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).

Geographic coordinates: 12 15 N 68 45 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Comparative: more than five times the size of Washington DC

Coastline: 364 km

Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain: generally hilly volcanic interiors

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

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

Population: 210,134 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 1.01% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Population growth rate: 1.01% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 16.94 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.42 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA

Infant mortality rate: 11.74 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Government type: parliamentary

Capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (22 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

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

Political parties and leaders: Antillean Restructuring Party or PAR [Miguel POURIER]; C 93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Ephraim JONCKHEER]; Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESTCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Foundation Energetic Management Anti-Narcotics or FAME [Eric LODEWIJKS]; Labor Party People's Crusade or PLKP [Errol COVA]; National People's Party or PNP [Suzy ROMER]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Domenico Felip Don MARTINA]; Nos Patria [Chin BEHILIA]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA [William MARLIN]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Rudy ELLIS]; People's Party or PAPU [Richard HODI]; Pro Curacao Party or PPK [Winston LOURENS]; Saba Democratic Labor Movement [Steve HASSELL]; Saba Unity Party [Carmen SIMMONDS]; St. Eustatius Alliance or SEA [Ingrid WHITFIELD]; Serious Alternative People's Party or SAPP [Julian ROLLOCKS]; Social Action Cause or KAS [Benny DEMEI]; Socialist Independent or SI [George HUECK]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Wilson GODETT Jr.]

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)

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

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 growth rate: -0.3% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,800 (1998 est.)

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 agriculture: 1%
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation services: 86% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14.9% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.1% (1998)

Exports: $303 million (f.o.b. 1998)
Commodities: petroleum products 98% (1993)
Partners: US 17.5% Guatemala 8% Costa Rica 6.5% The Bahamas 4.6% Jamaica 4.1% Chile 3.4% (1998)

Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f. 1998)
Commodities: crude petroleum 64% food manufactures (1993)
Partners: Venezuela 35.3% US 21% Mexico 9.8% Italy 5.4% Netherlands 4.8% Brazil 3.1% (1998)

Debt external: $1.35 billion (1996)

Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders gulden or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)

Electricity
Production: 1.02 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 949 million kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 75,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: 11,727 (1995)

Telephone system: generally adequate facilities

Internet
Service providers isps: 6 (1999)

Airports: 5 (1999 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Disputes international: none

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