Tourism

Bonaire’s economy is mainly based on tourism. The island caters, almost exclusively, to scuba divers and snorkelers. Wind surfers also constitute a strong group of island tourists. Tourism infrastructure is Bonaire is contemporary and based on time-share resorts. There are a few small bed and breakfasts. Most resorts have an on-site dive shop. The rest are affiliated with a dive operation.

Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea – the sea, forming part of the oceanic system of the Atlantic Ocean, north of South America. From the full waters of the Atlantic Ocean separated the Small Antilles chain of islands to the east and the Great Antilles in the north. The island of Cuba and the Yucatán peninsula separated him from the Mexican Gulf. With sea Mexican Gulf is connected by the Straits Jukatańską, on the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Zawietrzną. With the Caribbean you can get to the Pacific Ocean by the Panama Canal.

The area is 2 754 000 square km. The deepest point is in Rowie Kajmańskim, between Cuba and Jamaica, at a depth of 7,680 m. In the bottom of the creation of the Caribbean, three swimming pools: Jukatański, Kolumbijski and Venezuela.

Economy

Currency is the Netherlands-Antilles guilder. The Dutch airline KLM Bonaire utilizes Stopovers often on flights to and from South America.

Original Inhabitants

Bonaire’s first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians, a branch of the Arawak who, around 1000 AD, sailed from what is now Venezuela. Traces of Caquetio culture are at a number of archaeological sites, including those at Lac Bay and northeast of Kralendijk.

Rock paintings and petroglyphs have survived at the caves at Spelonk, Onima, Ceru Pungi, and Ceru Crita-Cabai. The Caquetios were apparently a very tall people, for the Spanish dubbed the Leeward Islands ‘las Islas de los Gigantes’ (the islands of the giants).

Geography

Bonaire has a land area of 288 km² (111 sq. miles), while Klein Bonaire is a further 6 km² (2.3 sq. miles). Bonaire’s Afdeling Bevolking (census) office reported that the population of was 14,006 inhabitants as of December, 2006,which gives Bonaire island proper a population density of 49 inh. per km².

Bonaire lies outside the hurricane belt, and is served by Flamingo International Airport.

Bonaire is world renowned for its excellent scuba diving and is consistently rated among the top shore diving and Caribbean diving locations in the world. Bonaire’s license plates carry the logo Diver’s Paradise (in English). The island is ringed by a coral reef which is easily accessible from the shore along the Western and Southern sides. Furthermore, the entire coastline of the island has been declared a marine sanctuary, preserving local fish life. Bonaire is also consistently recognised as one of the best destinations for snorkeling.

The coral reef around uninhabited Klein Bonaire is particularly well conserved, and it draws divers, snorkelers, and boaters.

Bonaire also has several coral reefs where seahorses are common.

Bonaire is also famed for its flamingo populations and its donkey sanctuary. Flamingos are drawn to the brackish water, which harbours shrimp they feed on. Starting in the 1500s, the Dutch raised sheep, goats, pigs, horses and donkeys on Bonaire, and the descendants of the goats and donkeys roam the island today.

Washington Slagbaai National Park, located at the north side of the island, is an ecological preserve. The highest point of Bonaire, Brandaris, located within this preserve has a complete view of the island.

Lac Bay, (also known as Lac Cai or Lac Cay) on the eastern side of the island, is a windsurfer’s paradise. Locals Taty and Tonky Frans in 2004 were ranked in the top five of the world’s freestyle windsurfing professionals.

Finally, Atlantis Beach, on the western part of the island, is the local kitesurfing spot.

When to Go

The average daily high stays around 28°C (82°F) all year, and humidity is tolerable, so the best time to go is the low season of May to mid-December when rates come down. Bonaire is out of the hurricane belt so you don’t have to figure the big blow into your schedule.

The high season for cruise ships runs from October to April. Outside of these times the port towns can be almost sleepy.

Kralendijk

Kralendijk is the capital city of the island of Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles. The main language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but, because of the town’s position on the tourist map, English is widely understood. As of 2006, the town has a population of 3,061.

Off the coast of Kralendijk lies the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire, a diving and snorkeling paradise. It can be reached by water taxi, or, for divers, by practically all of the local dive operators.

Bonaire

Bonaire is an island in the Netherlands Antilles, and as such, is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles. While Papiamentu, Spanish, and English are commonly spoken, the official language is Dutch.

Bonaire has a land area of 288 km² (111 sq. miles). Bonaire’s Afdeling Bevolking (census) office reported that the population was 14,006 inhabitants as of December, 2006,^[1] which means a population density of 49 inh. per km². Uninhabited Klein Bonaire, nestled in the western crescent of the main island, is 6 km² (2.3 sq. miles). Bonaire is served by Flamingo International Airport. The island lies outside the hurricane belt.

The structure of the relationship between Bonaire and the Kingdom is being considered for change under proposed legislation.