NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Netherlands Antilles
Nederlandse Antillen
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
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 northern portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe, and its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
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 |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
12 15 N, 68 45 W |
|
Map references:
|
Central America and the Caribbean |
|
Area:
|
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:
|
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% other: 90% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA sq km |
|
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) |
PEOPLE
|
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
female: 77.46 years (2002 est.) male: 72.96 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
2.06 children born/woman (2002 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%, 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.) |