d Sint Maarten (Dutch
part of the island of Saint Martin)
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
364 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Natural resources:
phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land:
8%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0% forest and woodland:
0%
other:
92%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
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

*Netherlands Antilles, People

Population:
184,990 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.4% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
17.23 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
5.69 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-7.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
10.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
75.73 years
male:
73.55 years
female:
78.03 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.99 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Netherlands Antillean(s)
adjective:
Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic divisions:
mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental
Religions:
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:
Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect
predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
total population:
94%
male:
94%
female:
93%
Labor force:
89,000
by occupation:
government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

*Netherlands Antilles, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Netherlands Antilles
local long form:
none
local short form:
Nederlandse Antillen
Digraph:
NA
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