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  Netherlands Antilles
(part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
 
Flag of Netherlands Antilles
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 Introduction
 Geography
 People
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This page was last updated on 18 January, 2007


Map of Netherlands Antilles



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe (France).
   Geography    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 960 sq km
land: 960 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 15 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 15 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
364 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 90% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao)
   People    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
221,736 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 23.9% (male 27,197/female 25,886)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 71,622/female 77,710)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7,925/female 11,396) (2006 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 32.8 years
male: 31.1 years
female: 34.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.79% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
14.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 9.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 76.03 years
male: 73.76 years
female: 78.41 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.99 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective: Dutch Antillean
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 96.7%
female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
   Government    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
former: Curacao and Dependencies
Dependency status:
Definition Field Listing
an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Willemstad (on Curacao)
geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
note: each island has its own government
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2007)
note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP St. Maarten, UP Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP St. E 1, DP St. M 1, BDP 1, WIPM 1
note: the government of Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE is a coalition of several parties
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]
Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]
Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]
Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]
Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON]
note: political parties are indigenous to each island
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC)
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 4613066
FAX: [599] (9) 4616489
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
   Economy    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.8 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
NA
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$16,000 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
83,600 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 1%
industry: 20%
services: 79% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
17% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.1% (2003 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $757.9 million
expenditures: $949.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.005 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
934.7 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
70,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day (2001)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.076 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum products
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 29.4%, Panama 14.4%, Mexico 8.8%, Haiti 5.6%, Venezuela 4.9%, Bahamas, The 4.4% (2005)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.383 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Venezuela 50.7%, US 20.8%, Italy 4.8%, Netherlands 4.5% (2005)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.68 billion (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$21.5 million IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
81,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
200,000 (2004)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and four Venezuelan channels) (2004)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.an
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
19,204 (2006)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2,000 (2000)
   Transportation    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 152 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,289,462 GRT/1,671,649 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 13, cargo 68, chemical tanker 3, container 19, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 3
foreign-owned: 143 (Belgium 4, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 60, Netherlands 54, Norway 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 9, UK 3, US 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (Netherlands 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Bopec Terminal, Fuik Bay, Kralendijk, Willemstad
   Military    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
no regular military forces; National Guard, Police Force (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 54,200
females age 16-49: 56,868 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 16-49: 45,273
females age 16-49: 47,166 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 1,720
females age 16-49: 1,657 (2005 est.)
Military - note:
Definition Field Listing
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
   Transnational Issues    Netherlands Antilles Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
none
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 January, 2007


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