ANG

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$488.6 billion (2003)

Currency (code):

Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)

Currency code:

Exchange rates:

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)

Communications
Netherlands Antilles

Telephones - main lines in use:

81,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

200,000 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: country code - 599; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the Americas-2 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2003)

Radios:

217,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (there is also a cable service that supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and 4 Venezuelan channels) (2003)

Televisions:

69,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.an

Internet hosts:

47,597 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6

Internet users:

2,000 (2000)

Transportation
Netherlands Antilles

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 845

Merchant marine:

total: 147 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 2, cargo 72, carrier 19, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 123 (Belgium 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 21, Denmark 2, Germany 43, Hong Kong 2, Netherlands 38, Norway 3, Sweden 1, Turkey 10, US 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bopec Terminal, Willemstad

Military
Netherlands Antilles

Military branches:

no regular military forces; National Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 55,365 females age 16-49: 57,060 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 46,102 females age 16-49: 47,219 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,855 female: 1,760 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Transnational Issues
Netherlands Antilles

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

@New Caledonia

Introduction
New Caledonia

Background:

Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

Geography
New Caledonia

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Geographic coordinates: