Nederlandse Antillen Antias Hulandes Netherlands Antilles
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Libertate unanimus (Latin: "Unified by freedom")
Anthem: Anthem Without a Title
Capital (and largest city)		Willemstad 12°7′N, 68°56′W
Official languages		Dutch, English, Papiamento
Government
-	Monarch	Queen Beatrix
-	Governor	Frits Goedgedrag
-	Prime Minister	Emily de Jongh-Elhage
constitutional monarchy		part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Area
-	Total	800 km² (184th) 309 sq mi
-	Water (%)	Negligible
Population
-	July 2005 estimate	183,000 (185th)
-	Density	229/km² (51st) 593/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2003 estimate
-	Total	$ 2. The Flag of the Netherlands Antilles is white with a horizontal blue stripe in the center one-third of the flag's hoist superimposed on a vertical red stripe of the same The Coat of arms of the Netherlands Antilles consists of a shield a crown and the motto A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's "The Anthem Without a Title" is the National anthem of the Netherlands Antilles. Demographics of the Netherlands Antilles Population 189000 (July 2006 est Willemstad is the territorial Capital of the Netherlands Antilles. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Netherlands has been an independent Monarchy since 16 March 1815, and has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Frits Martinus de los Santos Goedgedrag (born 1 November 1951 in Aruba) is the current Governor of the Netherlands Antilles. List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles: Ciro Domenico Kroon (1968&ndash1969 PNP Gerald C Emily Saïdy de Jongh-Elhage (born December 7, 1946) has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles since 26 March A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare different Orders of magnitude and geographical regions we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 45 billion (180th)
-	Per capita	$ 11,400 (2003 est. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' ) (79th)
HDI (2003)		n/a (unranked) (n/a)
Currency		Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Time zone		(UTC-4)
Internet TLD		.an
Calling code		+599

The Netherlands Antilles (Dutch: Nederlandse Antillen (help·info)), previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles and consists of two groups of islands in the Caribbean Sea: Curaçao and Bonaire, just off the Venezuelan coast, and Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten, located southeast of the Virgin Islands. This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The guilder (gulden is the currency of the Netherlands Antilles. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the An archipelago (ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ is a chain or cluster of Islands The word archipelago literally means "chief Sea " from Italian For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Sint Eustatius, also known as Statia, or Saint Eustace, is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern Leeward SABA was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment from the Black Forest up to the 1980s For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation See also Culture of the Virgin Islands Music of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Creole The islands form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities The islands' economy depends mostly upon tourism, international financial services, international commerce and shipping and petroleum. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit

The Netherlands Antilles was scheduled to be dissolved as a unified political entity on 15 December 2008, so that the five constituent islands will attain new constitutional statuses within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. ^[1] This dissolution is still planned, but has been postponed to an indefinite future date. ^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Constitution 3 Future status 4 Islands 5 Geography 6 Economy 7 Demographics 8 Culture 9 Miscellaneous topics 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

History

Main article: History of the Netherlands Antilles

See also: Dutch colonial empire

Both the leeward (Alonso de Ojeda, 1499) and windward (Christopher Columbus, 1493) island groups were discovered and initially settled by Spain. The Netherlands Antilles were colonized by the Netherlands in the 17th century The Dutch Empire was the territories controlled by The Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century Alonso de Ojeda (c 1465 &ndash 1515 was a Spanish explorer born of noble parentage in Cuenca. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. In the 17th century, the islands were conquered by the Dutch West India Company and were used as military outposts and trade bases, most prominent the slave trade. Dutch West India Company ( Dutch: Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie or GWC; English: Chartered West India Company was a company of Slavery was abolished in1863.

In 1954, the status of the islands was up-graded from a colonial territory to a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as a separate country within the kingdom. The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities The island of Aruba was part of the Netherlands Antilles until 1986, when it was granted status aparte, becoming yet another part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as a separate country within the kingdom. Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities

Between June 2000 and April 2005, each island of the Netherlands Antilles had a referendum on its future status. The four options that could be voted on were:

• closer ties with the Netherlands
• remaining within the Netherlands Antilles
• autonomy as a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (status aparte)
• independence

Of the five islands, Sint Maarten and Curaçao voted for status aparte, Saba and Bonaire voted for closer ties to the Netherlands, and Sint Eustatius voted to stay within the Netherlands Antilles.

The full results were:

Island	Date of referendum	Vote for closer ties with the Netherlands	Vote for remaining within the Netherlands Antilles	Vote for status aparte	Vote for independence	Reference
Sint Maarten	June 22, 2000	11. For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 6%	3. 7%	69. 9%	14. 2%	[3]
Bonaire	September 10, 2004	59. The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 0%	15. 9%	24. 1%	<1%	[4]
Saba	November 5, 2004	86. SABA was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment from the Black Forest up to the 1980s Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 05%	13. 18%	-	<1%	[5]
Curaçao	April 8, 2005	23%	-	68%	5%	[6]
Sint Eustatius	April 8, 2005	20%	76%	-	1%	[6]

On November 26, 2005 a Round Table Conference (RTC) was held between the governments of the Netherlands, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and each island in the Netherlands Antilles. Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sint Eustatius, also known as Statia, or Saint Eustace, is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern Leeward Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The final statement to emerge from the RTC stated that autonomy for Curaçao and Sint Maarten, plus a new status for Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius would come into effect by July 1, 2007. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[7] On October 12, 2006, the Netherlands reached an agreement with Saba, Bonaire, and Sint Eustatius; this agreement would make these islands special municipalities. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[8] On November 3, 2006, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were granted autonomy in an agreement,^[9] but this agreement was rejected by the then island council of Curaçao on November 28. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events ^[10] The Curaçao government was not sufficiently convinced that the agreement would provide enough autonomy for Curaçao. ^[11] On July 9, 2007 the new island council of Curaçao approved the agreement previously rejected in November 2006. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[12]

Constitution

Main article: Politics of the Netherlands Antilles

The head of state is the ruling monarch of the Netherlands, who is represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. Politics of the Netherlands Antilles, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands A council of ministers, chaired by a prime minister, forms the local government. Together with the governor, who holds responsibility for external affairs and defense, it forms the executive branch of the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State.

The legislative branch is two-layered. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation Delegates of the islands are represented in the government of the Netherlands Antilles, but each island has its own government that takes care of the daily affairs on the island.

The Netherlands Antilles are not part of the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Since 2006 the Islands have given rise to diplomatic disputes between Venezuela and the Netherlands. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez claims that the Netherlands may allow the United States to install military bases that would be necessary for a planned U. Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. S. invasion of Venezuela. On May 23, 2006 an international military manoeuver known as Joint Caribbean Lion 2006, including forces of the U.S. Navy, began. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Future status

The Netherlands Antilles was to be disbanded on December 15, 2008. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[1]This dissolution is still planned, but has been postponed to an indefinite future date. ^[13] The idea of the Netherlands Antilles as a state never enjoyed full support of all islands and political relations between islands were often strained. After a long struggle, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, and formed its own state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities The desire for secession has also been strong in Sint Maarten. For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation

In 2004 a commission of the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and the Netherlands reported on a future status for the Netherlands Antilles. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The commission advised a revision of the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands Antilles. The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (in Dutch Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; in Papiamentu Statuut pa e Reino di Hulanda) describes the

Two new associated states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands would be formed, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. An associated state is the minor partner in a formal free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a (usually larger nation for which no other specific The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation Meanwhile, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius would become a direct part of the Netherlands as special municipalities (bijzondere gemeente), a form of "public body" (openbaar lichaam) as outlined in article 134 of the Dutch Constitution. The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas SABA was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment from the Black Forest up to the 1980s Sint Eustatius, also known as Statia, or Saint Eustace, is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern Leeward The Constitution of the Netherlands is the Fundamental law of the European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. These municipalities will resemble ordinary Dutch municipalities in most ways (they will have a mayor, aldermen and a municipal council, for example) and will have to introduce most Dutch law. |||} All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities ( gemeenten) together 443 (2007 Residents of these three islands will also be able to vote in Dutch national and European elections. There are, however, some derogations for these islands. Social security, for example, will not be on the same level as it is in the Netherlands, and it is not certain whether the islands will be obliged to introduce the euro^[14]; they may retain the Antillean guilder pending further negotiations. Social security primarily refers to a Social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions including poverty old Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e The guilder (gulden is the currency of the Netherlands Antilles. All five of the island territories may also continue to access the Common Court of Justice of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles (with the Joint Court probably receiving a new name). The three islands will also have to involve the Dutch Minister of Foreign Relations before they can make agreements with countries in the region.

Originally the term used for Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius to describe their expected association with the Netherlands was "Kingdom Islands" (Koninkrijkseilanden). The Dutch province of North Holland has offered the three new municipalities the opportunity to become part of the province. North Holland ( Dutch: Noord-Holland,, West Frisian: Noôrd-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the

Additionally, the Kingdom government would consist of the government of the Netherlands and one mandated minister per Caribbean country. The special municipalities would be represented in the Kingdom Government by the Netherlands, as they can vote for the Dutch parliament. The States-General ( Staten-Generaal) is the Parliament of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has proposed that the new EU constitution allow the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to opt for the status of Outermost Region (OMR) also called Ultra Peripheral Region (UPR), if they wish. As of 2007 the European Union has 27 member states, most of which participate in all EU policy areas and programs or have signed up to do so ^[15]

Islands

Main article: Islands of the Netherlands Antilles

The Netherland Antilles have no major administrative divisions, although each island has its own local government. |||}The Netherlands Antilles is divided in five administrative divisions the Island Areas ( Eilandgebieden) Bonaire, including an islet called

The two island groups of which the Netherlands Antilles consists are:

• the "Leeward Islands" (Benedenwindse Eilanden), part of the Leeward Antilles island chain off the Venezuelan coast (along with Aruba) (ABC islands). Leeward Antilles are a chain of Islands in the Caribbean – specifically the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and in turn the Antilles Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela The ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. They are the three most western Islands of the Leeward Antilles in the
  • Bonaire, including an islet called Klein Bonaire ("Little Bonaire")
  • Curaçao, including an islet called Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao")
• the "Windward Islands" (Bovenwindse Eilanden) east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (SSS islands). The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas Klein Bonaire ( Dutch for "little Bonaire" is a small uninhabited Islet off the west coast of the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Curaçao (ˈkjuːrəsaʊ in English Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an Island in the southern Caribbean Sea, Klein Curaçao ( Dutch for little Curaçao) is a small uninhabited island south-east of Curaçao. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} See also Culture of the Virgin Islands Music of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Creole The SSS-islands consist of Saba Saint Martin, which contains Sint Maarten Sint Eustatius These are part of what are in English called the Leeward Islands, but in e. The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of islands part of the West Indies. g. French, Spanish, Dutch and the English spoken locally these are considered part of the Windward Islands. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname
  • Saba
  • Sint Eustatius
  • Sint Maarten, the southern half of the island Saint Martin (the northern half, Saint-Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France). SABA was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment from the Black Forest up to the 1980s Sint Eustatius, also known as Statia, or Saint Eustace, is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern Leeward For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation Saint Martin is a tropical Island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km (186 miles east of Puerto Rico. The French overseas collectivities ( collectivités d'outre-mer or COM) like the French regions, themselves are first-order Administrative divisions This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Netherlands Antilles

The windward islands are all of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving little ground suitable for agriculture. The Netherlands Antilles are in the Caribbean Sea. It consists of two Island groups one including Curaçao and Bonaire, just north of Venezuela Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The leeward islands have a mixed volcanic and coral origin. The highest point is Mount Scenery, 862 metres (2,828 ft), on Saba (also the highest point in all the Kingdom of the Netherlands). Mount Scenery is a Lava dome which forms the summit of the Saba island Stratovolcano. SABA was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment from the Black Forest up to the 1980s

The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical climate, with warm weather all year round. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of The windward Islands are subject to hurricanes in the summer months. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Netherlands Antilles

