Guide to Doing Business
in St. Eustatius
| Kingdom | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Country | the Netherlands |
| Public entity | St. Eustatius |
| Capital | Oranjestad |
| Official language | Dutch and English |
| Population | 3,600 |
| Area | 21 km²/8 miles² |
| Time zone | UTC -4 |
| Calling code | +599 |
| Currency | US Dollar (USD) |
Geography and climate
St. Eustatius, affectionally called Statia, is an island located in the north part of the Caribbean sea, about 240 kilometers east of Puerto Rico and 60 kilometers south of St. Maarten.
St. Eustatius consist of a presumably dormant volcano in the south eastern part of the island, called The Quill (Anglicization of the original Dutch name “De Kuil”) and an approximately 200,000 years old, extinct volcano in the northern part of the island, with in between a relatively flat terrain. St. Eustatius is an island with a land area of approximately 8.1 miles²/21 kilometers².
St. Eustatius, as part of the Leeward Islands, is characterized by its tropical climate with warm weather all year around. The mean annual temperatures range from 24° C (77° F) to 29° C (85° F). From July till November, St. Eustatius can be subject to hurricanes. There is a rainy season from October till January.
Population
St. Eustatius has approximately 3,600 inhabitants from all over the world. The majority of the population has the Dutch nationality, but there are also many people from other islands in the Caribbean (such as St. Vincent, Dominica, Anguila, Santo Domingo and Haiti) from the USA, Canada and South America.
Languages
The official languages of St. Eustatius are English and Dutch. However, English is the most widely spoken language on the island. Besides English a number of people on the island speak Dutch and/or Spanish.
Religion
The majority of the people in St. Eustatius are Roman Catholic. However, there are also other religious denominations like the Jewish Community, Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists.
Currency
As of 1 January 2011, the US Dollar became the official currency of St. Eustatius. The Netherlands Antillean Guilder is no longer accepted as payment for any transaction. The monetary system of the island is regulated by the Bank of the Netherlands (de Nederlandsche Bank).