; major European producer of illicit amphetamines and
other synthetic drugs

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@Netherlands Antilles
--------------------

Geography

Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea--one
includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela and 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

Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

People

Population: 207,827 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 27,160; female 26,149)
15-64 years: 67% (male 65,781; female 73,054)
65 years and over: 7% (male 6,538; female 9,145) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.01% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 17.11 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.59 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total populat