Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands, consisting
of the Caribbean island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the
uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. It has an area around 288 km² and 14.000
inhabitants. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as
the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the
Lesser Antilles. The name Bonaire is thought to have originally come from the
Caiquetio word 'Bonay'. The early Spanish and Dutch modified its spelling to
Bojnaj and also Bonaire, which means "Good Air".
Dutch is the official language on Bonaire, since it is part
of the Netherlands. Nevertheless, Papiamentu is recognized as another language
on the island. Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country's
dissolution on 10 October 2010, when the island became a special municipality
within the country of the Netherlands. Since January 1, 2011, the U.S. dollar has
been the official currency, replacing the Netherlands Antillian Guilder.
Bonaire's economy is mainly based on tourism. The island
caters mainly to scuba divers and snorkelers, as there are few sandy beaches,
while the surrounding reefs are easily accessible from the shore. Bonaire is
world renowned for its excellent scuba diving and is consistently rated among
the best diving locations in the world
This coin set includes: a 1-5-10-25-50 Cent; 1 Dollar, a
bimetallic 2 ½ Dollar and a bimetallic 5 Dollar coin. On the obverse of the
coin is depicted Netherlands Queen Beatrix, along with the name and arms of the
island; and on the reverse the coins feature several native plants.