Official name: Netherlands Antilles
Capital city: Willemstad (on Curacao)
Internet country code: .an
Flag description: White, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
Geographical description: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the United States Virgin Islands
Total area: 597 sq. mi. (960 sq. km.)
Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Nationality: noun: Dutch Antillean(s); adjective: Dutch Antillean
Population: 223,652 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: Mixed African-Amerindian-European 85%, other 15% (includes Carib Amerindian, European, East Asian) 15%
Languages spoken: Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 65,4%, English 15.9%, Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8%
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%
(also Dutch West Indies), the official name of a possession of the Netherlands in the West Indies. Situated in the Lesser Antilles, the Netherlands Antilles comprise Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire (known as the Leeward Islands group) and Saba, St. Eustatius, and the southern part of St. Martin (Windward Islands). Total area, 961 sq km. Population, 225,000 (1971). The administrative center is Willemstad on Curaçao. Dutch is the official language. About 95 percent of the population is concentrated on Curaçao and Aruba.
The economy is based on the refining of petroleum from Venezuela. The petroleum refineries on Curaçao and Aruba belong to the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell and the US company Standard Oil of New Jersey and have an annual capacity of more than 40 million tons. Other industries include the production of petrochemicals, tobacco products, and electrical and radio equipment. Guano is extracted on Curaçao; 109,000 tons were exported in 1970. Near Willemstad there is suburban farming (dairying and fruit and vegetable growing). An important source of revenue is tourism. There are about 800 km of paved roads. The chief ports are Willemstad and Oranjestad on Aruba. Petroleum and foodstuffs are imported, and petroleum products are exported. The principal trading partners are the USA, Great Britain, and the South American countries.