Jurisdictions - Netherlands Antilles

Report on Netherlands Antilles

Introduction | Geography | People | Government | Economy| Communications | Transportation | Military | Transnational Issues

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.

Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands

12 15 N, 68 45 W

Central America and the Caribbean

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)

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

total:  10.2 km

border countries:  Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km

364 km

exclusive fishing zone:  12 NM

territorial sea:  12 NM

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

lowest point:  Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point:  Mount Scenery 862 m

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

arable land:  10%

permanent crops:  0%

permanent pastures:  0%

forests and woodland:  0%

other:  90% (1993 est.)

NA sq km

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

NA

the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao)

212,226 (July 2001 est.)

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.)

0.97% (2001 est.)

16.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

-0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

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.)

11.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

total population:  74.94 years

male:  72.76 years

female:  77.22 years (2001 est.)

2.07 children born/woman (2001 est.)

NA%

NA

NA

noun:  Dutch Antillean(s)

adjective:  Dutch Antillean

mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish

definition:  age 15 and over can read and write

total population:  98%

male:  98%

female:  99% (1981 est.)

conventional long form:  none

conventional short form:  Netherlands Antilles

local long form:  none

local short form:  Nederlandse Antillen

former:  Curacao and Dependencies

part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

parliamentary

Willemstad

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

note:  each island has its own government

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

18 years of age; universal

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

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

Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)

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

NA

Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO (associate)

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

chief of mission:  Consul General Deborah A. BOLTON

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

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

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.

purchasing power parity - $2.4 billion (2000 est.)

-3.5% (2000 est.)

purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2000 est.)

agriculture:  1%

industry:  15%

services:  84% (1996 est.)

NA%

lowest 10%:  NA%

highest 10%:  NA%

6.4% (2000 est.)

89,000

agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (1994 est.)

14.9% (1998 est.)

revenues:  $710.8 million

expenditures:  $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)

NA%

1.11 billion kWh (1999)

fossil fuel:  100%

hydro:  0%

nuclear:  0%

other:  0% (1999)

1.032 billion kWh (1999)

0 kWh (1999)

0 kWh (1999)

aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

$276 million (f.o.b., 2000)

petroleum products

US 17.5%, Guatemala 8%, Costa Rica 6.5%, The Bahamas 4.6%, Jamaica 4.1%, Chile 3.4% (1998)

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

crude petroleum, food, manufactures

Venezuela 35.3%, US 21%, Mexico 9.8%, Italy 5.4%, Netherlands 4.8%, Brazil 3.1% (1998)

$1.35 billion (1996)

IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million

Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)

ANG

Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.790 (fixed rate since 1989)

calendar year

76,000 (1995)

13,977 (1996)

general assessment:  generally adequate facilities

domestic:  extensive interisland microwave radio relay links

international:  submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

217,000 (1997)

3 (there is also a cable service which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and two Venezuelan channels) (1997)

69,000 (1997)

.an

6

2,000 (2000)

0 km

total:  600 km

paved:  300 km

unpaved:  300 km (1992)

none

Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad

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.)

5 (2000 est.)

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.)

Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, Police Force

20 years of age

males age 15-49:  54,284 (2001 est.)

males age 15-49:  30,405 (2001 est.)

males:  1,610 (2001 est.)

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

none

money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe