Map of Netherlands Antilles | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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 Sint Maarten is shared with France (whose northern portion is named Saint Martin and is part of Guadeloupe).


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 960 km²; Land area: 960 km²; includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and; Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin); Comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 364 km

Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm; Disputes: none

Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Elevation

Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Land use: arable land: 8%; permanent crops: 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 92%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 184,325 (July 1992), growth rate 0.3% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective - Netherlands; Antillean

Ethnic groups: mixed African 85%; remainder Carib Indian, European,; Latin, and Oriental

Languages: Dutch (official); Papiamento, a; Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates; English widely spoken; Spanish

Religions: predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day; Adventist

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 18 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: - 9 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October; Note: consists of two island groups - Curacao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie 800 km to the north

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 11 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 77 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 94% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: part of the Dutch realm - full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954

Capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Dutch realm)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm)

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18; Staten: last held on 16 March 1990 (next to be held March 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (22 total) PNP 7, FOL-SI 3, UPB 3,; MAN 2, DP-St. M 2, DP 1, SPM 1, WIPM 1, DP-St. E 1, Nos Patria 1; note - the government of Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS is a coalition of several parties

Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: legislature (Staten)

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC,; UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WTO (associate); Diplomatic representation: as an autonomous part of the Netherlands,; Netherlands Antillean interests in the US are represented by the Netherlands; US: Consul General Sharon P. WILKINSON; Consulate General at Sint Anna; Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao (mailing address P. O. Box 158,; Willemstad, Curacao); telephone 599 (9) 613,066; FAX 599 (9) 616,489

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of the economy. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Unlike many Latin American countries, the Netherlands Antilles has avoided large international debt. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US being the major supplier.; GDP: exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion, per capita $7,600; real growth rate 1.5% (1990 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food

Industries: tourism (Curacao and Sint Maarten), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate NA%

Labor force: 89,000; government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983); Organized labor: 60-70% of labor force; Long-form name: none

Unemployment rate: 21% (1991)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $454 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1989 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodoties: petroleum products 98%
Partners: US 40%, Italy 6%, The Bahamas 5%

Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
Commodoties: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
Partners: Venezuela 42%, US 18%, Netherlands 6%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88)


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Electricity
Production: 125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,985 kWh per capita (1991)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 7 total, 6 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2; with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2; with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 607,010; GRT/695,864 DWT; includes 4 passenger, 27 cargo, 13 refrigerated cargo, 7 container, 9 roll-on/roll-off, 11 multifunction large-load carrier, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 1 bulk, 1 oil tanker; note - all but a few are foreign owned, mostly in the Netherlands; Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs