The Netherlands Antilles consists of 2 groups of islands: the southern group (discovered by Columbus in 1493) of Curaçao, and Bonaire, and the northern group (discovered by Alonso de Hijedo in 1499) of St Eustatius, Saba, and the southern part of St Martin.
Sovereignty over the islands was disputed between Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain, until 1816 when they became part of the Netherlands.
Aruba was part of the Netherlands Antilles until its independence in 1986.
The Netherlands Antilles is part of the kingdom of the Netherlands and is constitutionally on a level of equality with the homeland.