CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(8 fields)
Branches
Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force
Defense note
defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands
Radio broadcast stations
AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios
205,000 (1992 est.)
Telephone system
generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones
NA
Television broadcast stations
1
Televisions
64,000 (1992 est.) Defense
◆ ECONOMY(21 fields)
Agriculture
aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Budget
revenues: $209 million expenditures: $232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 est.)
Currency
1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents
Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $NA
Economic overview
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.
Electricity
capacity: 200,000 kW production: 810 million kWh consumption per capita: 4,054 kWh (1993)
Exchange rates
Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)
Exports
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: petroleum products 98% partners: US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%
External debt
$1.95 billion (December 1995)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $1.92 billion (1994 est.)
GDP composition by sector
agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP per capita
$10,400 (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate
1.8% (1994 est.)
Illicit drugs
money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
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%
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)
1.5% (1994 est.)
Labor force
89,000 by occupation: government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)
Unemployment rate
13.4% (1993 est.)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(14 fields)
Area
total area: 960 sq km land area: 960 sq km comparative area: more than five times the size of Washington, DC note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Climate
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Coastline
364 km
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)
Geographic coordinates
12 15 N, 68 45 W
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 92%
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
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural resources
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Terrain
generally hilly, volcanic interiors lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
◆ GOVERNMENT(25 fields)
Administrative divisions
none (part of the Dutch realm)
Bonaire
Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), Broertje JANJA
Capital
Willemstad
Constitution
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
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
Data code
NT
Diplomatic representation in US
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
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
FAX
[599] (9) 61-6489
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)
International organization participation
Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WToO (associate)
Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch
unicameral
Name of country
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
National holiday
Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Political parties and leaders
political parties are indigenous to each island
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
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type of government
part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954
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
◆ PEOPLE(14 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Birth rate
15.98 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate
5.29 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions
mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental
Infant mortality rate
8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 77.06 years male: 74.78 years female: 79.46 years (1996 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.) total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99%
Nationality
noun: Netherlands Antillean(s) adjective: Netherlands Antillean
Net migration rate
-0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Population
208,968 (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate
1.03% (1996 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
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.)
◆ TRANSPORTATION(5 fields)
Airports
total: 4 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1 (1995 est.)
Highways
total: 944 km paved: 299 km unpaved: 645 km (1985 est.)
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.)
Ports
Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad
Railways
0 km