1984 Edition

Agriculture

little production

large areas devoted to cattle grazing; major products — coffee, maize, wheat, and vegetables; 60% self-sufficient in beef

Aid

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

Airfields

7 total, all usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways 1,2202,439 m

31 total, 30 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 1 with runway 1,2202,439 m

Aruba

People's Electoral Movement (MEP), G. F. "Betico" Croes; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny Nisbet; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny Eman; Democratic Party of Aruba (PDA), Dr. Leo Berlinski

Bonaire

Union Party of Bonaire (UPB), Charles E. R. Ellis; Democratic Party of Bonaire, Jopie Abraham; New Democratic Action (ADEN)

Branches

federal executive power rests nominally with Governor (appointed by the Crown), actual power exercised by eightmember Council of Ministers or cabinet presided over by Minister-President; legislative power rests with 22-member Legislative Council; independent court system under control of Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Justice (administrative functions under Minister of Justice); each island territory has island council headed by Lieutenant Governor

administered by High Commissioner, responsible to French Ministry for Overseas France and Council of Government; 36-seat Territorial Assembly

Budget

(1982) public sector revenues, $373 million; public sector expenditures, $378 million j

(1981) $187.1 million revenues, $168.3 million expenditures

Capital

Willemstad, Curacao

Noumea

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

no major transport aircraft

Coastline

2,254 km People

Communists

no Communist party

number unknown; UC strongly leftist; some politically active Communists deported during 1950s; small number of North Vietnamese

Curasao

Movement for a New Antilles (MAN), Domenico Felip Martina; Democratic Party (DP), Augustin Diaz; People's National Party, Maria Libena-Peters; Frente Obrerode Liberacion (FOL), Wilson "Papa" Godett; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Efraim Cintje

Elections

Federal elections mandatorily held every four years, last regular held 25 June 1982; island council elections every four years, last held 25 April 1983 Political parties and leaders: political parties are indigenous to each island:

Assembly elections every five years, last in July 1979

Electric power

425,000 kW capacity (1983); 1.4 billion kWh produced (1983), 5,670 kWh per capita

365,000 kW capacity (1981); 1.606 billion kWh produced (1981), 11,722 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

Melanesian 42%; French 40%; remainder Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Polynesian

Exports

$6.0billion(f.o.b., 1980); 96% petroleum products, phosphate

$257.4 million (f.o.b., 1980); 95% nickel metal (95%), nickel ore

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

GNP

$864 million (1978), $3,472 per capita; real growth rate, 7.1% (est.)

$637 million (1979), $4,000 per capita; -1.0% growth (1977)

Government leader

Jacques ROYNETTE, French High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government

Government leaders

Domenico Felip MARTINA, Prime Minister; Dr. Rene ROMER, Governor

Highways

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

5,399 km total (1979); 558 km paved, 2,251 km improved earth, 2,639 km unimproved earth

Imports

$5.9 billion (f.o.b., 1980); 64% crude petroleum, food, manufactures 1 Major trade partners: exports — 46% US, 2% Canada, 1% Netherlands; imports— 35% Venezuela, 11% US, 4% Netherlands (1977)

$318.2 million (c.i.f., 1980); fuels and minerals, machines and electrical equipment

Industry

mining of nickel

Inland waterways

none

Labor force

50,469 (1980 est); Javanese and Tonkinese laborers were imported for plantations and mines in preWorld War II period; immigrant labor now coming from Wallis Islands, New Hebrides, and French Polynesia; est. 8% unemployment

Languages

French; Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Legal system

based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence; constitution adopted 1954

French law

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (fishing 200 nm; exclusive economic zone 200 nm)

Literacy

unknown

Major industries

petroleum refining on Curacao and Aruba; petroleum transshipment facilities on Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire; tourism on Curacao, Aruba, and St. Martin; light manufacturing on Curacao and Aruba

Major trade partners

(1980) exports— 54.9% France; imports — 32.5% France

Member of

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

EIB (associate), WFTU, WMO Economy

Military manpower

males 15-49, 63,000; 37,000 fit for military service; about 2,600 reach military age (20) annually New Caledonia *~~ 5}> SOLOMON V .ISLANDS Coral Sea .VANUATU °fU( AUSTRALIA \ CALEDONIA Pacific Ocean W Tasman Sea MNEW ff ZEALAND Land 22,015 km2; 22% pasture; 15% forest; 6% arable; 57% waste or other Water

Monetary conversion rate

1.8 Netherlands Antillean florins (NAF)= US$1 (February 1984)

127.05 francs CFP=US$1 (December 1982) Communications

Nationality

noun — New Caledonian(s); adjective — New Caledonian

Official name

Netherlands Antilles

Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies

Organized labor

labor not organized Government

Political parties

some 30 parties of shifting alliances; Rassemblement pour la Caledonie (RPCR) — Conservative; current groupings include Union Caledonienne (UC) — eventual independence; Federation pour une Nouvelle Societe Caledonienne (FNSC) — centrist

Political subdivisions

four island territories— Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and the Windward Islands — St. Eustatius, southern part of St. Martin (northern part is French), Saba

4 islands or island group dependencies — Isle of Pines, Loyalty Islands, Huon Islands, Island of New Caledo-

Population

148,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 1.3%

Ports

5 major (Willemstad, Oranjestad, St. Nicolaas, Philipsburg, Caracasbaai); 6 minor

1 major (Noumea), 21 minor

Railroads

none

none

Religion

over 60% Roman Catholic, 30% Protestant

Suffrage

universal age 18 and over

universal

Telecommunications

generally adequate telecom facilities; extensive interisland radio-relay links; 53,000 telephones (21.1 per 100 popl.); 1 1 AM, 3 FM, and 4 TV stations; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite stations Defense Forces Defense is responsibility of the Netherlands

23,000 telephones (17 per 100 popl.>, 5 AM, no FM, and 7 TV stations; 1 earth satellite station

Type

territory within Kingdom of the Netherlands, enjoying complete domestic autonomy

French overseas territory; represented in French parliament by one deputy and one senator

Voting strength

Legislative Council— MAN, 6 seats; MEP, 5 seats; DP, 3 seats; NVP, 3 seats; AVP, 2 seats; PPA, DPWI, UPB, 1 seat each

(1979 election) Territorial Assembly— RPCR, 15 seats; UC, 8 seats; FNSC, 7 seats

Windward Islands

Windward Islands Democratic Party (DPWI), Leo Chance and Claude Wathey; United Federation of Antillean Workers (UFA); Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM); and others