10-10-2010: Netherlands Antilles are no more - but individually "Islands in the sun" still part of the Dutch Kingdom

Tomorrow 10-10-10 will bring an end to 56 years of a constitutional arrangement between the Netherlands(Holland) and its Caribbean dependencies Curaçao , St Maarten, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba. The Island of Aruba, which was part of the group, negotiated its own internal autonomy already in 1986.

Under the new agreement Curaçao and St Maarten, the larger islands of the Netherlands Antilles will become self governing within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, except in matters of defense, foreign policy, and judicial and financial affairs, which will remain the responsibility of the Dutch government.

The three smaller Netherlands Antilles islands, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba will gain Dutch municipality status.Together the smaller islands have 19.000 inhabitants. Aruba and Curacao have a total population of 208.000 inhabitants.

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