Netherlands Antilles

part of the Dutch realmIndependence none (part of the Dutch realm)

Netherlands Antilles as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 87 fields, one of 21 editions from 1990 to 2010.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalWillemstad

Position12 15 N, 68 45 W

Area960 sq km

LocationCaribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one

1996

Every edition of Netherlands Antilles

Populationas each edition published it

208,968 people July 1996 est. · 183,503 in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.03% 1996 est. · 0.4% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 31.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.06 years 1996 est. · 75.73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

Not in this edition 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

8.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 9 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$10,400 1994 est. · $8,700 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.8% 1994 est. · 4% in 1993

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 960 sq km

arable land 8%forest and woodland 0%other 92%permanent crops 0% in all · meadows and pastures 0% in all

Area

960sq km

land area: 960 sq kmcomparative area: more than five times the size of Washington, DCnote: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Coastline

364km

land boundaries: 0 kmexclusive fishing zone: 12 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

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

Climate

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

lowest point:: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:: Mount Scenery 862 m

Natural resources

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Environment

current issues:: NA
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
international agreements:: party to - Whaling (extended from Netherlands)

People

14 fields

Population

208,968

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 1.03% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

15.98Death

5.29Net migration

-0.37

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years77.06

74.78 · 79.46

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy98%

98% · 99%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: NA
15-64 years:: NA
65 years and over:: NA

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.72 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic divisions

mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Languages

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

Government

Part of the Dutch realm; Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February 1994) was appointed by the Staten

25 fields

Legislature, 23 seatsone dot, one seat

PAR 8PNP 3SPA 2PDB 2UPB 1MAN 2DP 1WIPM 1DP-St.E 1DP-St.M 1Nos Patria 1

Name of country

conventional long form:: none
conventional short form:: Netherlands Antilles
local long form:: none
local short form:: Nederlandse Antillen

Type of government

part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954

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

Executive branch

chief of state:: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (of the Netherlands since 30 April 1980) is a constitutional monarch, represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989), who was appointed for a six-year term by the queen
head of government:: Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February 1994) was appointed by the Staten
cabinet:: Council of Ministers was appointed by the Staten

Staten

elections last held 25 February 1994 (next to be held NA 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

Political parties and leaders

political parties are indigenous to each island

Bonaire

Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), Broertje JANJA

Curacao

Antillean Restructuring Party (PAR), Miguel POURIER;
National People's Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS;
New Antilles Movement (MAN), Domenico Felip Don MARTINA;
Workers' Liberation Front (FOL), Wilson (Papa) GODETT;
Socialist Independent (SI), George HUECK and Nelson MONTE;
Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustin DIAZ;
Nos Patria, Chin BEHILIA

Saba

Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Ray HASSELL;
Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Steve HASSELL;
Saba Unity Party, Carmen SIMMONDS

Sint Eustatius

Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), Julian WOODLEY;
Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM);
St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA), Ingrid WHITFIELD

Sint Maarten

Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Sarah WESTCOTT-WILLIAMS;
Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES;
Serious Alternative People's Party (SAPP) Julian ROLLOCKS

International organization participation

Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in US

none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Consul General James L. WILLIAMS
consulate general(s):: J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing address:: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone:: [599] (9) 61-3066

Flag

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

21 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$10,400

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

1.8%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

1.5%

(1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

13.4%

(1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$209 millionExpenditures

$232 million (1992 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $8 million

Installed generating capacity, 200,000 kW

Electricity production

810 millionElectricity consumption per capita

4,054 (1993)

Tourism 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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $1.92 billion (1994 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

commodities:: petroleum products 98%
partners:: US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%

Imports

$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities:: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
partners:: Venezuela 26%, US 18%, Colombia 6%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5%

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 4 in all

over 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

914 to 1 523 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

944Railways

Highways: paved: 299 km · unpaved: 645 km (1985 est.)

Highways

total:: 944 km
paved:: 299 km
unpaved:: 645 km (1985 est.)

Ports

Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad

Merchant marine

total:: 119 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,141,003 GRT/1,490,958 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 1, cargo 38, chemical tanker 7, combination bulk 1, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 4, multifunction large-load carrier 18, oil tanker 9, passenger 4, refrigerated cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8 (1995 est.)

Communications

Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands | Air Force, National Guard, Police Force

8 fields

Telephones

Telephone system

generally adequate facilities

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

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