PIP: This discussion of the Netherlands Antilles focuses on the following: geography, the people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations. In 1980 the population totaled 253,400 with an annual growth rate of 1%. The Netherlands Antilles consists of 2 groups of 3 islands each, situated in the Caribbean Sea about 880 kilometers apart. 40 nationalities are represented. Dutch is the official language, but Spanish and English are spoken widely. Alonzo de Ojeda, a Spanish navigator, landed on Curacao in 1499, and in 1527 the Spanish took possession of Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba. In 1634 the 3 islands passed to the Netherlands, where they have remained except for 2 short periods during the Napoleonic wars when the British ruled at Willemstad. According to the statute of 1954, which serves as the constitution, the Netherlands Antilles has a constitutional and parliamentary form of government. The highest power in the Kingdom of the Netherlands is the sovereign, Queen Beatrix, who is represented in the Antilles by an appointed governor. The independent court system is under the control of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Justice. Each of the island territories has its own representative body, the Island Council. Politics are dominated by 3 issues: economic problems, the prospect of independence, and Aruban separatism. The economic well-being of the Netherlands Antilles is based principally on the operations of 2 huge oil refineries. Because of the high volume of shipments in and out of the 2 islands, Curacao and Aruba ports are among the busiest in the world. Until recently, petroleum or petroleum products accounted for about 85% of the dollar volume of imports and exports from the Netherlands Antilles. That figure has declined with the worldwide oil glut, and the refineries are using only 50-60% of capacity. The next most important industries are tourism and offshore investment and banking. The per capita income in the Antilles is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Almost all agricultural and commercial goods are imported. As an integral part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Antilles does not have direct relations with any foreign country except as authorized specifically by the Dutch government in The Hague. The US wants to maintain and expand the traditionally friendly official and commercial relations that have existed since 1776.^ieng