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.
Location
Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates
12 15 N, 68 45 W
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
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
Land boundaries
total
15 km
border countries
Saint Martin 15 km
Coastline
364 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive fishing zone
12 nm
Climate
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point
Mount Scenery 862 m
Natural resources
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use
arable land
10%
permanent crops
0%
other
90% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
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
Environment - current issues
NA
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); the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten
Population
223,652 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
23.6% (male 27,020/female 25,726)
15-64 years
67.4% (male 72,449/female 78,259)
65 years and over
9% (male 8,243/female 11,955) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
33.1 years
male
31.4 years
female
34.8 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.777% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
14.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.926 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.69 male(s)/female
total population
0.929 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
9.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male
10.33 deaths/1,000 live births
female
8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
76.24 years
male
73.96 years
female
78.65 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.99 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Nationality
noun
Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective
Dutch Antillean
Ethnic groups
mixed black 85%, other 15% (includes Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian)
Religions
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% (2001 census)
Languages
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% (2001 census)
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
96.7%
male
96.7%
female
96.8% (2003 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Netherlands Antilles
local long form
none
local short form
Nederlandse Antillen
former
Curacao and Dependencies
Dependency status
an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Government type
parliamentary
Capital
name
Willemstad (on Curacao)
geographic coordinates
12 06 N, 68 56 W
time difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
note: each island has its own government
Independence
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)
Constitution
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
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; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2010)
note
government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP-St. M, UPB, WIPM Saba, DP-St. E
Legislative branch
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)
elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1
note: the government is a coalition of several parties
Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders
Bonaire
Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]
Curacao
Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]
Saba
Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]
Sint Eustatius
Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]
Sint Maarten
Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON]
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
consulate(s) general
J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao
mailing address
P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone
[599] (9) 4613066
FAX
[599] (9) 4616489
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
Economy - overview
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 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$2.8 billion (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
NA
GDP - real growth rate
1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$16,000 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
1%
industry
15%
services
84% (2000 est.)
Labor force
83,600 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
1%
industry
20%
services
79% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate
17% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.1% (2003 est.)
Budget
revenues
$757.9 million
expenditures
$949.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2004)
Agriculture - products
Industries
tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Electricity - production
1.005 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
934.7 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
70,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports
$2.076 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities
petroleum products
Exports - partners
US 27.4%, Panama 13.8%, Mexico 8.5%, Haiti 5.4%, Singapore 4.9%, Venezuela 4.7%, Bahamas, The 4.3% (2006)
Imports
$4.383 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners
Venezuela 47.2%, US 20.1%, Italy 7.2%, Netherlands 4.6% (2006)
Debt - external
$2.68 billion (2004)
Economic aid - recipient
$21.5 million
note: IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004)
Currency (code)
Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Currency code
ANG
Exchange rates
Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002)
