gateway for cocaine, heroin, and
hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy

======================================================================

@Netherlands Antilles

Netherlands Antilles 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 Sint Maarten
is shared with France; its northern portion is named Saint Martin
and is part of Guadeloupe.

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

land: 960 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: 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%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 90% (1993 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

Netherlands Antilles People

Population: 212,226 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.21% (male 27,332; female 26,169)

15-64 years: 66.99% (male 67,562; female 74,599)

65 years and over: 7.8% (male 6,874; female 9,690) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.97% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 16.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.41 deaths/1,000 populati