Location of Bonaire (circled in red) in the (light yellow) Coordinates: Country Incorporated into the Netherlands 10 October 2010 () Capital (and largest city) Government (see ) • Area • Total 294 km 2 (114 sq mi) Population (2015 ) • Total 18,905 • Density 64/km 2 (170/sq mi) Languages • Official • Recognised regional (), Currency (),, Bonaire (pronounced or;: Bonaire, pronounced;: Boneiru) is an island in the in the. Together with and, it forms the group known as the, less than a hundred miles off the north coast of near the western part of Venezuela. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, the ABCs lie outside the hurricane belt. The islands have an arid climate, which helps tourism, as visitors to the islands can reliably expect warm, sunny weather. Bonaire is a popular destination for, and easy access from shore to its fringing reefs. Bonaire's capital is. The island has a permanent population of 18,905 (as of 1 January 2015) and an area of 294 km 2 (together with nearby uninhabited ).

Bonaire was part of the until in 2010, when the island became a (officially “”) within the country of the. It is one of the three in the Caribbean, along with and. Traditional old houses with cactus fences, preserved in the outdoor museum in. Original inhabitants [ ] Bonaire's earliest known inhabitants were the, a branch of the who came by canoe from in about 1000 AD. Archeological remains of Caquetio culture have been found at certain sites northeast of Kralendijk and near Lac Bay. Caquetio rock paintings and have been preserved in caves at Spelonk, Onima, Ceru Pungi, and Ceru Crita-Cabai.

The Caquetios were apparently a very tall people, for the Spanish name for the was 'las Islas de los Gigantes' or 'the islands of the giants.' European arrival [ ] In 1499, arrived in and a neighbouring island that was almost certainly Bonaire. Ojeda was accompanied by and. De La Cosa's of 1500 shows Bonaire and calls it Isla do Palo Brasil or 'Island of '. The Spanish conquerors decided that the three were useless, and in 1515 the natives were forcibly deported to work as slaves in the copper mines of on the island of. Spanish period [ ].

Coast of Klein Bonaire. Bonaire lies about 50 miles (80 km) off the coast of Venezuela on the continental shelf of South America, and is thus geologically considered a part of the continent. Geologists believe that Bonaire was formed relatively recently. As the nearby continental shelf (now located near Montserrat, and the cause of the volcanic activity on that island) moved through the area, it forced a large mass of rock to the ocean surface and created the islands of the Lesser and Greater Antilles, including Bonaire. As the sea bed rose a vast coral reef grew on what is now dry land.

These corals were eventually exposed to air and perished, becoming surface limestone deposits over the millennia. Vast amounts of coral skeletons may be seen along the shoreline, and across the interior of Bonaire. The island is essentially a coral reef that has been geologically pushed up and out of the sea. This also resulted in the natural fringing reef system seen today, in which the coral formations start at the shoreline. Tidal variations are only about 1.8–2.0 feet (55–61 cm), so the corals start at the low tide line and continue on, following the underwater topology of the island's base. Bonaire's tides are more affected by a combination of wind and low/high pressure systems than by the moon.

Could you choose 10 favorite dive sites in Bonaire from the more than 100 available? Be sure to pick up Susan Porter’s Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy.

The northern end of the island is relatively mountainous, although its highest peak is only 240 metres (790 feet). The southern part of the island is nearly flat and barely rises above sea level. A significant portion of this southern region is covered with sea water in process of evaporation for salt production. This area also contains Lac Bay with its large mangrove forest. The shoreline of Bonaire is dotted with lagoons and inlets, the largest of which is Goto Lake in the north.

These lagoons and wetlands provide an excellent habitat for a wide variety of shorebirds. Bonaire has a warm, dry (though humid), and windy climate. The average temperature is 81.5 °F (27.5 °C) with a 2.5 °F (1.4 °C) seasonal variation, and 10 °F (5.6 °C) daily variation. The ocean temperature around the island fluctuates between 78 and 86 °F (26 and 30 °C). The highest recorded temperature is 96.4 °F (35.8 °C) and the lowest, 67.6 °F (19.8 °C).

Nearly constant winds blow from the east with an average speed of 12 knots (22 km/h). The humidity is very constant, averaging 76% and fluctuating between 85% and 66% on a daily basis.

Average annual rainfall is 20.5 inches (520 mm), most of which occurs in October through January. Bonaire lies outside the, though its weather and oceanic conditions are occasionally affected by hurricanes and tropical storms.

This semi-arid climate is conducive to a variety of cacti and other desert plants., the small island in the sheltered lee of the Bonaire, has the same geological history. While Bonaire has some hills and variations in altitude, Klein Bonaire's surface is quite level and just a few feet above high tide. Because the island is as-yet undeveloped, the fringing reef system surrounding Klein Bonaire is truly pristine. The smaller island is entirely ringed with dive sites. Bonaire has a land area of 288 square kilometres (111 sq mi), while Klein Bonaire is an additional 6 km 2 (2.3 sq mi). Is an ecological preserve on the north side of the island. The highest point of Bonaire, Mount Brandaris, 240 m (790 ft) high is located within this preserve and has a complete view of the island.

A donkey colony. Bonaire is also famed for its populations and its sanctuary. Flamingos are drawn to the brackish water of the island's lagoons, which harbours the shrimp upon which they feed. Bonaire is home to one of only four nesting grounds for the Caribbean flamingo. Located in the Pekelmeer in the southern part of the island, no human entry is permitted in this sanctuary. In the 16th century, Europeans introduced,, pigs, and donkeys on Bonaire, and the descendants of the donkeys, goats, and pigs roam the island today.

Bonaire is also home to the ecologically vulnerable parrot, Amazona barbadensis. Environmental initiatives [ ] The island of Bonaire has long been a leader in nature conservation and ecological responsibility.

Stichting Nationale Parken (STINAPA), Bonaire's National Park Foundation, was founded in 1962 for the purpose of actively protecting nature on the island. In 1969 STINAPA succeeded in establishing both the flamingo nesting sanctuary and Washington National Park, the first such nature preserves in the Caribbean. In 1979, the Slagbaai plantation was added to the park, now known as Washington Slagbaai National Park. The Bonaire National Marine Park was also established in 1979. Dvdx Wad Installer Wii on this page. The Marine Park consists of the whole coastline of Bonaire from the high-water mark down to a depth of 200 feet (61 m) and includes a large mangrove forest in Lac Bay. Lac Bay, Klein Bonaire, Pekelmeer, Slagbaii, and Gotomeer are internationally recognized. Due to a public-private sector partnership, programs are being developed to advance the local awareness and attitudes toward conservation and habitat preservation in order to proactively protect Bonaire's ecosystem.

A new sewage treatment plant will contribute to protecting the reefs and the seawater quality. In March 2013, the national garbage-processing plant, opened an environmental court where the general public can bring glass, cans, paper, scrap metal, cardboard, batteries, motor oil, cooking oil, electronics, mobile phones and textiles. Is committed to recycling waste products in Bonaire and to create awareness among the people of Bonaire about the importance and benefits of recycling. Started a Debris Free Bonaire program that emphasises collecting debris washed ashore and delivering it to the dive shop for separation in preparation for handling by BonRecycling. Bonaire gets a significant amount of its electricity from an array of twelve wind generators along its northeastern coastline which began operating in 2010.

This renewable source now fills 40-45% of the island's electricity needs. Work continues in developing additional renewable sources of energy, including bio-diesel and solar, with the goal of becoming 100% reliant on renewables.

Government [ ]. Diver on the ' ship wreck. The separate tax regimes for Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba presents a greater risk of double taxation or double exemption from taxes. In an effort to remove the risk, two plans were introduced. One plan prevents double taxation between the Netherlands (Europe) and the BES Islands while the other prevents double taxation between the BES Islands and third countries. The new regime will generate a total annual tax revenue estimated at $52 million which is equal to the current tax revenues on the three islands. The combined population of the three Islands is approximately 20,000 with about half that many being income-taxpayers.

No denomination. (12%) Education [ ] Bonaire's educational system is patterned after the Dutch system.

Early grades are taught solely in Papiamentu, with more and more Dutch being introduced as the grade level progresses. Languages [ ] is the official language of Bonaire, as it is part of the Netherlands. According to the 2001 census, it is the main language of 8.8% of the population. The most widely spoken language is the, which is the primary language of 74.7% of the populace and is recognized by the government. Is the main language of 11.8% of the people, is the primary language of 2.8%, and other languages account for 1.8%.

Recreation and entertainment [ ]. Bonaire is a popular tourist destination for both and shore snorkelling. Media [ ] Trans World Radio relay station operates a radio (PJB3-AM) on Bonaire with a mediumwave transmitter and several shortwave transmitters. The mediumwave transmitter is the most powerful mediumwave transmitter in America, having operated with as much as a half megawatt.

[ ] The antenna of the mediumwave transmitter consists of four 231.6-metre-tall masts [ ] arranged in a parallelogram. Radio Netherlands relay station operated a shortwave relay station. Because of widespread availability of Internet links providing higher audio quality and more flexibility, shortwave broadcasts by RNW from Bonaire were discontinued and at the end of October 2012, the radio station was closed and installations dismantled.

Sports [ ] The most popular sports on Bonaire are baseball, windsurfing, athletics, association football, tennis, and volleyball. The is a member of and the Bonaire Volleyball Federation is an associate member of. The Baseball teams play in the Caribbean region of and. Bonaire was also confirmed as the 218th Table Tennis National association. References [ ].

Choosing 10 favorite dive sites in Bonaire from the more than 100 available is difficult. First, the vast number of easy beach entries accessible via a rental truck affords divers plenty of excellent options. Second, the sites can have personal attachments for different reasons. Many divers return regularly to the location they saw their first frogfish or nudibranch. Some enjoy wrecks like the Hilma Hooker, while others are drawn to the deeper reefs. Macro photographers (like me) are content spending hours in the shallows hunting for miniscule creatures.

For a more comprehensive list and description of sites, be sure to pick up Susan Porter’s. When Sport Diver asked me to choose 10 of my personal favorites, I had to throw in one bonus site.

For more than 15 years, Eric Riesch has been photographing marine life species underwater. He is the managing director and photo editor of. His has appeared in books, magazines, websites, catalogs, DVDs and tourist aquariums. In 2011, he began contributing regularly to for its Critter Corner column. He develops and maintains New World Publications' three websites:, and.