Statistical information Netherlands Antilles 1995

Netherlands Antilles in the World
top of pageBackground: 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).
top of pageLocation: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela and the other is east of the Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinatesMap reference:
Central America and the CaribbeanAreaTotal: total area: 960 km²; land area: 960 km²; comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC; note:includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 364 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone:12 nm; territorial sea:12 nm
Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors
ElevationNatural 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: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: defense is responsibility of the Netherlands
top of pagePopulation: 203,505 (July 1995 est.)
Growth rate: 1.06% (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun:Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective:Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic groups: mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental
Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Demographic profileAge structure: 0-14 years:26% (female 25,349; male 26,577); 15-64 years:67% (female 69,273; male 67,485); 65 years and over:7% (female 8,599; male 6,222) (July 1995 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 1.06% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 16.23 births/1000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.26 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.38 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: NA; natural hazards: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; international agreements:party to - Whaling (extended from Netherlands)
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population:76.94 years; male:74.67 years; female:79.33 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981); total population:98%; male:98%; female:99%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form: none; conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles; local long form: none; local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
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 areasIndependence: 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 participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state:Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989); head of government:Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February 1994); cabinet:Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval of the unicameral legislature
Legislative branch: unicameral; Staten:elections last held on 25 February 1994 (next to be held March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (23 total) PAR 8, PNP 3, SPA 2, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, DP 1, WIPM 1, DP-St.E 1, DP-St.M 1, Nos Patria 1; note:the government of Prime Minister Miguel POURIER is a coalition of several parties
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representationIn the us: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
From the us: chief of mission:Consul General Bernard J. WOERZ; consulate(s) general:Saint Anna Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao; mailing address:P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao; telephone:[599] (9) 61-3,066; FAX:[599] (9) 61-6,489
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 symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Tourism 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. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with Venezuela and the US being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 1.8% (1994 est.)
Real gdp per capita: $10,000 (1993 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: chief products - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Industries: tourism (Curacao and Sint Maarten), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor force: 89,000; by occupation:government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 13.4% (1993 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues:$209 million; expenditures:$232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $240 million (f.o.b., 1993)
Commodoties: petroleum products 98%
Partners: US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%
Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
Commodoties: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
Partners: Venezuela 26%, US 18%, Colombia 6%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $672 million (December 1991)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 200,000 kW
Production: 810 million kWh; consumption per capita:4,054 kWh (1993)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone system: NA telephones; generally adequate facilities; local:NA; intercity:extensive interisland microwave radio relay links; international:2 submarine cables; 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresMilitary and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: total:5; with paved runways over 3,047 m:1; with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:2; with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:1; with paved runways under 914 m:1
HeliportsPipelinesRailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine: total:110 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,044,553 GRT/1,343,842 DWT; ships by type:barge carrier 1, bulk 2, cargo 36, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas tanker 4, multifunction large-load carrier 20, oil tanker 2, passenger 4, refrigerated cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe