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Netherlands Antilles Cities with Hotels
Netherlands Antilles (Dutch De Nederlandse
Antillen), integral part of the Netherlands, comprising two island groups of
three islands each, the Netherlands Leeward and the Netherlands Windward
islands, in the Caribbean Sea. The former group, consisting of Curaçao, Bonaire,
and until 1986 Aruba, is situated northwest of Caracas, Venezuela. The area of
the Netherlands Leeward Islands is 732 sq km (283 sq mi). The Netherlands
Windward Islands consist of the southern half of Saint Martin (Sint Maarten) and
all of Saint Eustatius and Saba, covering a total area of about 68 sq km about
26 sq mi. These islands are situated at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles
chain, to the southeast of Puerto Rico. The total population of the Netherlands
Antilles (1991 estimate) is 191,311. The capital and largest city is Willemstad,
population (1985 estimate, greater city) 125,000.
Some of the hotels, motels and resorts available for
booking in our reservation network include, Ramada Inn, Marriott Hotels, Super 8
Motels, Econo Lodge, Holiday Inn & Holiday Inn Express, Travelodge, Hampton Inn,
Sheraton, Hilton, Best Western, Hyatt and Hyatt Regency, Wyndham Inn, Ritz and
Ritz Carlton, Days Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, La Quinta Inns, Comfort Inn and
Comfort Suite, Embassy Suites, Quality Inn, Radisson Inn, Sleep Inn, Numerous
Resorts and Resort Villas throughout the globe, along with Plaza and Plaza
Suites and and array of private and Golf Clubs and Golf Resorts.
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Netherlands Antilles
The major industry of the Netherlands
Antilles is the refining of petroleum imported from Venezuela. Large
refining facilities are located on the islands of Aruba and Curaçao.
Petroleum and petroleum products accounted for about 85 percent of the
annual value of imports and exports in the late 1980s. Other manufactures
include textiles, electronic equipment, rum, and salt. Calcium phosphate is
mined in Curaçao. Tourism is also an extremely important industry. The
Netherlands Antilles guilder, or gulden, is the currency unit (1.7868
guilders equal U.S.$1; 1990).
Willemstad, the capital, is on the island of Curaçao.
Executive power is exercised by a governor, who is an appointee of the Dutch
government, and the council of ministers. Legislative authority is vested in
the Staten, which is composed of 22 popularly elected members. Defense and
foreign affairs are the responsibility of the Netherlands. Dutch is the
official language of the Netherlands Antilles. The people also speak
English, Spanish, and Papiamento, a mixture of mostly Dutch, Spanish, and
Portuguese. The University of the Netherlands Antilles (1970) is at
Willemstad.
The Spanish took possession of the Leeward Islands in 1527.
The Dutch took control of the group in 1634 and have ruled the Windward
Islands uninterrupted since the early 19th century. Those islands named in
these two island groups, once known as the Dutch West Indies, formed a
colony of the Netherlands until 1954, when they were made an integral part
of the kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands
Antilles and became self-governing in 1986.
"Netherlands Antilles," Microsoft® Encarta® 97 Encyclopedia.
© 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Last Revised:
November 15, 2008 03:47 PM. |