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Netherlands Antilles
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Capital: Willemstad (on Curacao)
Population: 221,736
Brief History of Netherlands Antilles:
The Netherlands Antilles was a Caribbean country that was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There were two main groups of islands in the Netherland Antilles. One had Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. The other had Saint Eustatius, Saba, and Saint Marten. In 1986 Aruba seceded and became an independent country, but still within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The rest of the Netherland Antilles was dissolved in 2010. Curacao became a country and so did Saint Marten.
The Geography of Netherlands Antilles
Total Size: 960 square km
Size Comparison: more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Geographical Coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W
World Region or Continent: Central America
General Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Geographical Low Point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Geographical High Point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Major cities:
The People of Netherlands Antilles
Type of Government: parliamentary
Languages Spoken: Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National Holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April
Nationality: Dutch Antillean(s)
Religions: Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census)
National Symbol:
National Anthem or Song:
Economy of Netherlands Antilles
Major Industries: tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Agricultural Products: aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Natural Resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Major Exports: petroleum products
Major Imports: crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Currency: Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
National GDP: $2,800,000,000
** Source for population (2012 est.) and GDP (2011 est.) is CIA World Factbook.
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