Part 138
registered in other countries: 178 (Antigua and Barbuda 20, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 9, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 22, Germany 1, Gibraltar 21, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 6, Luxembourg 2, Marshall Islands 8, Netherlands Antilles 38, Panama 14, Paraguay 1, Philippines 23, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, US 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen
Military ::Netherlands
Military branches:
Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,950,825
females age 16-49: 3,850,800 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,224,790
females age 16-49: 3,143,096 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 105,194
female: 100,341 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.6% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Transnational Issues ::Netherlands
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering; significant consumer of ecstasy
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Netherlands Antilles (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Netherlands Antilles
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 newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion, called Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.
Geography ::Netherlands Antilles
Location:
Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates:
Bonaire: 12 12 N, 68 15 W
Curacao: 12 10 N, 69 00 W
Saba: 17 38 N, 63 14 W
Sint Eustatius: 17 30 N, 62 58 W
Sint Maarten: 18 04 N, 63 04 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 800 sq km country comparison to the world: 187 land: 800 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: 15 km
border countries: Saint Martin 15 km
Coastline:
364 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 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% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened
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); the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten
People ::Netherlands Antilles
Population:
227,049 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 182
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.7% (male 26,429/female 25,162)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 74,183/female 79,434)
65 years and over: 9.6% (male 8,875/female 12,966) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.7 years
male: 31.9 years
female: 35.5 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.732% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Birth rate:
14.19 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Death rate:
6.48 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 148
Net migration rate:
-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 105
Urbanization:
urban population: 93% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.09 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 156 male: 9.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.65 years country comparison to the world: 65 male: 74.33 years
female: 79.09 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.97 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
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%, other 15% (includes Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
Languages:
Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7%
male: 96.7%
female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2002)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Netherlands Antilles
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles
local long form: none
local short form: Nederlandse Antillen
former: Curacao and Dependencies
Dependency status:
an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Government type:
parliamentary
Capital:
name: Willemstad (on Curacao)
geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)
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 Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)
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 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2010)
note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP-St. M, UPB, WIPM Saba, DP-St. E
Legislative branch:
unicameral States or Staten (22 seats, Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1
note: the government is a coalition of several parties
Judicial branch:
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]
Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]
Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]
Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]
Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON]
note: political parties are indigenous to each island
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Employers Association (VBC); Unions (AVBO)
International organization participation:
Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, 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 ::Netherlands Antilles
Economy - overview:
Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Most of the oil Netherlands Antilles imports for its refineries come from Venezuela. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US, Italy, and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population. The Netherlands provides financial aid to support the economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.8 billion (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$16,000 (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 74
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15%
services: 84% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
91,470 (2007) country comparison to the world: 177
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 20%
services: 79% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15.5% (2002 est.) country comparison to the world: 157
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $757.9 million
expenditures: $949.5 million (2004)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Central bank discount rate:
NA%
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.33% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 90 9.21% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$997.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$2.309 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$2.927 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 23 $488.6 billion (2003)
Agriculture - products:
aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
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 - production:
1.22 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 142
Electricity - consumption:
1.013 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Oil - consumption:
71,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Oil - exports:
224,600 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Oil - imports:
298,500 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 142
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 139
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Exports:
$3.71 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 119
Exports - commodities:
petroleum products
Exports - partners:
US 19%, Guatemala 10.6%, Dominican Republic 9.3%, Haiti 7.4%, Singapore 6.7%, Bahamas, The 5.9%, Italy 4.5%, Honduras 4.4%, Mexico 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$15.74 billion (2006) country comparison to the world: 79
Imports - commodities:
crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners:
Venezuela 58.8%, US 19%, Brazil 5.9% (2008)
Debt - external:
$2.68 billion (2004) country comparison to the world: 130
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)
Communications ::Netherlands Antilles
Telephones - main lines in use:
88,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 147
Telephones - mobile cellular:
200,000 (2004) country comparison to the world: 171
Telephone system:
general assessment: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
international: country code - 599; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the Americas-2 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2003)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (there is also a cable service that supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and 4 Venezuelan channels) (2003)
Internet country code:
.an
Internet hosts:
71,671 (2009) country comparison to the world: 77
Transportation ::Netherlands Antilles
Airports:
5 (2009) country comparison to the world: 179
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 845
Merchant marine:
total: 147 country comparison to the world: 42 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 2, cargo 72, carrier 19, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 3
foreign-owned: 123 (Belgium 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 21, Denmark 2, Germany 43, Hong Kong 2, Netherlands 38, Norway 3, Sweden 1, Turkey 10, US 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bopec Terminal, Willemstad
Military ::Netherlands Antilles
Military branches:
no regular military forces; National Guard (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 55,365
females age 16-49: 57,060 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 46,461
females age 16-49: 47,325 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,920
female: 1,827 (2009 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Transnational Issues ::Netherlands Antilles
Disputes - international:
none
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center
page last updated on November 10, 2009
======================================================================
@New Caledonia (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::New Caledonia
Background:
Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
Geography ::New Caledonia
Location:
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia
Geographic coordinates:
21 30 S, 165 30 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 18,575 sq km country comparison to the world: 155 land: 18,275 sq km
water: 300 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
2,254 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain:
coastal plains with interior mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m
Natural resources:
nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
Land use:
arable land: 0.32%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 99.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
100 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
cyclones, most frequent from November to March
Environment - current issues:
erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires
Geography - note:
consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls
People ::New Caledonia
Population:
227,436 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 181
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.8% (male 31,191/female 29,870)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 75,189/female 74,552)
65 years and over: 7.3% (male 7,681/female 8,953) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.7 years
male: 28.2 years
female: 29.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.136% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 118
Birth rate:
17.04 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Death rate:
5.68 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 172
Net migration rate:
NA
note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 65% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.05 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 168 male: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.98 years country comparison to the world: 85 male: 71.99 years
female: 78.12 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.18 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 119
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: New Caledonian(s)
adjective: New Caledonian
Ethnic groups:
Melanesian 44.1%, European 34.1%, Wallisian & Futunian 9%, Tahitian 2.6%, Indonesian 2.5%, Vietnamese 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 5.2% (1996 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
Languages:
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2%
male: 96.8%
female: 95.5% (1996 census)
Government ::New Caledonia
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form: New Caledonia
local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie
Dependency status:
territorial collectivity of France since 1998
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Noumea
geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E
time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Province des Iles, Province Nord, and Province Sud
Independence:
none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014
National holiday:
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2007)
head of government: President of the Government Philippe GOMES (since 5 June 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress