Netherlands Antilles (2004) | Monaco (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
note: each island has its own government |
none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 24.5% (male 27,387; female 26,094)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 70,024; female 76,552) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 7,443; female 10,626) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 15.5% (male 2,554; female 2,453)
15-64 years: 62.1% (male 9,860; female 10,165) 65 years and over: 22.4% (male 2,959; female 4,279) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit | none |
Airports | 5 (2003 est.) | none; linked to the airport at Nice, France by helicopter service (2003) (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1 2038 to 3047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
- |
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) |
total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | more than five times the size of Washington, DC | about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe. | Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. |
Birth rate | 15.36 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 9.36 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $710.8 million
expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997 est.) |
revenues: $518 million
expenditures: $531 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1995) |
Capital | Willemstad | Monaco |
Climate | tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers |
Coastline | 364 km | 4.1 km |
Constitution | 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended | 17 December 1962 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen former: Curacao and Dependencies |
conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco |
Currency | Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 12.74 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.35 billion (1996) | NA (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad AN, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 4613066 FAX: [599] (9) 4616489 |
the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) is accredited to Monaco |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | Monaco does not have an embassy in the US
consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2000) | NA |
Economy - overview | Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past seven years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population. | Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates below are extremely rough. |
Electricity - consumption | 986.8 million kWh (2001) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 1.061 billion kWh (2001) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian | French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% |
Exchange rates | Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000), 1.79 (1999) | euros per US dollar - 0.8860 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Etienne YS (since 3 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held by NA 2006) note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, PLKP, DP St. Maarten, UP Bonaire, WIPM Saba, DP Statia |
chief of state: Prince RAINIER III (since 9 May 1949); Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT Alexandre Louis Pierre, son of the monarch (born 14 March 1958)
head of government: Minister of State Patrick LECLERCQ (since 5 January 2000) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France |
Exports - commodities | petroleum products | - |
Exports - partners | US 21.3%, Venezuela 16%, Bahamas, The 7.6%, Singapore 5.2%, Honduras 4.9%, Guatemala 4.4% (2003) | - |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
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 | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.45 billion (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $870 million (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $27,000 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.5% (2003 est.) | NA (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 15 N, 68 45 W | 43 44 N, 7 24 E |
Geography - note | the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao) | second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban |
Heliports | - | 1 (shuttle service between the international airport at Nice, France, and Monaco's heliport at Fontvieille) (2003 est.) |
Highways | total: 600 km
paved: 300 km unpaved: 300 km |
total: 50 km
paved: 50 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center | - |
Imports | NA (2001) | $NA; full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France |
Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, food, manufactures | - |
Imports - partners | Venezuela 64.8%, US 13.6%, Netherlands 7.8% (2003) | - |
Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) | 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA |
Industries | tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) | tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products |
Infant mortality rate | total: 10.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.1% (2003 est.) | NA (2000) |
International organization participation | ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate) | ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) |
Labor force | 89,000 (2000) | 30,540 (January 1994) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (2000 est.) | - |
Land boundaries | total: 10.2 km
border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km |
total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km |
Land use | arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2001) |
Languages | Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish | French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque |
Legal system | based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence | based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held in 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 4, PNP 3, PLKP 2, DP St. M 2, UP Bonaire 2, WIPM 1, DP note: the government of Prime Minister Etienne YS is a coalition of several parties; current government formed after collapse of FOL led government on 4 April 2004 |
unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held NA February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.6 years
male: 73.37 years female: 77.95 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 79.42 years
male: 75.53 years female: 83.5 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.7% male: 96.7% female: 96.8% (2003 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: 99% male: NA female: NA |
Location | Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands | Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 162 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,317,007 GRT/1,668,499 DWT
by type: bulk 4, cargo 59, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 28, liquefied gas 6, multi-functional large load carrier 22, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 28, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: Belgium 3, Denmark 1, Germany 57, Monaco 4, Netherlands 70, New Zealand 1, Norway 5, Peru 1, Spain 1, Sweden 5, Turkey 2, United Kingdom 6 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) |
none |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | National Guard, Police Force | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 55,536 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 31,025 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 1,660 (2004 est.) | - |
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 | National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November |
Nationality | noun: Dutch Antillean(s)
adjective: Dutch Antillean |
noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan |
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 | NA |
Natural resources | phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) | none |
Net migration rate | -0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 7.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Antillean Restructuring Party or PAR [Etienne YS]; C 93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Foundation Energetic Management Anti-Narcotics or FAME [Eric LODEWIJKS]; Labor Party People's Crusade or PLKP [Errol COVA]; National Alliance [William MARLIN]; National People's Party or PNP [Susanne F. C. CAMELIA-ROMER]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Kenneth GIJSBERTHA]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten or SPA [Vance JAMES, Jr.]; People's Party or PAPU [Richard HODI]; Pro Curacao Party or PPK [Winston LOURENS]; Saba Democratic Labor Movement [Steve HASSELL]; Saba Unity Party [Carmen SIMMONDS]; St. Eustatius Alliance or SEA [Kenneth VAN PUTTEN]; Serious Alternative People's Party or Sapp [Julian ROLLOCKS]; Social Action Cause or KAS [Benny DEMEI]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Will JOHNSTON]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT, Rignald LAK, Editha WRIGHT]
note: political parties are indigenous to each island |
National and Democratic Union or UND [Jean-Louis CAMPORA]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 218,126 (July 2004 est.) | 32,270 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA |
Population growth rate | 0.86% (2004 est.) | 0.44% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Kralendijk, Philipsburg, Willemstad | Monaco |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) |
Religions | Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist | Roman Catholic 90% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: generally adequate facilities
domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: country code - 599; submarine cables - 2; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 81,000 (2001) | 33,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 81,000 (2001) | 19,300 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and two Venezuelan channels) (2004) | 5 (1998) |
Terrain | generally hilly, volcanic interiors | hilly, rugged, rocky |
Total fertility rate | 2.02 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15.6% (2002 est.) | 3.1% (1998) |