Saba

Saba is the smallest inhabited island of the former Netherlands Antilles, since October 10, 2010 as one of the three BES islands a " special community " ( " bijzondere gemeente " ) of the Netherlands in the Eastern Caribbean.

Geography

Saba is located southwest of Sint Maarten and northwest of St. Eustatius and belongs to the Leeward Islands.

The island is of volcanic origin and consists largely of the volcano Mount Scenery. The highest peak of his four volcanic cone rises 877 meters into the air, marking the highest point of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The 13 km ² island is almost circular, measuring 4.5 km in diameter and is surrounded by cliffs, natural beaches there are not. About 250 m north of Saba is the uninhabited, rocky island green Iceland, which is overgrown with tropical plants.

Including the capital of The Bottom (about 600 inhabitants), whose official name Leverock is hardly used, there are four settlements: f1 map with all coordinates: OSM, Google and Bing

Saba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as an overseas territory (OCT ) is not part of the European Union.

Population

Saba has 1,991 inhabitants (01 / 2013), about 58 % are Roman Catholic, 14% Anglican, 22 % of the population belong to other religious communities.

Actually, the official language of Dutch, but English prevails both as colloquial as well as a school and an official language before. 5 % of the population speaks Spanish and only 2% of Dutch as primary language. About 1% of the population speaks the creole Papiamentu.

Climate

The climate is tropical and warm, temperate by cool trade winds from north-eastern directions. The daily temperatures are between 21 ° C and 29 ° C, nighttime temperatures between 18 ° C and 24 ° C. The annual rainfall is around 1,000 mm.

Flora and Fauna

Though Saba was completely deforested by reckless deforestation during the colonial period, has developed in the following centuries, a species-rich secondary rainforest, which is well served by a number of hiking trails. Dangerous or even poisonous animals do not exist, the only snakes that occur on Saba, the harmless and shy black snake ( "Black Racer " or "Black Belly Racer ") and the also to the snakes belonging, harmless Alsophis rufiventris ( called " Saba Racer" or "Orange- bellied Racer "). Endemic is Anolis sabanus, a small lizard. Due to the high rainfall mosquitoes are common, especially during the rainy season.

The summit of Mount Scenery, a path leads ( 1,064 stone steps, according to information board) through the rainforest.

The 43 -acre Saba National Park covers a large part of the island north and gives insights into the biodiversity of the flora and fauna of Saba.

The underwater world near the island was largely preserved by the 1987 launched Saba National Marine Park as well as by strict laws and regulations against environmental destruction. For divers Saba and its coral reefs are considered good diving areas. There are several dive centers on Saba, which are mainly frequented by day-trippers.

History

Christopher Columbus discovered Saba on his second voyage in 1493, probably on 13 November 1493 but did not go ashore. He took the island for the Spanish crown in possession and named it Isla de San Cristóbal (on German island of Saint Christopher ). The exact date of the discovery, however, is controversial, since Columbus' route is not occupied by the Lesser Antilles with absolute certainty.

1632 landed a group of English castaway on Saba and found the island uninhabited before, they were probably the first European inhabitants of Saba. 1635 a Frenchman got lost on the island and annexed them in the name of Louis XIII.

1640 finally Saba by the Dutch West India Company (WIC ) was colonized, but over the next few centuries the ownership changed frequently between the Netherlands, the UK, France and Spain. Only in 1816 was Saba finally into the possession of the Netherlands.

1925, the first donkeys were brought as transportation to the island; Up to this point, all goods carriers were transported to the island.

In 1938 started the construction of a road and 1947 brought the first motor vehicle to the island.

1954 Saba was called " eilandgebied " ( island territory, a kind of community) part of the newly established autonomous province Netherlands Antilles.

On February 9, 1959, the first plane landed in a breakneck maneuvers on the island, the pilot Rémy de Haenen started from St. Barth and landed on a makeshift runway. Thus he proved that the landing of an aircraft on Saba principle was possible. Then in the early 1960s began with the construction of an airport, on which in 1963 landed the first passenger aircraft.

