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Netherlands Antilles

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

   Nederlandse Antillen
   Netherlands Antilles

   Flag of Netherlands Antilles Coat of arms of Netherlands Antilles
   Flag                         Coat of arms
   Motto: Libertate unanimus
   (Latin: "Unified by freedom")
   Anthem: Anthem without a title
   Location of Netherlands Antilles
   Capital
   (and largest city) Willemstad
   12°7′N 68°56′W
   Official languages Dutch
   Government
    - Queen Beatrix
    - Governor Frits Goedgedrag
    - Prime minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage
   constitutional monarchy part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
   Area
    - Total 960 km² ( 184th)
   371 sq mi
    - Water (%) Negligible
   Population
    - July 2005 estimate 183,000 ( 185th)
    - Density 229/km² ( 51st)
   593/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2003 estimate
    - Total $ 2.45 billion ( 180th)
    - Per capita $ 11,400 (2003 est.) ( 79th)
   HDI  (2003) n/a (unranked) ( n/a)
   Currency Netherlands Antillean gulden ( ANG)
   Time zone ( UTC-4)
   Internet TLD .an
   Calling code +599

   The Netherlands Antilles (Dutch: Nederlandse Antillen), previously
   known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, are
   part of the Lesser Antilles and consist of two groups of islands in the
   Caribbean Sea that form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the
   Netherlands (none of the other Antilles use this term in their name).
   The islands' economy is dependent mostly upon tourism and petroleum.

History

   Both the leeward ( Alonso de Ojeda, 1499) and windward (Christopher
   Columbus, 1493) island groups were discovered and initially settled by
   the Spanish. In the 17th century, the islands were conquered by the
   Dutch West India Company and were used as bases for slave trade. Only
   in 1863 was slavery abolished.

   In 1954, the islands were promoted from colony to a part of the Kingdom
   of the Netherlands as an associated state within a federacy. The island
   of Aruba was part of the Netherlands Antilles until 1986, when it was
   granted a "status apart", and became a separate part of the kingdom.

   If acknowledged by a referendum on all islands, from July 2007 onward,
   Curaçao and Sint Maarten will take a constitutional status similar to
   that of Aruba, while the smaller islands will be reincorporated into
   the Netherlands as Dutch municipalities. As a consequence, this means
   that as from the 1st of July 2007, the Netherlands Antilles will cease
   to exist as a state.

Politics

   The head of state is the ruling monarch of the Netherlands, who is
   represented in the Netherlands Antilles by a governor. The governor is
   also head of the local government, and forms, together with the council
   of ministers, the executive branch of the government.

   The legislative branch is two-layered. 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 tasks on the
   island.

Future status

   The Netherlands Antilles is to be disbanded on July 1, 2007.

   The idea of the Netherlands Antilles as a state never enjoyed full
   support of all islands. Political relations between islands were often
   strained. After a long struggle, Aruba seceded from the Netherlands
   Antilles to form its own state in 1986 (they are still associated with
   the Kingdom of the Netherlands). The desire for secession was also
   strong in Sint Maarten.

   In 2004 a commission of the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and
   the Netherlands reported on a future status for the Netherlands
   Antilles. The commission advised a revision of the Statute of the
   Kingdom of the Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands
   Antilles.

   Two new associated states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands would
   be formed, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius
   will become directly 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. 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. Residents of these three islands will
   also be able to vote in Dutch national and European elections. There
   are, however, some derogations for these island. Social security, for
   example, will not be on the same level as it is in the Netherlands and
   the islands are not obliged to introduce the euro and may retain the
   Antillean guilder pending further negotiations. All five of the island
   territories may also continue to access the Common Court of Justice of
   Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles (probably under a new name for the
   Joint Court). 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).

   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 Netherlands has proposed that the new EU constitution allows the
   Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to opt for the status of Outermost
   Region (OMR) also called Ultra Peripheral Region (UPR), if and when
   they wish.

Islands

   The Netherland Antilles have no major administrative divisions,
   although each island has its own local government.

   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 (with also Aruba
       nearby):
          + 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. These are part of what are in English
       called the Leeward Islands, but in e.g. French, Spanish, German,
       Dutch and the English spoken locally these are considered part of
       the Windward Islands.
          + Saba
          + Sint Eustatius
          + Sint Maarten, the southern half of the island Saint Martin
            (the northern half, Saint-Martin, is French and part of the
            overseas department of Guadeloupe).

Geography

   Image:Nt-map.png

   The windward islands are all of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving
   little ground suitable for 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
   Netherlands).

   The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical climate, with warm weather all
   year round. The windward Islands are subject to hurricanes in the
   summer months.

Economy

   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. 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. Poor soils and inadequate
   water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. The Antillean
   guilder has a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of
   1.79:1.

Demographics

   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. 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). This Romance creole descends from
   Portuguese with a strong Spanish admixture plus subsequent lexical
   contributions from Dutch and, latterly, English. Nevertheless, the
   official language of the islands is Dutch, and English on St Maarten,
   Saba and St Eustatius. 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. Curaçao also hosts a sizeable group of Jews,
   descendants of a Portuguese group of Sephardic Jews that arrived from
   Amsterdam and Brazil in 1654.

   Most Netherlands Antilleans are Dutch citizens and this status permits
   and encourages the young and university-educated to emigrate to the
   Netherlands. This exodus is considered to be to the islands' detriment
   as it creates a brain drain. On the other hand, immigrants from the
   Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia have
   increased their presence in the last years.

Culture

   The origins of the population and location of the islands give the
   Netherlands Antilles a mixed culture. The Wikipedia articles on the
   specific islands have more information on culture.

   Tourism and overwhelming media presence from the United States has
   increased the regional United States influence. On all the islands, the
   holiday of Carnival is, like in many Caribbean and Latin American
   countries, an important one.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_Antilles"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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