Compare Virgin Islands (2008) - Netherlands Antilles (2005)

Compare Virgin Islands (2008) z Netherlands Antilles (2005)

	Virgin Islands (2008)	Netherlands Antilles (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government
Age structure	0-14 years: 21.8% (male 11,897/female 11,696) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 34,204/female 37,911) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 5,642/female 7,098) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 24.2% (male 27,302/female 26,002) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 70,838/female 77,148) 65 years and over: 8.5% (male 7,673/female 10,995) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle	aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Airports	2 (2007)	5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)	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: 1,910 sq km land: 346 sq km water: 1,564 sq km	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)
Area - comparative	twice the size of Washington, DC	more than five times the size of Washington, DC
Background	During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.	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 (France).
Birth rate	13.68 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	15 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	revenues: $710.8 million expenditures: $741.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997 est.)
Capital	name: Charlotte Amalie geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Willemstad; note - located on Curacao, the largest of the islands
Climate	subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November	tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Coastline	188 km	364 km
Constitution	Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954	29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Country name	conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies abbreviation: USVI	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen former: Curacao and Dependencies
Death rate	6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$1.35 billion (1996)
Dependency status	organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior	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	none (territory of 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
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of the US)	none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	IMF provided $61 million in 2000, and the Netherlands continued its support with $40 million (2000)
Economy - overview	Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands hosted 2.6 million visitors in 2005. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy. The islands are vulnerable to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment.	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. 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.
Electricity - consumption	926.4 million kWh (2005)	934.3 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	996.1 million kWh (2005)	1.005 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 475 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m
Environment - current issues	lack of natural freshwater resources	NA
Ethnic groups	black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census)	mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003), 1.79 (2002), 1.79 (2001), 1.79 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor John DeJONGH (since 1 January 2007) cabinet: NA elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: John DeJONGH elected governor; percent of vote - John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7%	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
Exports	397,400 bbl/day (2004)	NA
Exports - commodities	refined petroleum products	petroleum products
Exports - partners	US, Puerto Rico (2006)	US 20.4%, Panama 11.2%, Guatemala 8.8%, Haiti 7.1%, Bahamas, The 5.6%, Honduras 4.2% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	calendar year
Flag description	white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel	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
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.)	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	2% (2002 est.)	0.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 20 N, 64 50 W	12 15 N, 68 45 W
Geography - note	important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean	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)
Highways	-	total: 600 km paved: 300 km unpaved: 300 km
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	493,000 bbl/day (2004)	NA
Imports - commodities	crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials	crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Imports - partners	US, Puerto Rico (2006)	Venezuela 51.1%, US 21.9%, Netherlands 5% (2004)
Independence	none (territory of the US)	none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics	tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)
Infant mortality rate	total: 7.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 10.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.2% (2003)	2.1% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	IOC, UPU	ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate)
Irrigated land	NA	NA sq km
Judicial branch	US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)	Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Labor force	43,980 (2004 est.)	89,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.)	agriculture 1%, industry 13%, services 86% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 10.2 km border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint-Martin) 10.2 km
Land use	arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 2.86% other: 91.43% (2005)	arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2001)
Languages	English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)	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)
Legal system	based on US laws	based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
Legislative branch	unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008)	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
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.2 years male: 75.4 years female: 83.22 years (2007 est.)	total population: 75.83 years male: 73.58 years female: 78.2 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90-95% est. male: NA% female: NA% (2005 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.7% male: 96.7% female: 96.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 168 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,317,007 GRT/1,668,499 DWT by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 23, cargo 72, chemical tanker 2, container 21, liquefied gas 6, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 158 (Belgium 5, Cyprus 1, Denmark 1, Germany 57, Hong Kong 3, Netherlands 71, Peru 1, Sweden 9, Turkey 7, United Kingdom 2, United States 1) (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the US	defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Military branches	-	National Guard, Police Force
National holiday	Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917)	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	noun: Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens) adjective: Virgin Islander	noun: Dutch Antillean(s) adjective: Dutch Antillean
Natural hazards	several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes	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
Natural resources	sun, sand, sea, surf	phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Net migration rate	-8.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]	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 UP Bonaire [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
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	108,448 (July 2007 est.)	219,958 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	28.9% (2002)	NA
Population growth rate	-0.171% (2007 est.)	0.82% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Bopec Terminal, Fuik Bay, Kralendijk, Willemstad
Radio broadcast stations	AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2005)	AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%	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)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.017 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.902 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.795 male(s)/female total population: 0.912 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	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 (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable connections to US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth stations - NA	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)
Telephones - main lines in use	71,700 (2005)	81,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	80,300 (2005)	81,000 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	5 (2006)	3 (there is also a cable service, which supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and two Venezuelan channels) (2004)
Terrain	mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land	generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Total fertility rate	2.16 children born/woman (2007 est.)	2 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	6.2% (2004)	15.6% (2002 est.)

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