definitions

Netherlands Antilles

noun (used with a singular verb)

a Netherlands overseas territory in the Caribbean Sea, N and NE of Venezuela; includes the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, and St. Eustatius, and the S part of St. Martin: considered an integral part of the Dutch realm. 366 sq. mi. (948 sq. km). Capital: Willemstad.

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Formerly Curaçao, Netherlands West Indies, Dutch West Indies.

Related forms

Netherlands Antillean, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for dutch west indies (1 of 2)

Dutch West Indies

pl n

the Dutch West Indies a former name of the Netherlands Antilles

British Dictionary definitions for dutch west indies (2 of 2)

Netherlands Antilles

pl n

the Netherlands Antilles two groups of islands in the Caribbean, in the Lesser Antilles: overseas division of the Netherlands, consisting of the S group of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire, and the N group of Saint Eustatius, Saba, and the S part of Saint Martin; economy based on refining oil from Venezuela. Capital: Willemstad (on Curaçao). Pop: 222 000 (2004 est). Area: 996 sq km (390 sq miles)Former names: (until 1949) Curaçao, the Dutch West Indies, the Netherlands West Indies
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for dutch west indies

Netherlands Antilles

[ (an-til-eez) ]

Group of islands, administered by The Netherlands, in the Caribbean Sea, off the northern coast of Venezuela.

Note

The principal islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, combining Caribbean beaches and Dutch charm, are popular resorts.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.