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Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 5 usable: 4 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 3

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

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 [time series]

Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Defense Forces

Affiliation [time series]

(overseas territory of France)

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 48,965; fit for military service 27,531; reach military age (20) annually 1,638 (1993 est.)

Note [time series]

defense is responsibility of the Netherlands

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products - aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food

Budget [time series]

revenues $209 million; expenditures $232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $513 million

Electricity [time series]

125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,980 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 - 1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88)

Exports [time series]

$200 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum products 98% partners: US 40%, UK 7%, Guadeloupe 5%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$701 million (December 1987)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Imports [time series]

$1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures partners: Venezuela 42%, US 21%, Netherlands 8%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate NA%

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

4% (1992 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion (1991 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$8,700 (1991 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

4% (1991 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

16.4% (1991 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

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 [time series]

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Coastline [time series]

364 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

NA km2

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 92%

Location [time series]

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 [time series]

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims [time series]

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Terrain [time series]

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

none (part of the Dutch realm)

Capital [time series]

Willemstad

Constitution [time series]

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

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

as an autonomous part of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antillean interests in the US are represented by the Netherlands

Executive branch (Elections) [time series]

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 [time series]

Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

none (part of the Dutch realm)

Judicial branch [time series]

Joint High Court of Justice

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989) Head of Government: Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS (since 17 May 1988, previously served from September 1984 to November 1985)

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral legislature (Staten)

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WTO (associate)

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen

National holiday [time series]

Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

political parties are indigenous to each island Bonaire: Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN 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 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 [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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 FAX: [599] (9) 616489

People

Birth rate [time series]

17.23 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate [time series]

5.69 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental

Infant mortality rate [time series]

10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force [time series]

89,000 by occupation: government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 75.73 years male: 73.55 years female: 78.03 years (1993 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1981) total population: 94% male: 94% female: 93%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Netherlands Antillean(s) adjective: Netherlands Antillean

Net migration rate [time series]

-7.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population [time series]

184,990 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.4% (1993 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.99 children born/woman (1993 est.)