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Compare Netherlands Antilles (2008) - Swaziland (2008)

Compare Netherlands Antilles (2008) z Swaziland (2008)

 Netherlands Antilles (2008)Swaziland (2008)
 Netherlands AntillesSwaziland
Administrative divisions none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)


note: each island has its own government
4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
Age structure 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 27,020/female 25,726)


15-64 years: 67.4% (male 72,449/female 78,259)


65 years and over: 9% (male 8,243/female 11,955) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 40.3% (male 230,238/female 226,184)


15-64 years: 56.1% (male 304,899/female 331,036)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,870/female 24,839) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Airports 5 (2007) 18 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 10 (2007)
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: 17,363 sq km


land: 17,203 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative more than five times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than New Jersey
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, called Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France. Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but political parties remain banned. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
Birth rate 14.56 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 26.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $757.9 million


expenditures: $949.5 million (2004)
revenues: $1.216 billion


expenditures: $1.15 billion (2007 est.)
Capital name: Willemstad (on Curacao)


geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Mbabane


geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)
Climate tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds varies from tropical to near temperate
Coastline 364 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006
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: Kingdom of Swaziland


conventional short form: Swaziland


local long form: Umbuso weSwatini


local short form: eSwatini
Death rate 6.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 30.35 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $2.68 billion (2004) $538.6 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Dependency status an autonomous country within 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, Curacao


mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao


telephone: [599] (9) 4613066


FAX: [599] (9) 4616489
chief of mission: Ambassador Maurice S. PARKER


embassy: Central Bank Building, Mahlokahla Street, Mbabane


mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane


telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445


FAX: [268] 404-5959
Diplomatic representation in the US none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE


chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002


FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254
Disputes - international none in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa
Economic aid - recipient $21.32 million


note: IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2004)
$46.03 million (2005)
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 eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Most of the oil Netherlands Antilles imports for its refineries come from Venezuela. 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. In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007, the sugar industry increased efficiency and diversification efforts, in response to a 17% decline in EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand, subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union, which may equal as much as 70% of government revenue this year, and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. Swaziland is not poor enough to merit an IMF program; however, the country is struggling to reduce the size of the civil service and control costs at public enterprises. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate, Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.
Electricity - consumption 891 million kWh (2005) 1.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007)
Electricity - production 1.175 billion kWh (2005) 460 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m


highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
Environment - current issues NA limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups mixed black 85%, other 15% (includes Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian) African 97%, European 3%
Exchange rates Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003) lilangeni per US dollar - 7.4 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)
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 Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006)


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 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2010)


note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP-St. M, UPB, WIPM Saba, DP-St. E
chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)


head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003)


cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
Exports 217,800 bbl/day (2004) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities petroleum products soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Exports - partners US 27.2%, Panama 11.4%, Mexico 9%, Germany 6.2%, Haiti 5.3%, Singapore 4.8%, Bahamas, The 4.2% (2006) South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
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 three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1%


industry: 15%


services: 84% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 11.8%


industry: 45.8%


services: 42.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2004 est.) 1.6% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 15 N, 68 45 W 26 30 S, 31 30 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); the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 1.6%


highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center -
Imports 282,500 bbl/day (2004) 3,530 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities crude petroleum, food, manufactures motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners Venezuela 71.1%, US 10.4%, Italy 3.7% (2006) South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9%, Singapore 0.3% (2006)
Independence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 1% (2007 est.)
Industries tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao) coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel
Infant mortality rate total: 9.63 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 10.33 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 74 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 67.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.1% (2003 est.) 6% (2007 est.)
International organization participation Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 500 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch) High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch
Labor force 83,600 (2005) 300,000 (2006)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 1%


industry: 20%


services: 79% (2005 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total: 15 km


border countries: Saint Martin 15 km
total: 535 km


border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Land use arable land: 10%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 90% (2005)
arable land: 10.25%


permanent crops: 0.81%


other: 88.94% (2005)
Languages 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) English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)
Legal system based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1


note: the government is a coalition of several parties
bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008)


election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.24 years


male: 73.96 years


female: 78.65 years (2007 est.)
total population: 32.23 years


male: 31.84 years


female: 32.62 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.7%


male: 96.7%


female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 81.6%


male: 82.6%


female: 80.8% (2003 est.)
Location 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 US Virgin Islands Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 138 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,096,005 GRT/1,437,692 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 4, cargo 70, carrier 12, chemical tanker 3, container 10, liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 25, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 3


foreign-owned: 125 (Belgium 1, Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 48, Netherlands 53, Norway 5, Sweden 3, Turkey 12, US 1) (2007)
-
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands -
Military branches no regular military forces; National Guard (2008) Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing), Royal Swaziland Police Force (RSPF) (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 4.7% (2006)
National holiday Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980) Independence Day, 6 September (1968)
Nationality noun: Dutch Antillean(s)


adjective: Dutch Antillean
noun: Swazi(s)


adjective: Swazi
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 drought
Natural resources phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Net migration rate -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]


Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO]; Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS]; Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]


Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]


Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E [Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St. Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]


Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party [Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St. Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party [Bienvenido RICHARDSON]


note: political parties are indigenous to each island
the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]
Political pressure groups and leaders Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC) NA
Population 223,652 (July 2007 est.) 1,133,066


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 69% (2006)
Population growth rate 0.777% (2007 est.) -0.337% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2003) AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004)
Railways - total: 301 km


narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
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) Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.926 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.929 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.921 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.639 male(s)/female


total population: 0.947 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age
Telephone system general assessment: generally adequate facilities


domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links


international: country code - 599; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the Americas-2 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system


domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity about 25 telephones per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay


international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 81,000 (2001) 44,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 200,000 (2004) 250,000 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and 4 Venezuelan channels) (2003) 12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004)
Terrain generally hilly, volcanic interiors mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Total fertility rate 1.99 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3.43 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 17% (2002 est.) 40% (2006 est.)
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