General: Once the center of the slave trade, the island of Curacao suffered greatly from the abolition of slavery in 1863. It (as well as neighboring Aruba) began to prosper again at the beginning of the 20th century. after the construction of oil refineries to service the recently discovered oil fields in Venezuela. According to Shoefrantics.com, the island of Saint Martin is shared with France (its northern part is part of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe).
Geography
Location: Caribbean region, two groups of islands in the Caribbean, one includes the islands of Curaçao and the islands of Bonaire north of Venezuela, the other is located east of the Virgin Islands.
Geographical coordinates: 12° 15′ N. latitude, 68° 45′ W e.
Reference map: Central America and the Caribbean.
Area: total: 960 sq. km.; land surface area: 960 km2; water surface area: 0 km2; note: includes Bonaire Islands, Curaçao Islands, Saba Islands, Sint Estatius Islands and the Dutch part of Sint Maarten.
Comparative area: five times the size of Washington DC.
Land borders: total: 10.2 km; with neighboring states: with Guadeloupe (on the island of Saint Martin) 10.2 km.
Coastline: 364 km.
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing rights zone: 12 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: tropical; the northeast trade winds have a beneficial effect on the climate.
Terrain: Generally hilly, volcanic mountainous inland.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m; highest point: Mount Skeneri 862 m.
Natural resources: phosphates (only in Curaçao), salt (only in Bonaire).
Land use: arable land: 10%; cultivated land: 0%; pasture: 0%; forests and plantations: 0%; others: 90% (1993 est.).
Irrigated land: no data.
Natural Hazards: Curaçao and Bonaire are located south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; hurricanes are possible on the islands of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius from July to October.
Current environmental issues: no data available.
Politics
Common long form: no;
Common short form: Netherlands Antilles; local long form: no; local short form: Nederlandse Antillen. Dependency state: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full internal autonomy granted in 1954
State structure: parliamentary.
Capital: Willemstad.
Administrative division: 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 (the birthday of the Queen Mother JULIANA and the ascension to the throne of her eldest daughter BEATRICE in 1980), 30 April.
Constitution: adopted 29 December 1954, Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as amended.
Legal system: based on the Dutch common law system, with some English common law influences.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal.
Chief of State: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since October 1989);
head of government: Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 8 November 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER (from when – no data);
Government: Council of Ministers, elected by the States; elections: hereditary monarchy; the governor general is appointed by the monarch for a term of 6 years; after the next parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party is elected prime minister by the United States; elections last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held in 2002); election results: Miguel POURIER elected prime minister; Percentage of votes won by legislators: n.d.a.; note: government coalition: PDB, DP-St. M, FOL, PLKP, PNP.
Legislature: unicameral States (22 seats; members elected by popular vote for 4-year terms); elections: elections last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held in 2002); election results: distribution of votes between parties: no data; distribution of seats among parties: PAR 4, PNP 3, SPA 1, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, PLKP 3, WIPM 1, SEA 1, DP-St. M2, FOL2; no party won enough seats to form a government on its own; note: Prime Minister Miguel Pourrier’s government is multi-party coalition government; current distribution of seats among parties: PAR 4, PNP 3, FOL 2, MAN 2, UPB 2, DP-St. M 2, PDB 1, SEA 1, WIPM 1, others 4.
Judiciary: Joint High Court, judges appointed by the monarch.
Political parties and leaders: Antilles Revival Party (PAR) (Miguel Pourier); C-93 (Stanley BROWN); Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB) (Jopi ABRAHAM); Democratic Party of Curacao (DP) (Errol HERNANDEZ [Errol HERNANDEZ]); Democratic Party of St. Eustatius (DP-St. E) (Julian WOOD-LEY); Democratic Party of Saint Martin (DP-St. M) (Sarah WESTCOTT-WILLIAMS); Foundation for Vigorous Action Against Drugs (FAME) (Eric LODEWIJKS); Popular Resistance Workers Party (PLKP) (Errol COVA); National People’s Party (PNP) (Suzan CAMELLA-ROMER); New Antilles Movement (MAN) (Kenneth GIJSBER-TNA); Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB) (Ramon BOOI); Patriotic Movement of Saint Martin (SPA) (Vance JAMES, Jr.); People’s Party (PAPU) (Richard HODI); Party for Curaçao (PPC) (Winston LOURENS); Saba Democratic Labor Movement (Steve HASSELL); Saba Unity Party (Carmen SIMMONDS); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA) (Kenneth VAN PUTTEN); Serious Alternative People’s Party (SAPP) (Julian ROLLOCKS); Community Action (KAS) (Benny DEMEI); Windward Islands People’s Movement (WIPM) (Will JOHNSTON); Workers’ Liberation Front (FOL) (Wilson GODETT, Richard LAK [Rignald LAK], Editha WRIGHT [Editha WRIGHT]); note: each island has its own political parties. Saba Democratic Labor Movement (Steve HASSELL); Saba Unity Party (Carmen SIMMONDS); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA) (Kenneth VAN PUTTEN); Serious Alternative People’s Party (SAPP) (Julian ROLLOCKS); Community Action (KAS) (Benny DEMEI); Windward Islands People’s Movement (WIPM) (Will JOHNSTON); Workers’ Liberation Front (FOL) (Wilson GODETT, Richard LAK [Rignald LAK], Editha WRIGHT [Editha WRIGHT]); note: each island has its own political parties. Saba Democratic Labor Movement (Steve HASSELL); Saba Unity Party (Carmen SIMMONDS); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA) (Kenneth VAN PUTTEN); Serious Alternative People’s Party (SAPP) (Julian ROLLOCKS); Community Action (KAS) (Benny DEMEI); Windward Islands People’s Movement (WIPM) (Will JOHNSTON); Workers’ Liberation Front (FOL) (Wilson GODETT, Richard LAK [Rignald LAK], Editha WRIGHT [Editha WRIGHT]); note: each island has its own political parties. Community Action (KAS) (Benny DEMEI); Windward Islands People’s Movement (WIPM) (Will JOHNSTON); Workers’ Liberation Front (FOL) (Wilson GODETT, Richard LAK [Rignald LAK], Editha WRIGHT [Editha WRIGHT]); note: each island has its own political parties. Community Action (KAS) (Benny DEMEI); Windward Islands People’s Movement (WIPM) (Will JOHNSTON); Workers’ Liberation Front (FOL) (Wilson GODETT, Richard LAK [Rignald LAK], Editha WRIGHT [Editha WRIGHT]); note: each island has its own political parties.
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO, WToO (associate).
Diplomatic representation in the USA: no (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands).
US Mission: Head of Mission: Consul General Barbara J. STEPHENSON; consulates general: J. W. Gorsiraweg #1, Curacao; mailing address: R. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao; phone: [599] (9) 4613066; fax: [599] (9) 4616489.
Description of the flag: white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red stripe also located in the center; five white five-pointed stars, located in the form of an oval in the center of a horizontal strip, symbolize the five main islands: Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Saint Martin.
