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Description Netherlands Antilles by rbd.me
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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 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
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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
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Area - comparative
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tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
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Natural resources Netherlands Antilles
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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
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Population Netherlands Antilles
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6.54 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Religions Netherlands Antilles
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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
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Languages
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parliamentary
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Education Netherlands Antilles expenditures
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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Government Netherlands Antilles type
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none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
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Independence
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29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
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Netherlands Antilles Economy - overview
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$NA
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Investment Netherlands Antilles
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$NA (31 December 2008)
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Industries Netherlands Antilles
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Airports Netherlands Antilles
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none
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