From 1970 Saba in 1972, the port was fully supplied with electricity, developed, established in 1980, a decompression chamber and founded in 1986, a private medical university.

On 15 December 2008 it was decided by representatives of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, the resolution of the National Federation of the Netherlands Antilles, with effect from 10 October 2010. Since that day is Saba, as desired by the people, a " special municipality " of the Netherlands.

On 1 January 2011, the U.S. dollar replaced the Antillean guilder from as legal tender on the island.

Personalities

In the 19th century, the young Mary Gertrude Hassell Johnson was sent to study in a monastery to Caracas, where she learned the art craft of lace making. Upon her return she made the technology on the island known and thus founded a still major industry Sabas.

The construction of the single street Sabas, ( in German " The Road" ) called by the locals appropriately enough "The Road", was started in 1938 by Josephus Lambert Hassell with a troop of local, after the Dutch government had declared the construction of such road for impossible. Hassell, who had acquired his knowledge of civil engineering as a self-taught through a distance education program, led the first part of the project through without any technical aids. The last part of the road was completed in 1958.

Attractions

The ruins of the first settlement, which was established in 1640, located in the Bay Tent Bay.

From the capital of The Bottom lead 800 carved into the steep rock steps down to the bay Ladder Bay. Until well into the second half of the 20th century, the only way to enter or exit the island, in the arduous ascent and descent through these stages, as had all of the imported or exported goods are transported in this way.

There are two museums on Saba: The Major Osmar Ralph Simmons Museum in The Bottom presents everyday objects from the history of Saba's on display. The Harry L. Johnson Museum in Windward Side is decorated in Victorian style and features, among other archaeological exhibits of the Caribbean natives of localities in the region.

Economy and infrastructure

The main street of "The Road" is 14.5 km long and traverses almost the entire island. Currently, more than 800 motor vehicles are registered on the island. The Sabanesen use their own cars for very short trips, so that at certain times there is a veritable traffic jam in the villages of The Bottom or Windward Side.

During the 17th and 18th century the main economic products were sugar and rum, and later fishing became important. The reduction of sulfur end of the 19th century was due to the difficult transport on rough seas never profitable and was abandoned after a short time. Today, in addition to the revenue from the diving and ecotourism is the sale of the famous peaks of Sheba ( " Sheba Lace" ), also known as "Spanish lace ", an important source of income.

Also, the 300 mainly American, Canadian and Dutch students of the Medical Private University Saba University - School of Medicine is a not inconsiderable economic factor.

Saba has a small airport named Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport ( IATA code SAB), which was built in the early 1960s on the single larger plains of the island. The airport was named after the Minister of Finance and Social Affairs, who had pledged financial support to the Government for the construction of the airport. The 400 meters with extremely short take-off and landing runway of the airport is one of the shortest commercial runways in use in the world, so that a landing on Saba for passengers and pilots alike is a breathtaking experience. The Caribbean airline Windward Iceland Airways ( Winair ) flies regularly to Saba from the neighboring islands Sint Maarten and Sint Eustatius from.

The 1972 opened port " Leo A. chance Pier " (named after its designer ) in the Fort Bay has a regular ferry service ( Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, January 2013) with the neighboring island of Sint Maarten and provides anchorage for sailing and motor boats. Since 2010, the castaway of the German Society for rescuing discarded daughter Erika boat from the local, still quite young rescue organization Saba Sea Rescue is used on the often stormy south coast.

The 1980 furnished Saba Marine Park Hyperbaric Facility provides emergency medical care in diving accidents with a decompression chamber for four people for the surrounding Caribbean islands.

Currency since 1 January 2011, the U.S. dollar, which replaced the Antillean guilder as legal tender on the island; the old currency was invalid ( Saba ) within one month.

Swell

  • Saba Conservation Foundation: Visitor Information "History of Saba ". ( Brochure on Saba's story)
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