Statistical information Netherlands Antilles 1999Netherlands%20Antilles

Map of Netherlands Antilles | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Netherlands Antilles in the World

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Netherlands Antilles - Introduction 1999
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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).


Netherlands Antilles - Geography 1999
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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 referenceCentral 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

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 and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Geography


Netherlands Antilles - People 1999
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Population: 207,827 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 1.01% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Age structure: 0-14 years:26% (male 27,160; female 26,149); 15-64 years:67% (male 65,781; female 73,054); 65 years and over:7% (male 6,538; female 9,145) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.01% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 17.11 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.58 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.43 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements: party to:NA; signed, but not ratified:NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio: at birth:1.05 male(s)/female; under 15 years:1.04 male(s)/female; 15-64 years:0.9 male(s)/female; 65 years and over:0.72 male(s)/female; total population:0.92 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 12.59 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population:74.25 years; male:72.19 years; female:76.41 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (1999 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


Netherlands Antilles - Government 1999
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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: parliamentary

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 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 30 January 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002); election results:Miguel POURIER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote_NA

Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (22 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections:last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002); election results:percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PAR 4, PNP 3, SPA 1, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, PLKP 3, WIPM 1, SEA 1, DP-St.M 2, FOL 2; no party won enough seats to form a government; note:the government of Prime Minister Miguel POURIER is a coalition of several parties

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)

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) 4,613,066; FAX:[599] (9) 4,616,489

Flag descriptionflag of Netherlands%20Antilles: 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


Netherlands Antilles - Economy 1999
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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, the US, and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -1.8% (1997)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity_$11,500 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Unemployment rate: 14.9% (1998 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$710.8 million; expenditures:$741.6 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 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: $268.2 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodities: petroleum products 98% (1993)
Partners: US 28.6%, Honduras 6.4%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6%, Italy 4.9%, Guatemala 4.5%, Costa Rica 4% (1996)

Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Commodities: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures (1993)
Partners: Venezuela 34%, US 16.4%, Mexico 15.5%, Netherlands 5%, Italy 3.5%, Brazil 2.8% (1996)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.35 billion (1996)

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)


Netherlands Antilles - Energy 1999
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Electricity
Production: 1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source: fossil fuel:100%; hydro:0%; nuclear:0%; other:0% (1996)
Consumption: 1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Netherlands Antilles - Communication 1999
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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


Netherlands Antilles - Military 1999
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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Netherlands Antilles - Transportation 1999
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (1998 est.)
With paved runways: total:5; over 3,047 m:1; 1,524 to 2,437 m:2; 914 to 1,523 m:1; under 914 m:1 (1998 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: total:95 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,782 GRT/1,045,989 DWT; ships by type:bulk 2, cargo 26, chemical tanker 2, combination ore/oil 3, container 10, liquefied gas tanker 4, multifunction large-load carrier 19, oil tanker 4, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6; note:a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries:Belgium owns 9 ships, Germany 1 (1998 est.)

Ports and terminals


Netherlands Antilles - Transnational issues 1999
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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


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