Lesser Antilles: general information. Netherlands Antilles

ANTILES

Antilles

in the West Indies. On medieval maps Atlantic Ocean traditionally shown mythical island Antilia; title from Latin anteillae, where ante - "before" and illae - "island", generally "front island", "an island that lies before other lands". 1513 on the map G. The name Antilia was first applied to real islands lying in front of the American continent, which corresponded to the meaning of the name. Later it took the form of Anitila (Spanish Antilles) . Modern geography highlights the Greater Antilles islands (several large north islands) and Lesser Antilles islands (smaller islands on IN. And YU. archipelago) .

Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. - M: AST. Pospelov E.M. 2001.

ANTILES

archipelago on the 3rd Atlantic Ocean, in the West Indies. Consists of the Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles. The B. Antilles include: the islands of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico (with states of the same name), etc. The M. Antilles include; Virgin, Windward, Leeward, Barbados. The islands of the outer chain are composed of limestones, the rest contain volcanic rocks, there are active volcanoes. The climate is tropical, trade wind. Mountain rainforests, savannas, to the south. Vakh Island - xerophytic forests and shrubs, plantations. North archipelago located deep-sea Puerto Rican gutter depth- 8742 m.

Concise geographical dictionary. EdwART. 2008.

Antilles

(Antilles), Caribbean , or Caribbean , islands , an archipelago consisting of several island arcs framing Caribbean Sea . Together with Bahamas form West Indies. Large A. o.: Cuba , Jamaica , Haiti And Puerto Rico – have significant dimensions and extend sublatitudally for almost 2000 km in the north of the Garlyanda Small Autonomous Region. stretches in a broken arc (in places double) to the east (Windward Islands) and south (Leeward Islands). The total length of the Antilles is more than 3.5 thousand km. Windward Islands - a volcanic island arc formed by a chain of medium-sized mountainous islands: Trinidad, Guadeloupe , Dominica, Martinique , Grenada, Antigua, etc. They contain active volcanoes: Diabloten, Soufriere, Montagne-Pelée etc. Leeward islands are small, b. including plains ( Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, etc.). The name comes from the Latin ante – “in front”, illae – “island” - this is how the mythical islands somewhere to the west of Europe were designated in the Middle Ages. maps After the discovery of new lands by X. Columbus, the name was assigned to them Antilles , as well as overseas (Antilles), which was only later renamed Caribbean.
Islands preim. mountainous, max. altitude 3175 m (Haiti). Vast plains are found only in Cuba. Strong earthquakes are common. The climate is tropical trade wind. Hurricanes are frequent (this term is borrowed from the Aborigines of the region). Natural vegetation b.h. cut down and replaced by plantations. In coastal waters and the open sea there are coral reefs and shallows. A variety of marine fish, crustaceans and mollusks serve as commercial objects. Along many coasts there are extensive beaches of coral sand.

Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Ekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of academician. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .

Antilles

Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Edited by prof. A. P. Gorkina. 2006 .

ANTILES

(DUTCH)
Dutch possession in the Caribbean Sea north of Venezuela. Includes the islands: Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius and the southern part of the island of Saint Martin, belonging to the Antilles archipelago. total area territory - 800 km2.
Population (1998 estimate) is 205,693, average density population is about 257 people per km2. Ethnic composition: mainly blacks, mulattoes. Language: Dutch (official), local Papiamento Creole (based on Spanish and Portuguese), English, Spanish. Religion: Catholics - 85%, Protestants - 15%. Administrative center- Willemstad (140,000 people with suburbs) on the island of Curacao. According to the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1954, the Antilles are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, enjoying autonomy in internal affairs. The Governor (H.M. Saleh) is the personal representative of the Queen of the Netherlands. The head of government is Prime Minister M. Paurir (since March 1994). On each island territory available local authorities authorities - the lieutenant governor, the council and the government. Currency unit- Dutch Antillean guilder (florin). Birth rate (per 1000 people) - 17.6. Mortality rate (per 1000 people) - 6.6.
The Spaniards arrived on the islands at the end of the 15th century. In the period 1630-1640, the islands were occupied by the Dutch, then repeatedly occupied by the Spaniards, British and French. Finally passed to the Netherlands in 1816. Slavery was abolished on the islands in 1863. Since 1954 it has been a self-governing part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Previously, the ownership included the island of Aruba (since January 1, 1986 - a separate territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands).

Encyclopedia: cities and countries. 2008 .

See what "ANTILLES" is in other dictionaries:

On the map. The Antilles, taken by the Spanish discoverers for legendary island Antilia, lie between Northern and South America and composition... Wikipedia

Antilles- Antilles. Volcano Misery. ANTILES, archipelago in the West Indies: Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) and the Lesser Antilles (Virgin, Windward, Leeward, Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados). Square… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

ANTILES, archipelago in the West Indies: Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) and Lesser Antilles (Virgin, Windward, Leeward, Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados). The area is about 220 thousand km2. Height up to 3175… … Modern encyclopedia

- (Spanish: Antillas) archipelago in the West Indies: Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) and Lesser Antilles (Virgin, Windward, Leeward, Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados). OK. 220 thousand km². Population approx. 30 million h. Height… Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 2 archipelago (45) country (281) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

ANTILES- Total area 1011 sq. km, population 250 thousand people. Agriculture is poorly developed. The number of sheep is about 26 thousand. These are mainly Creole sheep... World sheep farming

- (Spanish Antillas), an archipelago in the West Indies: the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) and the Lesser Antilles (Virgin, Windward, Leeward, Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados). About 220 thousand km2. Population 30 million people... encyclopedic Dictionary

They lie between North and South America and form, as it were, a fragmented continuation of the continent. From the Gulf of Paria at the mouth of the Orinoco to the Strait of Florida they stretch over 13 degrees of latitude and encircle in a huge circle Gulf of Mexico And… … Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

Antilles on the map

Along the long coastline There are beautiful and cozy hotels. The climate allows you to relax almost all year round. The gentle sea, hot sun and polite hotel staff are always happy to welcome vacationers.

Antilles (Spanish: Antillas), an archipelago in the West Indies: the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico) and the Lesser Antilles (Virgin, Windward, Leeward, Trinidad, Tobago and Barbados).

The total area of ​​the Antilles is about 220 thousand km². The population of the Antilles is about 30 million people. Height up to 3175 m. There are active volcanoes. Deciduous and evergreen tropical forests are common.

The following countries are located in the Antilles: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Haiti, Grenada, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, as well as possessions of the USA, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, part of the territory of Venezuela.

Netherlands Antilles (Dutch Niderlandse Antillen) - a possession of the Netherlands in the West Indies, part of the Leeward Islands (the islands of Curacao, Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustacius) and South part Saint Martin Islands in the Windward Islands.

The total area of ​​ownership is 800 km². The population is 194 thousand people (1992), mainly blacks and mulattoes. Official language in the Antilles - Dutch, Papiamento (a Creole mixture of Spanish and Portuguese), English and spanish languages. The administrative center of the property is Willemstad on the island of Curacao. Willemstad and its suburbs are home to most of the Antill population - 140 thousand people. Of the believers, 85% are Catholics, the rest are Protestants.

Since 1954, the Antilles have enjoyed internal autonomy. The Dutch governor is the personal representative of the Queen of the Netherlands. Questions foreign policy and defense are the competence of the Dutch authorities. Legislative Assembly Antill regulates matters of internal governance and is elected by popular vote for a term of four years. Executive power is exercised by the Governor with the assistance of the Advisory Council and the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. Each island has local authorities - lieutenant governors, councils and governments.

The Antilles were discovered by the Spaniards at the end of the fifteenth century. In the thirties of the seventeenth century, the Dutch appeared on the islands. But only in 1816, after decades of stubborn struggle with Spain, France and England, the Antilles were assigned to the Netherlands. Slavery was abolished on the islands in 1863. Until 1986, the Netherlands Antilles included the island of Aruba.

The most important sector of the Antilles economy is tourism . 28% of the islands' amateur population is engaged in serving foreign guests. The Antilles are visited annually by over a million tourists, mainly from Western Europe And North America. 75% of tourists stop on the island of Saint Martin. The oil refinery in Curacao is of exceptional importance for the Antill economy. It runs on imported oil. There are three transit oil terminals on the islands of Curacao, Bonaire and St. Eustacius. One of the largest dry docks in America, capable of receiving ships with a displacement of up to 155 thousand tons, operates in Curacao. Antillas have enterprises in the pulp and paper, textile, food, tobacco and alcoholic beverage industries. Here they assemble electronic equipment and extract salt. Favorable conditions have been created on the islands for the activities of foreign capital. For ten years, foreign enterprises are exempt from paying taxes. Agricultural development in the Antilles is hampered by a lack of fresh water, only 5% of the islands' territory is cultivated. Only 1% of the amateur population is employed in agriculture. Aloe (on the island of Bonaire), sorghum, legumes, tropical fruits and vegetables. Most of food is imported, and a significant part of Antilla's exports are petroleum products. Antill's main foreign trade partners: USA, Netherlands, UK. On the islands of Curacao, Bonaire and St. Maarten there are international airports. The unemployment rate in the Antilles reaches 30% of the economically active population. The monetary unit is the Dutch Antillean guilder (florin), equal to one hundred cents.

In 1493, Columbus discovered the island of Saint Martin. Curaçao and Aruba were discovered in 1499 and were under Spanish rule. At the beginning of the 17th century. The Dutch captured the islands of Aruba and Bonaire, and in 1634 Curacao, which became the center of the slave trade. Since 1627, the Antilles have been a colony of the Netherlands. In 1954, the colony was declared an overseas part of the Netherlands.

Holidays on the beautiful Antilles, located in the Caribbean Sea off the coast American continent, is very popular among wealthy clients, for example, wealthy Americans accustomed to sophisticated relaxation. Today, Russians can discover part of the Antilles archipelago - the islands of Aruba, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin, but you’ve probably heard about Curacao yourself...

Under which the Advisory Council functions and is headed by the minister.

Of the islands included in the federation, Saint Martin was the first to be discovered by X. Columbus in 1493 (later in 1648 it was divided between the Netherlands and France). A few years later, in 1499, spanish navigator Alonso Ojeda discovered the southern islands inhabited by the Arawaks and Caribs. However, no precious metals were discovered on these islands at that time. Only much later, in the 19th century, a small gold deposit was discovered on Aruba. Apart from that, the islands turned out to be quite dry. Therefore, no one claimed them for a long time. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. they were alternately owned by , and . These islands played a significant role for pirates off the coast of South America.

In 1816, the islands finally became the property of the Netherlands. The Dutch turned Curacao into an important shopping mall And largest center slave trade.

At the beginning of the 20th century. with the discovery of oil in Venezuela, Curacao became the target of the largest oil monopolies. In 1916, the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell began construction of a large oil refinery on the island of Curacao. Then in 1925, OF built a powerful oil refinery on the island of Aruba. Refining Venezuelan oil has become the basis for the economic development of the Netherlands Antilles. This had far-reaching socio-economic consequences for the colony. A relatively large industrial proletariat emerged on the islands of Curacao and Aruba. Together with the migration of labor to oil refineries, it had a detrimental effect on the development of the country's agriculture.

During the Second World War, the United States established military bases in Curacao. The rise of national liberation in the colony forced it to be granted internal autonomy in 1954. Under popular pressure, in 1975 negotiations began between the Antillean and Dutch governments to grant independence to the Antilles.

The pre-colonial appearance of the islands has been greatly changed by man, and at present the cultural appearance sharply predominates on them.

The southern islands - Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire - are composed mainly of metamorphic and crystalline rocks, overlain by limestone and volcanic deposits. Structurally they are tops covered with water northern Andes Venezuela. hilly islands.

Explored mineral resources are exhausted by deposits of phosphorites and raw materials for the production of building materials.

The islands are partially surrounded coral reefs. There are several convenient bays, and, on the shores of which the city of Willemstad is located, is considered one of the best in the West Indies.

The climate is tropical, arid, monthly temperatures are 26-28°. The average annual precipitation is about 500 mm, of which 4/5 occurs between October and February. To obtain water, desalination plants operate on the islands, producing 12 million annually. m of fresh water. In some places, rainwater is collected in cisterns. There are many windmills used to pump water.

Vegetation southern islands consists mainly of dry shrubs and cacti. In some places there are still dry ones.

In racial and ethnic terms, the population of Curacao is the most diverse. In recent decades, with the rapid growth of the oil refining industry in the southern islands, many blacks from the West Islands, from Suriname, as well as Dutch and island residents, immigrated there. On northern islands Saba, St. Maarten (the Dutch part) dominated the population until the 60s of the current century, but in Curacao and Aruba, with a higher birth rate of the black population, this ratio changed.

On average, 1.5 billion kWh of electricity is generated per year. All of it is produced at thermal power plants running on petroleum products. In terms of electricity production per capita, the country ranks leading place in the Latin American region.

The main foreign trade transportation is carried out through Willemstad and Oranjestad, which belong to the largest ports West Indies. The country has seven airfields, of which three are international.

The basis of foreign trade is petroleum products and oil, 2/3 of which comes from Venezuela, and the rest from the countries of the Middle East and Africa. In imports it is 87%; in exports - 95%. Petroleum products are exported to the USA, Canada and the countries of the Common Market. Considerable income comes from the dry ship - the largest in America, capable of receiving a displacement of 120 thousand tons, as well as ship repair shops servicing over 1 thousand ships per year.

The consequence of the dominance of foreign monopolies is a massive rise in prices, covering about 5% of the workforce. All this causes an intensification of the strike struggle in the country.

Development national culture inhibited by the country's colonial status, its multilingualism and significant cultural expansion of the United States. Schooling in the country is not compulsory. In first grade primary schools In the southern islands, teaching is conducted in Dutch, followed by a partial transition to “Papiamento”. In the northern islands, schools are taught in English.