Caribbean Netherlands, Island group in Caribbean Sea, Netherlands.
The Caribbean Netherlands is an island group made of three islands: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba in the Caribbean Sea. The islands lie in the Lesser Antilles and are part of the Netherlands as special municipalities.
The three islands received their current status in 2010, when the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Each island became a special municipality of the Netherlands with its own local law.
Papiamentu is the everyday language on Bonaire, evolved from African, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch elements. On Saba and Sint Eustatius, residents speak mainly English in daily life, while official documents are drafted in Dutch.
The US dollar is the official currency on all three islands, without any exchange rate to worry about. Banks and most shops also accept credit and debit cards for payments.
Mount Scenery on Saba reaches 887 meters (2910 feet) in height and is therefore the highest point in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. The ascent leads over more than 1000 steps through tropical cloud forest to the summit.
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