Kralendijk is the capital and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. , the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or "beach". Off the coast of Kralendijk lies the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire, noted for diving and snorkeling activities. This small island can be reached by water taxi, or, for divers, by practically all of the local dive operators.

Etymology

Kralendijk is an alteration of the Dutch word Koralendijk, which means "coral dike."

History

Fort Oranje was built in 1639 to defend Bonaire's main harbor. The fort was extensively modified around the end of the seventeenth century. The English settlement of "Playa" was established adjacent to the fort in 1810. The town was named "Kralendijk" by the Dutch colonial rulers in 1830. On May 10, 1940, 461 Dutch and German citizens were transported to Bonaire and interned in a camp just south of the fort. After World War II, this camp was converted into a hotel, which is now the Divi Bonaire. The town of Kralendijk is a result of the merger of five villages: Antriol (Entrejol), Nikiboko, Noord Saliña, Playa, and Tera Kora.

Sights and activities

The Tourism Corporation Bonaire has a "Historical Walking Tour" brochure that lists 25 historical sites in the downtown area: The "Public Beach", also known as Windsock, is located 1.5 km south of downtown at the west end of the runway of the Flamingo International Airport. Another public beach is at the site of the Bonaire Sunset Beach Hotel about two kilometres (2 km) north of downtown.

Climate

Kralendijk has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with uniformly hot, humid but dry weather due to the divergence between the trade winds and the North American Monsoon, along with a strong drying effect from winds parallel to the coast of South America. There is a short rainy season between October and January due to stronger northeasterly flow during the retreat of the monsoon; however it is erratic and heavily influenced by the Southern Oscillation, frequently failing completely during El Niño years. During La Niña years, however, rainfall may reach up to 1,000 mm over a year and over 350 mm in a month as happened during 1970/1971, 1988/1989, 1999/2000, 2010/2011 and 2022/2023.

Transportation

Kralendijk is served by Flamingo International Airport and a cruise ship terminal. Taxis are available in town and at the airport. There is no public bus service, but collective taxis run between Kralendijk and Rincon. Car rentals are available at the airport. Bicycle and scooter rentals are available in town. Water taxi service goes to Klein Bonaire and several resort areas departing from the centre of Kralendijk.

Economy

Previously Dutch Antilles Express, a now-defunct airline, had its head office in the Plasa Medardo SV Thielman in Kralendijk. In April 2007 the airline moved its head office from Bonaire to Curaçao, where the airline's flight operations had been based. The airline's call centre and its revenue accounting and handling departments remained in Bonaire.

Notable people