1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Geography
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
Climate
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Coastline
364 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Environment--current issues
NA
Environment--international agreements
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates
12 15 N, 68 45 W
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Land boundaries
total: 10.2 km border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km
Land use
arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 90% (1993 est.)
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
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Natural resources
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Terrain
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 26% (male 27,160; female 26,149) 15-64 years: 67% (male 65,781; female 73,054) 65 years and over: 7% (male 6,538; female 9,145) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
17.11 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
6.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian
Infant mortality rate
12.59 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.25 years male: 72.19 years female: 76.41 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (1981 est.)
Nationality
noun: Netherlands Antillean(s) adjective: Netherlands Antillean
Net migration rate
-0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
207,827 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
1.01% (1999 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government
Capital
Willemstad
Constitution
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
Data code
NT
Dependency status
part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard 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 25 February 1994) 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) election results: Miguel POURIER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote--NA
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
Government type
parliamentary
Independence
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
International organization participation
Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, 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 James L. WILLIAMS consulate(s) general: J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) Political parties and leaders:
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
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
National holiday
Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Sint Eustatius
Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E WESTCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA ROLLOCKS] note: political parties are indigenous to each island
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Budget
revenues: $710.8 million expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Currency
1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents
Debt--external
$1.35 billion (1996)
Economic aid--recipient
$NA; note?the Netherlands provided a $97 million aid package in 1996
Economy--overview
Tourism, petroleum transshipment, 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, the US, and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture.
Electricity--consumption
1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
1.4 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1--1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)
Exports
$268.2 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities
petroleum products 98% (1993)
Exports--partners
US 28.6%, Honduras 6.4%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6%, Italy 4.9%, Guatemala 4.5%, Costa Rica 4% (1996)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$2.4 billion (1997 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (1996 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$11,500 (1997 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
-1.8% (1997)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities
crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures (1993)
Imports--partners
Venezuela 34%, US 16.4%, Mexico 15.5%, Netherlands 5%, Italy 3.5%, Brazil 2.8% (1996)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.3% (1997)
Labor force
89,000
Labor force--by occupation
government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
14.9% (1998 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios
205,000 (1992 est.)
Telephone system
generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones
NA
Television broadcast stations
3 (in addition, there is a cable service which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks) (1997)
Televisions
64,000 (1992 est.)
Transportation
Airports
5 (1998 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 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 600 km paved: 300 km unpaved: 300 km (1992 est.) Ports and harbors: Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad
Merchant marine
total: 95 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,782 GRT/1,045,989 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 26, chemical tanker 2, combination ore/oil 3, container 10, liquefied gas tanker 4, multifunction large-load carrier 19, oil tanker 4, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6 note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries: Belgium owns 9 ships, Germany 1 (1998 est.)
Railways
0 km
Military and Security
Military branches
Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-47: 53,285 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 29,888 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
20 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 1,457 (1999 est.)
Military--note
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
none
Illicit drugs
money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe