le 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

:Netherlands Antilles People

Population:
184,325 (July 1992), growth rate 0.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
18 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-9 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
73 years male, 77 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Netherlands Antillean(s); adjective - Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic divisions:
mixed African 85%; remainder Carib Indian, European, Latin, and Oriental
Religions:
predominantly Roman Catholic; Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:
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

: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