1993 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1993 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 960 km2 land area: 960 km2 comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 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
Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
NA km2
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 92%
Location
two island groups - Curacas and Bonaire in the southern Caribbean Sea are about 70 km north of Venezuela near Aruba and the rest of the country is about 800 km to the northeast about one-third of the way between Antigua and Barbuda and Puerto Rico
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
People and Society
Birth rate
17.23 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate
5.69 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions
mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental
Infant mortality rate
10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Labor force
89,000 by occupation: government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 75.73 years male: 73.55 years female: 78.03 years (1993 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1981) total population: 94% male: 94% female: 93%
Nationality
noun: Netherlands Antillean(s) adjective: Netherlands Antillean
Net migration rate
-7.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Population
184,990 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate
0.4% (1993 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Total fertility rate
1.99 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (part of the Dutch realm)
Bonaire
Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN
Capital
Willemstad
Chief of State
Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989)
Constitution
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Curacao
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
Digraph
NA
Diplomatic representation in US
as an autonomous part of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antillean interests in the US are represented by the Netherlands
Elections
Staten: last held on 16 March 1990 (next to be held March 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (22 total) PNP 7, FOL-SI 3, UPB 3, MAN 2, DP-St. M 2, DP 1, SPM 1, WIPM 1, DP-St. E 1, Nos Patria 1; note - the government of Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS is a coalition of several parties
Executive branch
Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
FAX
[599] (9) 616489
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
Head of Government
Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS (since 17 May 1988, previously served from September 1984 to November 1985)
Independence
none (part of the Dutch realm)
Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Legislative branch
unicameral legislature (Staten)
Member of
CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WTO (associate)
Names
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), Will JOHNSON; Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party, Carmen SIMMONDS
Sint Eustatius
Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), K. Van PUTTEN; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA), Ralph BERKEL
Sint Maarten
Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude WATHEY; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Consul General Bernard J. WOERZ consulate general: Saint Anna Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 613066
Economy
Agriculture
hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food
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
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $513 million
Electricity
125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,980 kWh per capita (1992)
Exchange rates
Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88)
Exports
$200 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum products 98% partners: US 40%, UK 7%, Guadeloupe 5%
External debt
$701 million (December 1987)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Imports
$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures partners: Venezuela 42%, US 21%, Netherlands 8%
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)
4% (1992 est.)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion (1991 est.)
National product per capita
$8,700 (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate
4% (1991 est.)
Overview
Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of the economy. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Unlike many Latin American countries, the Netherlands Antilles has avoided large international debt. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US being the major supplier.
Unemployment rate
16.4% (1991 est.)
Communications
Airports
total: 5 usable: 4 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 3
Highways
950 km total; 300 km paved, 650 km gravel and earth
Merchant marine
89 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 781,646 GRT/962,138 DWT; includes 4 passenger, 29 cargo, 14 refrigerated cargo, 7 container, 7 roll-on/roll-off, 12 multifunction large-load carrier, 5 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 2 bulk, 1 oil tanker, 1 railcar carrier, 1 combination ore/oil; note - all but a few are foreign owned, mostly in the Netherlands
Ports
Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk
Telecommunications
generally adequate facilities; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 48,965; fit for military service 27,531; reach military age (20) annually 1,638 (1993 est.)
Note
defense is responsibility of the Netherlands