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The Netherlands Antilles, previously known as the NetherlandsWest Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles andconsists of two groups of islands in the Caribbean Sea: Curaçao and Bonaire,just off the Venezuelan coast, and Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten,located southeast of the Virgin Islands. The islands form an autonomous part ofthe Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands' economy depends mostly upontourism, international financial services, international commerce and shippingand petroleum. The population is183,000 people.
The windward islands are all of volcanic origin and hilly,leaving little ground suitable for agriculture. The leeward islands have amixed volcanic and coral origin. The highest point is Mount Scenery, 862 meters(2,828 ft), on Saba (also the highest point in all the Kingdom of theNetherlands). The Netherlands Antilles have a tropical climate, with warmweather all year round. The windward Islands are subject to hurricanes in thesummer months.
Tourism, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement (onCuraçao), as well as offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy,which is closely tied to the outside world. The islands enjoy a high per capitaincome and a well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries inthe region. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with Venezuela,the United States, and Mexico being the major suppliers, as well as the Dutchgovernment which supports the islands with substantial development aid. Poorsoils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. TheAntillean guilder has a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of1.79:1. There are no restrictions on ownership of private property bynon-residents. A foreigner must only present his/her passport plus anotheridentification with picture.
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