Netherlands Antilles

NAIndependence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Netherlands Antilles as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 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

1997

Every edition of Netherlands Antilles

Populationas each edition published it

211,093 people July 1997 est. · 183,503 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.99% 1997 est. · 0.4% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 31.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.18 years 1997 est. · 75.73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.86 children per woman 1997 est. · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

8.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 9 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$9,800 1996 est. · $8,700 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

0% 1996 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

17 fields

Land useshare of 960 sq km

arable land 10%forests and woodland 0%other 90% (1993 est.)permanent crops 0% in all · permanent pastures 0% in all

Area

960sq km

land: 960 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

364km

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nmterritorial sea : 12 nm

Highest point

862m

Mount Scenerylowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

10.2km

border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km

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

Natural resources

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Whaling (extended from Netherlands)
signed, but not ratified:: NA

People

15 fields

Population

211,093

(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.99% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth

15.61Death

5.33Net migration

-0.36

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)77.18

74.89 · 79.59

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1981 est.)98%

98% · 99%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition : age 15 and over can read and write

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.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate

8.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Nationality

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

Ethnic groups

mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Languages

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

Government

NA; Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989); Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February 1994)

25 fields

States or Staten, 23 seats, elected 25 February 1994one dot, one seat

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

Country name

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

Data code

Dependency status

part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954

Government type

National capital

Willemstad

Administrative divisions

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

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

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

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 the US

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Diplomatic representation 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) 461-3066

FAX

[599] (9) 461-6489

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

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

22 fields

Real growth rate

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

(1996)

Unemployment rate

13.4%

(1993 est.)

Labor force

89,000

by occupation: government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

GDP - composition by sector(1996 est.)

agriculture 1%industry 15%services 84% (1996 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$209 millionExpenditures

$232 million (1992 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $8 million

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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.04 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $9,800 (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity - capacity

307,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production

970 million kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

4,580 kWh (1994 est.)

Agriculture - products

aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

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%

Debt - external

$1.95 billion (December 1995)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA; the Netherlands Antilles received a $97 million Dutch aid package in 1996, making it the Netherlands' second largest aid recipient behind India

Currency

1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 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)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios

205,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

64,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

6 fields

Merchant marine, 106 ships by type(1996 est.)

bulk 3cargo 33container 4liquefied gas tanker 4multifunction large-load carrier 20oil tanker 7passenger 1refrigerated cargo 26roll-on/roll-off cargo 8

Networkskm

Highways

600Railways

Highways: paved : 300 km · unpaved: 300 km (1992 est.)