Netherlands Antilles

parliamentaryIndependence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Netherlands Antilles as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 102 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

1999

Every edition of Netherlands Antilles

Populationas each edition published it

207,827 people July 1999 est. · 183,503 in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.01% 1999 est. · 0.4% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 31.8 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

74.25 years 1999 est. · 75.73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.09 children per woman 1999 est. · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

12.59 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 9 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$11,500 1997 est. · $8,700 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

-1.8% 1997 · 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 and are rarely threatened;
Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Environment--international agreements

party to:: NA
signed, but not ratified:: NA

People

15 fields

Population

207,827

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 1.01% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

17.11Death

6.58Net migration

-0.43

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)74.25

72.19 · 76.41

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1981 est.)98%

98% · 99%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

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.)

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.)

Infant mortality rate

12.59 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 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

Parliamentary; 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)

19 fields

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

parliamentary

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 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)

Sint Eustatius

Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E WESTCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA ROLLOCKS] note: political parties are indigenous to each island

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

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.

31 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$11,500

purchasing power parity? · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

-1.8%

(1997)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

3.3%

(1997)

Unemployment rate

14.9%

(1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector(1996 est.)

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

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

Venezuela

34%

28.6%

16.4%

Mexico

15.5%

6.4%

Honduras

Belgium-Luxembourg

Netherlands

4.9%

Italy

3.5%

4.5%

Guatemala

Costa Rica

Brazil

2.8%

Exports $268.2 million (f.o.b., 1997)Imports $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1997)(1996)

Budget

Revenues

$710.8 millionExpenditures

$741.6 million (1997 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 100%hydro 0% · nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

1.4 billion (1996)Electricity consumption

1.4 billion (1996)

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.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$2.4 billion (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force

89,000

Labor force--by occupation

government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

Industries

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

Agriculture--products

aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Exports

$268.2 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities

petroleum products 98% (1993)

Imports

$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1997)

Imports--commodities

crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures (1993)

Debt--external

$1.35 billion (1996)

Economic aid--recipient

$NA; note?the Netherlands provided a $97 million aid package in 1996

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

3 (in addition, there is a cable service which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks) (1997)

Televisions

64,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

6 fields

Merchant marine, 95 ships by typeone square, one ship · ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,782 GRT/1,045,989 DWT

bulk 2cargo 26chemical tanker 2combination ore/oil 3container 10liquefied gas tanker 4multifunction large-load carrier 19oil tanker 4passenger 1refrigerated cargo 18roll-on/roll-off cargo 6note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries: Belgium owns 9 ships, Germany 1 (1998 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Networkskm

Highways

600Railways

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