World Facts Index
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
Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten
and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion, called Saint
Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.
Geography of the Netherlands Antilles
|
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 |
|
Coordinates:
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12 15 N, 68 45 W |
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Area:
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total: 960 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint
Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
water: 0 sq km
land: 960 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
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more than five times the
size of Washington, DC |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km |
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Coastline:
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364 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
|
Climate:
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tropical; ameliorated by
northeast trade winds |
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Terrain:
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generally hilly, volcanic
interiors |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m |
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Natural resources:
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phosphates (Curacao only),
salt (Bonaire only) |
|
Natural hazards:
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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 |
|
Geography - note:
|
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)
|
Population of the Netherlands Antilles
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Population:
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225,369 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
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0-14 years: 23.9% (male 27,197/female 25,886)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 71,622/female 77,710)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 7,925/female 11,396) |
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Median age:
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32.8 years |
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Growth rate:
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0.79% |
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Infant mortality:
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9.76 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 76.03 years
male: 73.76 years
female: 78.41 years |
|
Fertility rate:
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1.99 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
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noun: Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective: Dutch Antillean |
|
Ethnic groups:
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mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white,
East Asian |
|
Religions:
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Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian
4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% |
|
Languages:
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Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English
dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%,
other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% |
|
Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 96.7%
female: 96.8%
|
Government
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Country name:
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conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
former: Curacao and Dependencies
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen |
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Dependency status:
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part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for
defense and foreign affairs |
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Government type:
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parliamentary |
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Capital:
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Willemstad |
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National holiday:
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Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother
JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30
April |
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Constitution:
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29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of
the Netherlands, as amended |
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Legal system:
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based on Dutch civil law system with some
English common law influence |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands
(since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1
July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)
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. |
|
Legislative branch:
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unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14,
Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) |
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Judicial branch:
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Joint High Court of Justice (judges
appointed by the monarch) |
Economy
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 or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy
a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with
other countries in the region. Most of the oil Netherlands Antilles imports
for its refineries come from Venezuela. Almost all consumer and capital goods
are imported, the US, Italy, and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils
and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary
problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging
population. The Netherlands provides financial aid to support the economy.
|
GDP:
|
$2.8 billion (2004 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
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1% |
|
GDP per capita:
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$16,000 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
2.1% |
|
Labor force:
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83,600 (2005) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 1%
industry: 20%
services: 79% (2005 est.) |
|
Unemployment:
|
17% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $757.9 million
expenditures: $949.5 million |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% |
|
Industries:
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tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and
Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and
Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) |
|
Agriculture:
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aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables,
tropical fruit |
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Exports:
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petroleum products |
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Export partners:
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US 32%, Panama 10.1%, Guatemala 7.9%, Haiti 6.4%, Bahamas,
The 5.1% (2005) |
|
Imports:
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crude petroleum, food, manufactures |
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Import partners:
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Venezuela 50%, US 22.2%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands 5% (2005) |
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Currency:
|
Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |