Caribbean Netherlands

About this destination

Bonaire (Papiamentu: Boneiru) is a Dutch island in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands, which since 2010 has, as a Caribbean public body, formed a special municipality. It is located in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela, and belongs to the ABC islands of the Lesser Antilles. The capital of Bonaire is Kralendijk; a corruption of Koralendijk (dyke of coral). The oldest settlement is Rincon, Spanish for "corner". The first inhabitants of Bonaire were the Caiquetio Indians who reached the island from Venezuela around 1000 AD.