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Netherlands Antilles:
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Other pages in this profile of the Netherlands Antilles:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
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Background |
Definition 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. |
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Location |
Definition 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 Sint Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin Islands |
Geographic coordinates |
Definition 12 15 N, 68 45 W |
Map references |
Definition Central America and the Caribbean |
Area |
Definition - World rank and map 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 |
Definition more than five times the size of Washington, DC |
Land boundaries |
Definition total: 15 km border countries: Saint Martin 15 km |
Coastline |
Definition 364 km |
Maritime claims |
Definition territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Climate |
Definition tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds |
Terrain |
Definition generally hilly, volcanic interiors |
Elevation extremes |
Definition lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m |
Natural resources |
Definition phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only) |
Land use |
Definition - World rank and map arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
Definition NA |
Natural hazards |
Definition Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened |
Environment - current issues |
Definition NA |
Geography - note |
Definition 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 |
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Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |