Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands; Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire is just 111 square miles (287 square kilometers), and you can drive around it in three or four hours.

Bonaire is a "Special Municipality" (officially an openbaar lichaam) of the Netherlands. Unlike Aruba and Curaçao, which are independent constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bonaire—along with Saba and St. Eustatius—voted for a closer relationship and was fully integrated into the Dutch state following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in October 2010. This means that Bonaire is technically part of the European Union as an "Overseas Country and Territory" (OCT). While they use the U.S. Dollar as their official currency rather than the Euro, the residents are Dutch citizens and have the right to vote in Dutch national and European Parliament elections. The island is governed by an Island Council, but major administrative decisions and funding are overseen by the Dutch government in The Hague. This status provides Bonaire with significant financial stability and access to Dutch standards of healthcare and education, while maintaining its unique Caribbean culture and Papiamentu language.