Netherlands Antilles

Airports

7 total, 7 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

Highways

950 km total; 300 km paved, 650 km gravel and earth

Merchant marine

52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 418,206 GRT/414,325 DWT; includes 4 passenger, 19 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 7 container, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 6 multifunction large-load carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 2 bulk; note--all but a few are foreign owned

Ports

Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk

Telecommunications

generally adequate facilities; extensive interisland radio relay links; stations--9 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Military Manpower

males 15-49 49,299; 27,888 fit for military service; 1,678 reach military age (20) annually

Note

defense is responsibility of the Netherlands

Agriculture

hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products--aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food

Aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $353 million

Budget

revenues $180 million; expenditures $289 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987 est.)

Currency

Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents

Electricity

125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,990 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1--1.80 (fixed rate since 1971)

Exports

$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--petroleum products 98%; partners--US 55%, UK 7%, Jamaica 5%

External debt

$701.2 million (December 1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$1.0 billion, per capita $5,500; real growth rate 3% (1988 est.)

Imports

$1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures; partners--Venezuela 52%, Nigeria 15%, US 12%

Industrial production

growth rate NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.0% (1988)

Overview

Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of the economy. The islands enjoy a comparatively high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Unlike many Latin American countries, the Netherlands Antilles has avoided large international debt. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US being the major supplier. The economy has suffered somewhat in recent years because of the depressed state of the world oil market and declining tax revenues. In 1983 the drop in oil prices led to the devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar, which ended a substantial flow of Venezuelan tourists to the islands. As a result of a decline in tax revenues, the government has been seeking financial support from the Netherlands.

Unemployment rate

26.0% (1988)

Climate

tropical; modified by northeast trade winds

Coastline

364 km

Comparative area

slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Environment

Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Exclusive fishing zone

12 nm;

Land boundaries

none

Land use

8% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 92% other

Natural resources

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Note

consists of two island groups--Curacao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie 800 km to the north

Terrain

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

960 km2; land area: 960 km2; includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Administrative divisions

none (part of the Dutch realm)

Capital

Willemstad

Communists

small leftist groups

Constitution

29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

Diplomatic representation

as an autonomous part of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antillean interests in the US are represented by the Netherlands; US--Consul General Sharon P. WILKINSON; Consulate General at St. Anna Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao (mailing address P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao); telephone [599] (9) 613066

Executive branch

Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

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

Independence

none (part of the Dutch realm)

Judicial branch

Joint High Court of Justice Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since October 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS (since 17 May 1988, previously served from September 1984 to November 1985)

Legal system

based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

Legislative branch

Parliament (Staten)

Long-form name

none

Member of

EC (associate), INTERPOL; associated with UN through the Netherlands; UPU, WMO

National holiday

Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Political parties and leaders

political parties are indigenous to each island: Curacao--National People's Party (NVP), Maria Liberia-Peters; New Antilles Movement (MAN), Domenico Felip Martina; Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustus Diaz; Workers' Liberation Front (FOL), Wilson (Papa) Godett; Socialist Independent (SI), George Hueck and Nelson Monte; Bonaire--New Force, Rudy Ellis; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), John Evert (Jopie) Abraham; Sint Maarten--Democratic Party of Sint Maarten, Claude Wathey; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten, Romeo Paplophlet; Sint Eustatius--Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius, Albert K. Van Putten; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM), Eric Henriquez; Saba--Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will Johnston; Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon Hassell; Saba Unity Party, Carmen Simmonds

Suffrage

universal at age 18 Parliament--last held on 22 November 1985 (next to be held November 1989); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(22 total) PNP 6, MAN 4, DP-Curacao 3, DP-St. Maarten 3, DP-Bonaire 2, DP-St. Eustatius 1, FOL 1, UPB 1, WIPM 1; note--the government of Prime Minister Maria Liberia-Peters is a coalition of several parties

Type

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

Birth rate

18 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

85% mixed African; remainder Carib Indian, European, Latin, and Oriental

Infant mortality rate

9 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

89,000; 65% government, 28% industry and commerce (1983)

Language

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

Life expectancy at birth

74 years male, 79 years female (1990)

Literacy

95%

Nationality

noun--Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective--Netherlands Antillean

Net migration rate

- 11 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

60-70% of labor force

Population

183,503 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)

Religion

predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Total fertility rate

2.0 children born/woman (1990)