last modified: 2024-10-05 by rob raeside
Keywords: bonaire | saint eustatius | saba | caribbean netherlands | netherlands antilles | bes islands | antilles |
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![[Flag of the Netherlands]](../images/n/nl.gif)
image by António Martins, 22 April 1999
 image by Mark Sensen, 14 Dec 2003 |
 image by Arnaud Leroy, 16 Dec 2004 |
 image by Mark Sensen, 14 Dec 2003 |
| Bonaire | Saint Eustatius | Saba |
|---|
Official Name: Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba
Other Names: Caribbean Netherlands, BES Islands
Previous name: the Netherlands Antilles
Government Type: Constitutional
Monarchy, Dutch Overseas Public Bodies
Established: 10 October 2010 (dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles)
Flags adopted: 11 December 1981 (Bonaire),
16 November 2004 (Saint Eustatius) 6 December 1985 (Saba)
"The Caribbean Netherlands" is just a description; there is no entity to bear that name. It's a newly created term to distinguish the three islands of Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba from The European Netherlands, the historical country bordering the North Sea. This distinction became necessary on 10 October 2010, when those three islands, that used to belong to The Netherlands Antilles became part of The Netherlands instead. There is therefore no entity to fly a flag for The Caribbean Netherlands. Should such an entity be formed in the future, they might consider continuing the flag of The Netherlands Antilles, but with only three stars remaining. They might go either way, though: Enlarging the stars, or removing them altogether.
![[Virtual Flag of the Caribbean Netherlands]](../images/b/bq!cn.gif)
Virtual flag of the Caribbean Netherlands
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 11 May 2011
The status of each of the islands is that of a public body (openbaar lichaam),
rather than that of a municipality (gemeente). As a result large portions of the
law on municipalities (gemeentewet) had to be copied to give the administration
of each island a structure similar to those. A major difference is that a
municipality has a province (provincie) above it to take care of more regional
tasks, whereas the islands each have to fulfill those tasks themselves. The
National Service Dutch Caribbean (Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland) takes care of
the implementation of certain national tasks on each of the islands. As a
National Service, though, it will use the general governmental flag.
Though the islands have several things in common, each having inherited a lot of
laws from The Netherlands Antilles, all having English as their major language,
and each having the United States Dollar as their monetary unit, they are
distinct entities. Every law etc. has to be made to apply to each of the islands
separately. In fact, counter to the impression given by the name of the National
Service, there is no single "Dutch Caribbean": Saint Eustatius and Saba are in
the Leeward Islands, while Bonaire is on of the Leeward Antilles.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 11 May 2011
The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four
separate countries: Aruba, Curaçao,
Netherlands and Sint Maarten. All
are autonomous in their internal affairs. The Kingdom takes care of foreign
affairs and defence. For Kingdom affairs there is a special Kingdom government,
consisting of the Netherlands ministers plus one minister for each of the other
countries.
This system has been in place since 1954 (with Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles
and Surinam), so there is nothing new happening. (see Wikipedia under Kingdom of
the Netherlands).
The three
BES-islands are now 'public bodies' of the Netherlands (ex art. 134 of
the Constitution) and will become normal municipalities in due course.
Maxim van Ooijen, 11 October 2010
The Caribbean Netherlands, also called "Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba" or
the "BES islands", are a Dutch territory composed since 2010 of 3 public bodies
(each island being also a municipality). Together with Curacao, Sint Maarten and
Aruba, they were part of the Netherlands Antilles.
The IANA has assigned
the .bq internet code to the group and the ISO has assigned the 3166-1 code BQ,
while none of the constituent islands has received a special code as of today.
If it is almost certain that an eventual independence of the group will take the
form of a separate independence, for the moment the only country that exists is
the "Caribbean Netherlands".
The flag and arms of the Caribbean
Netherlands are the same of those of the Netherlands. However a logo exists for
the "National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands"
(Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland) that administer the islands. It has almost not
changed since 2010, except for the shade of blue.
