Netherlands Antilles

• 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

• the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao);
• the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.926 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.69 male(s)/female

total population:

0.929 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

noun:

Dutch Antillean(s)

adjective:

Dutch Antillean

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Netherlands Antilles

local long form:

none

local short form:

Nederlandse Antillen

former:

Curacao and Dependencies

• an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
• full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954;
• Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

name:

Willemstad (on Curacao)

geographic coordinates:

12 06 N, 68 56 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002)

head of government:

Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)

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 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2010)

note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP-St. M, UPB, WIPM Saba, DP-St. E

Bonaire:

Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]

Curacao:

• Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE];
• C-93 [Stanley BROWN];
• Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ];
• E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO];
• Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO];
• Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE];
• Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK];
• New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER];
• Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER];
• Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA];
• Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE];
• People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY];
• Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO];
• Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS];
• Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]

Saba:

Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]

Sint Eustatius:

• Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY];
• Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN];
• St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]

Sint Maarten:

• Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS];
• Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST];
• National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN];
• People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL];
• St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD];
• United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON]

note: political parties are indigenous to each island

• none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands);
• note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

chief of mission:

Consul General Robert E. SORENSON

consulate(s) general:

J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao

mailing address:

P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao

telephone:

[599] (9) 4613066

FAX:

[599] (9) 4616489

• 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

agriculture:

1%

industry:

20%

services:

79% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

generally adequate facilities

domestic:

extensive interisland microwave radio relay links

international:

• country code - 599;
• submarine cables - 2;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

males age 16-49:

54,200

females age 16-49:

56,868 (2005 est.)

males age 16-49:

45,273

females age 16-49:

47,166 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49:

1,720

females age 16-49:

1,657 (2005 est.)