Bonaire ( /bɒˈnɛər/; Dutch: Bonaire, Papiamentu: Boneiru) is a special municipality (officially public body) of the Netherlands, consisting of the Caribbean island of Bonaire and, nestled in its western crescent, the uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles. The name Bonaire is thought to have originally come from the Caiquetio word 'Bonay'. The early Spanish and Dutch modified its spelling to Bojnaj and also Bonaire, which means "Good Air".

Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country's dissolution on 10 October 2010, when the island (including Klein Bonaire) became a special municipality within the country of the Netherlands.

Bonaire's earliest known inhabitants were the Caquetio Indians, a branch of the Arawak who came by canoe from Venezuela in about AD 1000. Archeological remains of Caquetio culture have been found at certain sites northeast of Kralendijk and near Lac Bay. Caquetio rock paintings and petroglyphs have been preserved in caves at Spelonk, Onima, Ceru Pungi, and Ceru Crita-Cabai. The Caquetios were apparently a very tall people, for the Spanish name for the ABC Islands was 'las Islas de los Gigantes' or 'the islands of the giants.'

Benazir Berends Charles (born July 9, 1992) is a beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Bonaire 2010 and is expected to represent the Dutch public body in the 2011 Miss World pageant. She also placed in the Top 15 at Miss Intercontinental 2010.

An avid sportswoman, Charles enjoys scuba diving, cycling and canoeing. She speaks Dutch, English and Papiamento.

Charles, who stands 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) tall, competed as one of 6 finalists in Miss Bonaire 2010, held on September 4, 2010 in Kralendijk, where she obtained the Best Runway award and became the eventual winner of the title, gaining the right to represent Bonaire in international competitions.

Charles competed in Miss Intercontinental 2010, held on November 6, 2010 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and became one of the Top 15 semifinalists of the competition.

As the expected representative of Bonaire to the 2011 Miss World pageant, broadcast live from London, the United Kingdom on November 7, 2011, Charles will also vie to succeed current Miss World titleholder, Alexandria Mills of the United States.