Part 599

Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other : 90% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: Whaling (extended from Netherlands) signed, but not ratified: NA

@Netherlands Antilles:People

Population: 211,093 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 24% (male 26,496; female 25,267) 15-64 years : 68% (male 70,087; female 73,300) 65 years and over: 8% (male 6,694; female 9,249) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.99% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 15.61 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.33 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.18 years male: 74.89 years female: 79.59 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.86 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Netherlands Antillean(s) adjective: Netherlands Antillean

Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish

Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (1981 est.)

@Netherlands Antilles:Government

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form : Nederlandse Antillen

Data code: NT

Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954

Government type: NA

National capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government