Bonaire

Bonaire is the second largest island of the Dutch Antilles, part of the Lesser Antilles group in the Caribbean Sea. With a population of around 12000 it covers 110 sq miles in area and it's situation has Curaçao 20 miles to it's west and Venezuela is about 50 miles away to the south. It's an island with two parts; the southern region is flat, sandy and scrubby whilst to the north it is and hilly with the highest point, Mt. Brandaris, nearly 800 feet high. Most of the island is composed of limestone which was formed by coral over millions of years and the capital Kralendijk, a small, quiet and architecturally interesting town, is named after the coral. There is a small uninhaited island nearby of about 3 sq miles area with white sand beaches and clear seas so it's very popular with windsurfers, snorkelers and divers. It is a very dry area with less than 20" of rain a year and an average temperature over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The island was used as a slave market by colonialists who brought their human cargo to toil in the plantations of nearby Curaçao and when slavery was finally abolished many of these unfortunately were simply left there so the population now is a blend of their decendants, with some Spanish, Dutch and Native American mixed in. Most of the population is descended from black slaves, while the remainder are various admixtures of native American Indian, Spanish, and Dutch. Along with slavery and suppression the colonialists brought along their own religion as well so the majority of people presently belong to the Roman Catholic faith. Politically the island is governed at local level through their own Island Council, with representation in the Dutch Antilles government in Curaçao.

Agriculture on such a dry island is difficult and the only food that is grown here is eaten by the islanders themselves and aloes, which doesn't need watering, is the sole crop grown for the export market. Aridity can have it's uses however; many tons of salt are extracted from the salt flats, added to a little by the water desalination plant which is the main source of drinking water. These salt flats attract myriads of colourful birds including the beautiful pink flamingoes (after which the small local airport was named) and these are another attraction to attract the tourists who represent a very important part of the local economy.

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