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Netherlands Antilles, island group, an autonomous part of the Netherlands (1995 est. pop. 204,000), 371 sq mi (961 sq km), West Indies. Formerly known as the Dutch West Indies and Netherlands West Indies, they are divided into two groups. Lying off Venezuela are Bonaire and CuraCao; in the Leeward Islands, east of Puerto Rico, are Saba, St. Eustatius, and the southern half of Saint Martin. Willemstad, on CuraCao, is the capital of the Netherlands Antilles. The land is mainly hilly and semiarid; the climate is tropical with northeast trade winds.
The majority of the people are Christian and have a mixed African background. The official language of the Netherlands Antilles is Dutch, but Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) is the predominant tongue. English and Spanish are also spoken.
The economy is dependent on tourism, the refining and transshipment of Venezuelan petroleum, and offshore finance. The Netherlands Antilles have a higher per capita income and a more developed infrastructure than other nearby countries. Poor soil and scanty water resources hamper agricultural production, which is largely limited to aloes, sorghum, peanuts, fruits, and vegetables. There is also some light manufacturing.
When the Spanish arrived in the 16th cent., the region was inhabited by Arawaks and Caribs. The islands were captured by the Dutch in the 17th cent. and were worked by the many African slaves who were brought to their shores. Slavery was abolished in 1863 and the economy faltered until the oil industry began to flourish in the 20th cent. The Netherlands Antilles became autonomous in 1954, and Aruba was separated from the group in 1986.
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