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: 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 coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: total:960 km²; land:960 km²; water:0 km²; note:includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Comparative: more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: total:10.2 km; border countries:Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 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

Elevation
Extremes: lowest point:Caribbean Sea 0 m; highest point:Mount Scenery 862 m

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

Land use: arable land:10%; permanent crops:0%; permanent pastures:0%; forests and woodland:0%; other:90% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Geography


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Population: 211,093 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 0.99% (1997 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

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

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

Demographic profile

Age structure: 0-14 years:24% (male 26,496; female 25,267); 15-64 years:68% (male 70,087; female 73,300); 65 years and over:8% (male 6,694; female 9,249) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.99% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 15.61 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.33 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.36 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio: at birth:1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years:1.05 male(s)/female; 15-64 years:0.96 male(s)/female; 65 years and over:0.72 male(s)/female; total population:0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 8.8 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population:77.18 years; male:74.89 years; female:79.59 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.86 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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: definition:age 15 and over can read and write; total population:98%; male:98%; female:99% (1981 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: none; conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles; local long form: none; local short form: Nederlandse Antillen

Government type: NA

Capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note:each island has its own government

Dependent areas

Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

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: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state:Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (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 elected by the Staten; elections:the queen is a constitutional monarch; governor general appointed by the queen 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 31 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1998); election results:Miguel POURIER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections:last held 25 February 1994 (next to be held NA March 1998); election results:percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 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 leaders

International organization participation: Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
From the us: chief of mission:Consul General James L. WILLIAMS; consulate(s) general:J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao; mailing address:P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao; telephone:[599] (9) 461-3,066; FAX:[599] (9) 461-6,489

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 symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tourism, petroleum transshipment, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. 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 parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,800 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: total:89,000; by occupation:government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

Unemployment rate: 13.4% (1993 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$209 million; expenditures:$232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 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: total value:$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993); commodities:petroleum products 98%; partners:US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%

Imports: total value:$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993); commodities:crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures; partners:Venezuela 26%, US 18%, Colombia 6%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.95 billion (December 1995)

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 - 1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)


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Electricity
Capacity: 307,000 kW (1995)
Production: 970 million kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 4,580 kWh (1994 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: NA

Telephone system: generally adequate facilities; domestic:extensive interisland microwave radio relay links; international:2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

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: 4 (1996 est.)
With paved runways: total:4; over 3,047 m:1; 1,524 to 2,437 m:2; 914 to 1,523 m:1 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: total:106 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 971,002 GRT/1,318,064 DWT; ships by type:bulk 3, cargo 33, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 4, multifunction large-load carrier 20, oil tanker 7, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 26, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8 (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe