(part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

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

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: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km

Coastline: 364 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea : 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%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other : 90% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Whaling (extended from Netherlands)
signed, but not ratified: NA

Population: 214,258 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years:25% (male 27,351; female 26,135)
15-64 years : 67.1% (male 68,431; female 75,312)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 7,049; female 9,980) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.93% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 16.16 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate:6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 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 (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 11.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.15 years
male: 72.96 years
female: 77.46 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Netherlands Antillean(s)
adjective: Netherlands Antillean

Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

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

Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 99% (1981 est.)

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

Government type: NA

National capital: Willemstad

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 in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

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 Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989)
head of government: P Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 8 November 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER (since NA)
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 18 January 2002 (next to be held by NA 2006)
note: Miguel POURIER became prime minister following the resignation of Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER

Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: llast held 18 January 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FOL 5, PAR 4, PNP 3, PLKP 2, DP-St.M 2, UPB 2, DP 1, MAN 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1

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

Political parties and leaders: 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

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 Deborah A. BOLTON
consulate(s) general: J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone : [599] (9) 461-3066
FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489

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 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 and the US being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture.

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

GDP - real growth rate:-3.5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (1996 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 5.8% (2000 est.)

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

Unemployment rate: 15% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues:$710.8 million
expenditures : $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 )

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 - capacity: 307,000 kW (1995)

Electricity - production: 1.175 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1.093 billion kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Exports:
total value: $276 million (f.o.b., 2000)
commodities: petroleum products 98%
partners: US 35.9%, Guatemala 9.4%, Venezuela 8.7%, France 5.4%, Singapore 2.8% (2000)

Imports:
total value: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
commodities : crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
partners: US 25.8%, Mexico 20.7%, Gabon 6.6%, Italy 5.8%, Netherlands 5.5% (2000)

Debt - external: $1.35 billion (1996)

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

Currency: 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (ANG) = 100 cents

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Telephones: 76,000 (1995)

Telephone system: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 217,000 (1997)

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

Televisions: 69,000 (1997)

Railways: 0 km (2002)

Highways:
total: 600 km
paved : 300 km
unpaved: 300 km (1992 est.)

Ports and harbors: Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad

Merchant marine:
total:123 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,056,362 GRT/1,341,735 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 39, chemical tanker 2, combination ore/oil 4, container 24, liquefied gas 5, multi-functional large-load carrier 15, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 24, roll on/roll off 7

Airports:5 (2001)

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 (2001)

Military branches: Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 54,752 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males:30,642 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 1,610 (2002 est.)

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Disputes - international: none

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