from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Netherlands Antilles
Introduction
Background: Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the
island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of
slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of
neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th
century with the construction of oil refineries to
service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The
island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its
southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of
the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is
called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe (France).
Geography
Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea -
composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located
off the coast of Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and
St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Geographic 12 15 N, 68 45 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
Area: total: 960 sq km
land: 960 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius,
and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint
Martin)
Area - more than five times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land total: 15 km
boundaries: border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 15 km
Coastline: 364 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
resources:
Land use: arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 90% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane
hazards: belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and
Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to
October
Environment - NA
current
issues:
Geography - the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are
note: divided geographically into the Leeward Islands
(northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint
Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group
(Bonaire and Curacao)
People
Population: 221,736 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.9% (male 27,197/female 25,886)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 71,622/female 77,710)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7,925/female 11,396)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 32.8 years
male: 31.1 years
female: 34.4 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.79% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 14.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 9.76 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 10.54 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 8.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 76.03 years
expectancy at male: 73.76 years
birth: female: 78.41 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.99 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective: Dutch Antillean
Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian
Religions: Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%,
other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Languages: Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English
dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3%
(official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%,
unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 96.7%
female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
former: Curacao and Dependencies
Dependency an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the
status: Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted
in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and
foreign affairs
Government parliamentary
type:
Capital: 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)
Administrative none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
divisions: note: each island has its own government
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909
holiday: and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter
BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April
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 chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since
branch: 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
2007)
note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP St. Maarten,
UP Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia
Legislative unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14,
branch: Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held
in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2,
National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP St. E 1, DP St. M
1, BDP 1, WIPM 1
note: the government of Prime Minister Emily de
JONGH-ELHAGE is a coalition of several parties
Judicial Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the
branch: monarch)
Political Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi
parties and ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito
leaders: 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
Political Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC)
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL,
organization WCO, WMO, WToO (associate)
participation:
Diplomatic none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands);
representation note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary
in the US: for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands
Diplomatic chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
representation consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad,
from the US: Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 4613066
FAX: [599] (9) 4616489
Flag white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center
description: 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
Economy - Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are
overview: the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely
tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or
grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the
islands enjoy a high per capita income and a
well-developed infrastructure compared with other
countries in the region. Almost all consumer and
capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the
major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water
supplies hamper the development of agriculture.
Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and
pension systems of an aging population.
GDP $2.8 billion (2004 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 1% (2004 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $16,000 (2004 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 1%
composition by industry: 15%
sector: services: 84% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 83,600 (2005)
Labor force - agriculture: 1%
by occupation: industry: 20%
services: 79% (2005 est.)
Unemployment 17% (2002 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 2.1% (2003 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $757.9 million
expenditures: $949.5 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2004)
Agriculture - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
products:
Industries: tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum
refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities
(Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 1.017 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 945.8 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 72,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $2.076 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - petroleum products
commodities:
Exports - US 29.4%, Panama 14.4%, Mexico 8.8%, Haiti 5.6%,
partners: Venezuela 4.9%, Bahamas, The 4.5% (2005)
Imports: $4.383 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - crude petroleum, food, manufactures
commodities:
Imports - Venezuela 52.3%, US 21.4%, Italy 4.9%, Netherlands 4.6%
partners: (2005)
Debt - $2.68 billion (2004)
external:
Economic aid - $21.5 million IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the
recipient: Netherlands continued its support with $40 million
(2004)
Currency Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
(code):
Currency code: ANG
Exchange Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79
rates: (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79
(2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 81,000 (2001)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 200,000 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: generally adequate facilities
system: domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay
links
international: country code - 599; submarine cables -
2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean)
Radio AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 217,000 (1997)
Television 3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies
broadcast programs received from various US satellite networks
stations: and four Venezuelan channels) (2004)
Televisions: 69,000 (1997)
Internet .an
country code:
Internet 19,204 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 6
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 2,000 (2000)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 5 (2006)
Airports - total: 5
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Merchant total: 152 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,289,462 GRT/
marine: 1,671,649 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 13, cargo 68,
chemical tanker 3, container 19, liquefied gas 4,
passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 4, specialized
tanker 3
foreign-owned: 143 (Belgium 4, Cuba 1, Denmark 1,
Germany 60, Netherlands 54, Norway 5, Sweden 5, Turkey
9, UK 3, US 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (Netherlands 1) (2006)
Ports and Bopec Terminal, Fuik Bay, Kralendijk, Willemstad
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; National Guard, Police
branches: Force (2005)
Military 16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no
service age conscription (2004)
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 16-49: 54,200
available for females age 16-49: 56,868 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 16-49: 45,273
for military females age 16-49: 47,166 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 1,720
reaching females age 16-49: 1,657 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the
note: Netherlands
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international:
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs bound for
the US and Europe; money-laundering center