:Netherlands Antilles Government

Long-form name:
none
Digraph:
political parties are indigenous to each island ***
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
Bonaire:
Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire
(PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN
Curacao:
National People's Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS; New Antilles Movement
(MAN), Domenico Felip Don 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
Saba:
Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will JOHNSON; Saba
Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party, Carmen SIMMONDS
Sint Eustatius:
Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), K. Van PUTTEN; Windward
Islands People's Movement (WIPM); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA), Ralph BERKEL
Sint Maarten:
Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude WATHEY; Patriotic
Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES
Suffrage:
universal at age 18

:Netherlands Antilles Government

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 3, UPB 3, MAN 2,
DP-St. M 2, DP 1, SPM 1, WIPM 1, DP-St. E 1, Nos Patria 1; note - the
government of Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS is a coalition of several
parties
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; FAX [599] (9) 616489
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

:Netherlands Antilles 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 as 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:
exchange rate conversion - $1.4 billion, per capita $7,600; real growth rate
1.5% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
21% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $454 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital
expenditures of $42 million (1989 est.)
Exports:
$1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
commodities:
petroleum products 98%
partners:
US 40%, Italy 6%, The Bahamas 5%
Imports:
$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
commodities:
crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
partners:
Venezuela 42%, US 18%, Netherlands 6%
External debt:
$701.2 million (December 1987)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
125,000 kW capacity; 365 million kWh produced, 1,985 kWh per capita (1991)
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 (1970-89),
$513 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

:Netherlands Antilles Communications

Highways:
950 km total; 300 km paved, 650 km gravel and earth
Ports:
Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk
Merchant marine:
80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 607,010 GRT/695,864 DWT; includes 4
passenger, 27 cargo, 13 refrigerated cargo, 7 container, 9 roll-on/roll-off,
11 multifunction large-load carrier, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 1
bulk, 1 oil tanker; note - all but a few are foreign owned, mostly in the
Netherlands
Civil air:
8 major transport aircraft
Airports:
7 total, 6 usable; 6 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;
broadcast stations - 9 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 2 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth stations

:Netherlands Antilles Defense Forces

Branches:
Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force, National
Guard, Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49 49,082; 27,656 fit for military service; 1,673 reach military
age (20) annually
Note:
defense is responsibility of the Netherlands