NETHERLANDS ANTILLES (part of the Dutch realm) GEOGRAPHY Total area: 960 km2; land area: 960 km2; includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin) Comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC Land boundaries: none Coastline: 364 km Maritime claims: Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical; modified by northeast trade winds Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 92% Environment: 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 Note: consists of two island groups--Curacao and Bonaire are located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie 800 km to the north PEOPLE Population: 183,872 (July 1991), growth rate 0.2% (1991) Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 79 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective--Netherlands Antillean Ethnic divisions: mixed African 85%; remainder Carib Indian, European, Latin, and Oriental Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist Language: Dutch (official); Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates; English widely spoken; Spanish Literacy: 94% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981) Labor force: 89,000; government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983) Organized labor: 60-70% of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: none Type: part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954 Capital: Willemstad Administrative divisions: none (part of the Dutch realm) Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm) 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 National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938) Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: legislature (Staten) Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice Leaders: Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since October 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS (since 17 May 1988, previously served from September 1984 to November 1985) Political parties and leaders: political parties are indigenous to each island: Curacao--National People's Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS; New Antilles Movement (MAN), Domenico Felip 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; Bonaire--Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), C. V. Winklaar; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), John Evert (Jopie) ABRAHAM; New Force, Rudy ELLIS; Sint Maarten--Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude WATHEY; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten (SPM), Romeo PAPLOPHLET; Sint Eustatius--Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), Albert K. Van PUTTEN; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM), Eric HENRIQUEZ; Saba--Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will JOHNSTON; Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party, Carmen SIMMONDS Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: 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-Curacao 3, UPB 3, MAN 2, Democratic Party of Sint Maarten 2, Democratic Party of Curacao 1, SPM-Sint Maarten 1, WIPM 1, Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius 1, Nos Patria-Curacao 1; note--the government of Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS is a coalition of several parties Communists: small leftist groups Member of: CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WTO (associate) Diplomatic representation: as an autonomous part of the Netherlands, Netherlands Antillean interests in the US are represented by the Netherlands; US--Consul General Sharon P. WILKINSON; Consulate General at Sint Anna Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao (mailing address P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao); telephone 599 (9) 613066 Flag: 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 the economy. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure 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. GDP: $1.0 billion, per capita $5,500; real growth rate 3% (1988 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1989) Unemployment rate: 20% (1988) Budget: revenues $454 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1989 est.) Exports: $959 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--petroleum products 98%; partners--US 55%, UK 7%, Jamaica 5% Imports: $935 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures; partners--Venezuela 52%, Nigeria 15%, US 12% External debt: $701.2 million (December 1987) Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,990 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: tourism (Curacao and Sint Maarten), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) Agriculture: hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products--aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not self-sufficient in food Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $428 million Currency: Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1--1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Highways: 950 km total; 300 km paved, 650 km gravel and earth Ports: Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk Merchant marine: 54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 431,958 GRT/441,056 DWT; includes 4 passenger, 19 cargo, 8 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 7 multifunction large-load carrier, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 2 bulk; note--all but a few are foreign owned, mostly in the Netherlands Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft Airports: 7 total, 7 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: generally adequate facilities; extensive interisland radio relay links; stations--9 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National Guard, Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49 49,249; 27,803 fit for military service; 1,634 reach military age (20) annually Note: defense is responsibility of the Netherlands