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General Information
Area: 288 sq km (111 sq miles).
Population: 13,284 (2002).
Population Density: 46.1 per sq km.
Capital: Kralendijk. Population: 1800 (2002).
GEOGRAPHY: Bonaire is the second-largest island in the Dutch Antilles and is located 80km (50 miles) north of Venezuela and 48km (30 miles) east of Curaçao. The landscape is flat and rocky and, owing to low annual rainfall, Bonaire has a fairly barren desert climate. The island has small beautiful beaches and safe waters.
Government: Part of the Netherlands Antilles; dependency of The Netherlands. Head of State: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, represented locally by Governor Frits Goldgedrag since 2002. Head of Government: Prime Minister Ethien Eys since 2002. The Netherlands Antilles consist of Curaçao, Bonaire, St Maarten, St Eustatius and Saba. The capital of the island group is Willemstad, Curaçao.
Language: Dutch is the official language. Papiamento (a mixture of Portuguese, African, Spanish, Dutch and English) is the commonly used lingua franca. English and Spanish are also widely spoken.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic with a Protestant minority. There are many evangelical churches of different denominations.
Time: GMT - 4.
Electricity: 127 volts AC, 50Hz.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 599. Outgoing international code: 00. It is cheaper to make international calls from phone booths in the Telbo building than from resorts.
Mobile telephone
Setel NV operates GSM 900 coverage across the whole of the Netherlands Antilles. Mobile telephones can be hired on the island from Cell Rent or Cellularone. The local network provider is Obersi Electronics.
Internet
ISPs include Bonairelive (website: www.bonairelive.net) which operates an Internet Access Center. There is are three Internet cafes in Kralendijk and a coin-operated Internet kiosk at the Harborside Mall also in Kralendijk.
Telegram
Facilities are available in the post office in Kralendijk and main hotels.
Post
Airmail to and from Europe takes four to six days. Surface mail takes up to six weeks.
Press
The main Dutch-language newspapers are Amigoe, Telegraaf and Algemeen Dagblad; Extra, Nabo, La Prensa, Vigilante and Bala are published in Papiamento.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
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