| 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
Sint Maarten is shared with France; its northern portion is
named Saint Martin and is part of Guadeloupe. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, two
island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao
and Bonaire north of Venezuela; 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:
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
- comparative: |
more than five
times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin)
10.2 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical;
ameliorated by northeast trade winds |
| Terrain: |
generally hilly,
volcanic interiors |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m |
| Natural
resources: |
phosphates
(Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 90% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
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 |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Population: |
212,226 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
25.21% (male 27,332; female 26,169)
15-64 years: 66.99% (male 67,562; female
74,599)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 6,874; female
9,690) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.97% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
16.55
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.41 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-0.42 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
11.4 deaths/1,000
live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 74.94 years
male: 72.76 years
female: 77.22 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.07 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective: Dutch Antillean |
| Ethnic
groups: |
mixed black 85%,
Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist |
| Languages: |
Dutch (official),
Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect)
predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (1981 est.) |
| 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
status: |
part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal
affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for
defense and foreign affairs |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary |
| Administrative
divisions: |
none (part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands)
note: each island has its own government |
| Independence: |
none (part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| National
holiday: |
Queen's Day
(Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 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
branch: |
chief of
state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30
April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH
(since NA October 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Miguel
POURIER (since 8 November 1999); Deputy Prime Minister
Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER (since NA)
note: Miguel POURIER assumed prime ministership
following the resignation of Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the
Staten
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 30 January 1998 (next to be held by NA
2002)
note: government coalition - PDB, DP-St. M, FOL,
PLKP, PNP |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral States
or Staten (22 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 January 1998 (next to
be held by NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - PAR 4, PNP 3, SPA 1, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN
2, PLKP 3, WIPM 1, SEA 1, DP-St. M 2, FOL 2; no party won
enough seats to form a government
note: the government of Prime Minister Miguel
POURIER is a coalition of several parties; current seats by
party - PAR 4, PNP 3, FOL 2, MAN 2, UPB 2, DP-St. M 2, PDB
1, SEA 1, WIPM 1, other 4 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Joint High Court
of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Antillean
Restructuring Party or PAR [Miguel POURIER]; C 93 [Stanley
BROWN]; Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM];
Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ];
Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian
WOODLEY]; Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M
[Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Foundation Energetic Management
Anti-Narcotics or FAME [Eric LODEWIJKS]; Labor Party
People's Crusade or PLKP [Errol COVA]; National People's
Party or PNP [Susanne F. C. CAMELIA-ROMER]; New Antilles
Movement or MAN [Kenneth GIJSBERTHA]; Patriotic Union of
Bonaire or UPB [Ramon BOOI]; Patriotic Movement of Sint
Maarten or SPA [Vance JAMES, Jr.]; People's Party or PAPU
[Richard Hodi]; Pro Curacao Party or PPK [Winston LOURENS];
Saba Democratic Labor Movement [Steve HASSELL]; Saba Unity
Party [Carmen SIMMONDS]; St. Eustatius Alliance or SEA
[Kenneth VAN PUTTEN]; Serious Alternative People's Party or
Sapp [Julian ROLLOCKS]; Social Action Cause or KAS [Benny
DEMEI]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Will
JOHNSTON]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT,
Rignald LAK, Editha WRIGHT]
note: political parties are indigenous to each
island |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
Caricom
(observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO
(associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO (associate) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none (represented
by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Consul General Barbara J. STEPHENSON
consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1,
Willemstad AN, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad,
Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 4613066
FAX: [599] (9) 4616489 |
| 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 |
| Economy
- overview: |
Tourism,
petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays
of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside
world. Although GDP has declined slightly in each of the
past five years, 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, the US, and Mexico being
the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water
supplies hamper the development of agriculture. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $2.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-3.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $11,400 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (1996 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6.4% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 1%,
industry 13%, services 86% (1994 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
14.9% (1998 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$710.8 million
expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1997 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism (Curacao,
Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao),
petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire),
light manufacturing (Curacao) |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.11 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.032 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
aloes, sorghum,
peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit |
| Exports: |
$276 million
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum
products |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 17.5%,
Guatemala 8%, Costa Rica 6.5%, The Bahamas 4.6%, Jamaica
4.1%, Chile 3.4% (1998) |
| Imports: |
$1.5 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
crude petroleum,
food, manufactures |
| Imports
- partners: |
Venezuela 35.3%,
US 21%, Mexico 9.8%, Italy 5.4%, Netherlands 4.8%, Brazil
3.1% (1998) |
| Debt
- external: |
$1.35 billion
(1996) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
IMF provided $61
million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support
with $40 million |
| Currency: |
Netherlands
Antillean guilder (ANG) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Netherlands
Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.790 (fixed rate since
1989) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
76,000 (1995) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
13,977 (1996) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio
relay links
international: submarine cables - 2; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 9, FM 4,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
3 (there is also
a cable service which supplies programs received from
various US satellite networks and two Venezuelan channels)
(1997) |
| Televisions: |
69,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.an |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
6 |
| Internet
users: |
2,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
600 km
paved: 300 km
unpaved: 300 km (1992) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Kralendijk,
Philipsburg, Willemstad |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
123 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,113,774 GRT/1,397,841
DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 35, chemical
tanker 2, combination ore/oil 3, container 19, liquefied gas
4, multi-functional large-load carrier 19, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off
7
note: includes some foreign-owned ships
registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 8, Germany
1, Italy 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
5
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Netherlands
Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, Police
Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
20 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 54,284 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 30,405 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
1,610 (2001 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the
responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
money-laundering
center; transshipment point for South American drugs bound
for the US and Europe |
|
