ECONOMY: Tourism, petroleum transshipment, and offshore finance are
the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside
world. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed
infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region. Almost
all consumer and capital goods are imported, with Venezuela, the US, and
Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies
hamper the development of agriculture.
DESCRIPTION
The islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are spread out through
the Caribbean. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, a.k.a. the Leeward or
ABC-Islands, are located just of the Venezuelan coast in the south of
the Caribbean Sea. Aruba lays the closest to the coast, just 15 miles.
Curacao is 35 miles from Venezuela, so on clear days you can see the continent.
Bonaire is a little bit further out the coast.
The other islands, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten, a.k.a. the Windward
or SSS-islands lay about 550 miles more to the north. The lay in the north
eastern part of the Caribbean ring, very close to the British island of
Anguila and the French St. Bartolomy. All these islands lay within viewing
distance of each other.
