The 1996 CIA World Factbook page on Netherlands Antilles

From: The CIA'sTHE WORLD FACTBOOK 1996

[Factbook 1996 Home] [Gov Docs Home] [Libraries Home] [UM-St. Louis Home]

Netherlands Antilles

(½" Thumbnail of Flag)

(part of the Dutch realm)

Map

Location: 12 15 N, 68 45 W -- 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

|| View GIF from CIA (17 KB) || Download TIFF from CIA (388 KB) || Download PDF from CIA (17 KB) ||

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

½" Thumbnails

|| View GIF from CIA (1 KB) |

| Download TIFF from CIA (6 KB) ||

View GIF from CIA (1 KB) || Download TIFF from CIA (6 KB)

3" Full Size

|| View GIF from CIA (4 KB) |

| Download TIFF from CIA (363 KB) ||

View GIF from CIA (4 KB) || Download TIFF from CIA (363 KB)

Geography

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
Geographic coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
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)
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 364 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 92%
Irrigated land: NA sq 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)

People

Population: 208,968 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.03% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 15.98 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
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.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.06 years
male: 74.78 years
female: 79.46 years (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Netherlands Antillean(s)
adjective: Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic divisions: mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99%

Government

Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
Data code: NT
Type of government: part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954
Capital: Willemstad
Administrative divisions: none (part of the Dutch realm)
Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm)
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) 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
Legislative branch: unicameral
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
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 US: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
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
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

Economy

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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.92 billion (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 1.8% (1994 est.)
GDP per capita: $10,400 (1994 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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.)
Budget:
revenues: $209 million
expenditures: $232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 est.)
Industries: tourism (Curacao and Sint Maarten), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 200,000 kW
production: 810 million kWh
consumption per capita: 4,054 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Illicit drugs: money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: petroleum products 98%
partners: US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%
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%
External debt: $1.95 billion (December 1995)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
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

Transportation

Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 944 km
paved: 299 km
unpaved: 645 km (1985 est.)
Ports: Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad
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.)
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.)

Communications

Telephones: NA
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: 1
Televisions: 64,000 (1992 est.)

Defense

Branches: Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force
Defense note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands

Netherlands Antilles

Original publicaton at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm (June 17, 1997).