See also: Economy of Saba

Tourism, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement (on Curaçao), as well as offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Tourism petroleum Transshipment, and offshore finance are the mainstays of the Netherlands Antillean economy, which is closely tied to the outside world The economy of Saba, smallest island of the Netherlands Antilles, has always been limited by its small land mass (five square miles and low population (currently about 1500 Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with Venezuela, the United States, and Mexico being the major suppliers, as well as the Dutch government which supports the islands with substantial development aid. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Development aid or development cooperation (also development assistance, technical assistance, international aid, overseas aid Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The Antillean guilder has a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of 1. The guilder (gulden is the currency of the Netherlands Antilles. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 79:1.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Netherlands Antilles

A large part of the Netherlands Antilleans descends from European colonists and African slaves that were brought and traded here from the 17th to 19th century. Demographics of the Netherlands Antilles Population 189000 (July 2006 est As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The rest of the population originates from other Caribbean islands, Latin America, East Asia and elsewhere in the world.

Papiamentu is predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire (as well as the neighboring island of Aruba). Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called This creole descends from Portuguese and West African languages with a strong admixture of Dutch, plus subsequent lexical contributions from Spanish and English. A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

After a decades-long debate, English and Papiamentu have been made official languages alongside Dutch in early March 2007. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Legislation is produced in Dutch but parliamentary debate is in Papiamentu or English, depending on the island. Due to the islands' closeness to South America, Spanish is becoming increasingly known and used throughout the archipelago.

The majority of the population are followers of the Christian faith, mostly Roman Catholic. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Curaçao also hosts a sizeable group of followers of the Jewish faith, descendants of a Portuguese group of Sephardic Jews that arrived from Amsterdam and Brazil in 1654. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

Most Netherlands Antilleans are Dutch citizens and this status permits and encourages the young and university-educated to emigrate to the Netherlands. Dutch nationality law is based primarily on the principle of Jus sanguinis. This exodus is considered to be to the islands' detriment as it creates a brain drain. A brain drain or human capital flight is a large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, normally due to conflict, lack of opportunity On the other hand, immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia have increased their presence in recent years. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: The term Anglophone Caribbean is used to refer to the independent English -speaking countries of the Caribbean region Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

Culture

The origins of the population and location of the islands give the Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture.

Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the United States has increased the regional United States influence. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the On all the islands, the holiday of Carnival is, like in many Caribbean and Latin American countries, an important one. Carnival is a festival season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February and March The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Festivities include "jump-up" parades with beautifully colored costumes, floats, and live bands as well as beauty contests and other competitions. Carnival on the islands also includes a middle-of-the-night j'ouvert (juvé) parade that ends at sunrise with the burning of a straw King Momo, cleansing the island of sins and bad luck. J'ouvert (also spelled as Jouve) and pronounced 'juuvay' is a large street party during Carnival in the eastern Caribbean region King Momos, King Momus, ( Rei Momo in Portuguese or Rey Momo in Spanish) is considered the king of Carnivals in On Statia he is called Prince Stupid.

See also: Music of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, Culture of St. Martin, and Culture of Saba

Miscellaneous topics

Unlike the metropolitan Netherlands, same-sex marriages cannot be performed here, but those performed in other jurisdictions are recognized. The music of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba is a mixture of native African and European elements and is closely connected with trends from neighboring countries like Venezuela The culture of St Martin owes a great deal to its African French British and Dutch heritage Saba's culture bears the influence of its early settlers among them the English, Scottish, Africans, and Dutch. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same Also unlike the Netherlands, marijuana is illegal.

• Communications in the Netherlands Antilles
• Foreign relations of the Netherlands Antilles
• Military of the Netherlands Antilles
• Postage stamps and postal history of the Netherlands Antilles
• Transportation in the Netherlands Antilles
• Scouting Antiano
• Antillenhuis, the cabinet of the minister plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles in the Hague

See also

• ABC islands
• SSS islands

References

External links

• GOV.an - Main governmental site
• Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles
• map
• Antillenhuis - Cabinet of the Netherlands Antilles' Plenipotentiary Minister in the Netherlands
• CIA World Factbook: Netherlands Antilles
• Antilles break-up closer
• Aruba on the internet - Dedicated to Aruba a part of the Netherlands
• Werken en Wonen op de Antillen - Information about living and working on the Netherlands Antilles

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