Bonaire’s quick facts

Bonaire is one of the more than 1,000 islands of a 3,500 km long arch of islands in the Caribbean. This island belt runs from southern North America to northern South America and is flanked on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Caribbean Sea.

Bonaire is located 70km off the coast of Venezuela. It’s one of the three ABC-islands (Aruba – Bonaire – Curacao). Curacao is 52km away; Aruba 150km. With its 281 sq. meters, Bonaire is the smallest of all three. The island is 40km long and 4-8km wide.

Kralendijk is the capital city. Rincon is the second largest and oldest town of Bonaire.

The island is no longer part of the Netherlands Antilles. Since Oct. 10, 2010, it is a special municipality of the Netherlands (like Saba and St. Eustatius). Together they’re also called the Caribbean Netherlands.

In January 2022, 22,573 people lived on Bonaire. 17,750 of them have the Dutch nationality (born on the islands Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius or in the Netherlands).

The Dominicans are the second largest population on Bonaire, followed by Venezuelans and Colombians.

According to the predictions of the Central Bureau of Statistics in the Netherlands, Bonaire will have a population of 26,200 in 2030 and even 28,100 in 2050!

Since January 1, 2011, the only legal tender is the US Dollar. You cannot pay with the Antillean guilder or Euros.

Most restaurants and local shops accept debit cards such as Maestro/V-Pay and credit cards. There are many ATMs on the island where you can get cash.

And did you know?

For the special occasion of ‘the throne change’ of the Dutch Royals in 2013, the Royal Dutch Mint minted a special medal for the Caribbean Netherlands. The ‘BES dollar’ features a double portrait of Queen Beatrix and Prince Willem-Alexander. The BES dollar has a value of one US dollar and is accepted in the payment system of the Caribbean Netherlands.

Since Bonaire is surrounded by the sea, you might think that most people travel to Bonaire by air. And yes, most of the tourists that stay at least one night on the island are travelling to Bonaire by air – already 85,500 in the first 6 months of 2022!

But don’t forget about the cruise ships. The cruise business continuous to grow with 397,100 cruise tourists in 2018 and even 457,900 in 2019. Wow!

*Source: CBS (Central Bureau for the Statistics in the Netherlands).