Jean-Marc Merklin,
30 September 2024
The status of Curaçao and Sint
Maarten are the same now as that of Aruba. Aruba has
its own IOC delegation, I'm sure that Curaçao and
Sint Maarten will get everything Aruba has (IOC delegation, ISO 3166 code,
etc) in time, probably by the time of London 2012.
The BES (Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba) islands is a different kettle of fish -
they are now considered integral parts of the
Netherlands, I would assume any
Olympic athletes from the BES islands would march
with the Netherlands team.
David Kendall, 11 October 2010
The Netherlands Antilles will continue to exist not as a country but as a
(sports) region in the Caribbean. Please visit:
http://www.naoc.info/new-status/
"New status:
NAOC was founded in the year 1931 and as such is one of the oldest Olympic
Committee of the Caribbean region. On a political level it was decided in 2005
that the country Netherlands Antilles will seize to exist within a couple of
years. Together with the Antillean Minister of Sports, as well as all five
insular commissioners of sports the goal was unanimously set (29th of October
2006) to maintain NAOC and its members as umbrella sport organizations. This was
approved by the International Olympic Committee
(28th of June 2007) and ratified during the General Assembly of NAOC on the 5th
of July 2007. The name Netherlands Antilles will no longer refer to a country,
but to a region in the Caribbean. NAOC will keep its status as highest sport's
governing body for all five islands. The support towards the federations, the
islands and all athletes will be intensified in the near future."
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 4 January 2011
On Jan. 13 this year, the Executive Board of the IOC
agreed to allow athletes
from former Netherlands Antilles to compete under the Olympic Flags as
independet athletes, just like those from East Timor in Sydney 2000,
Yugoslavia in Barcelona 1992.
Other sources declare that even the IAAF has withdrawn recognition to the former
Netherlands territory, then the athletes are to compete under the
Dutch flag.
Sources:
http://www.rnw.nl/caribiana/article/atleten-tot-2012-onder-olympische-vlag
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110113/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_ioc_meetings
http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/story/?id=349231
http://insidethegames.biz/summer-olympics/2012/11628-ghana-and-netherlands-antilles-set-to-miss-london-2012
http://www.thedailyherald.com/sports/local-sports/12395-netherlands-antilles-loses-olympic-charter.html
http://www.thestate.com/2011/01/13/1644125/ap-sources-ioc-suspends-ghanas.html
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 25 January 2011
ISO has issued new country codes for islands in the Dutch West Indies to
reflect their new administrative status following constitutional reform by the
government of the Netherlands.
The islands of Curaçao and Sint Maarten become autonomous countries of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the following two-letter and three-letter
country codes issued under the ISO standard, ISO 3166-1:
Sint Maarten (Dutch part) - SX SXM
Curaçao - CW CUW
The islands of Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba become Dutch
municipalities which are assigned the following ISO 3166-1 code:
Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba - BQ BES
The codes for the Netherlands Antilles are deleted from ISO 3166-1 and
transitionally reserved for a period of 50 years:
Netherlands Antilles - AN ANT
Source:
http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1383 2010-12-20
Jarig Bakker, 29 December 2010
Taking a look for this page:
http://postzegelverenigingaalsmeer.nl/Caribisch-Nederland.htm
It seems that a stamp issuing authority (local or Dutch) have issued a stamp on
the day of dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles with title of Caribbean
Netherlands. This is not an evidence for administrative entity. But UPU
recognizes this entity as a separate body by this name, and displaying coat of
arms and portrait of HRH the Queen on these stamps, is a sort of recognition
even from Dutch authorities. It is not the same as ISO standards, but everything
could be changed in the near future, even it could be a new province of
the Netherlands.)
Zoltan Horvath, 7 March 2011
"I have the impression that these were indeed issued, on 10 October 2010, but
only for the remainder of the year."
They would not have waited a whole year after 10-10-2010 before issuing stamps
and then made them available for three months only. 2012 has a series in a style
similar to the fish, but with dinghies. And, indeed the sails are
coloured, but the only one I can recognise as a flag is 99 ct, which is an
Optimist with an Bonaire-like sail.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 08 May 2012