St.Eustatius(Statia)
Overview:
SintEustatius,alsoknownasStatia,isoneoftheislandswhichmakeuptheNetherlandsAntilles.Overitslonghistory,itchangedhandsmorethan20
times.TheislandhasremainedinDutchhandssince1816.Vocanicinorigin,andquiteruggedalongthecoastalareas,itwasonceoneofthebusiest
andmostpowerfulcommercialportsintheCaribbean.AsaresultoftheBritishblockadeduringAmerica'sRevolutionaryWar,mostgoodsdestinedfor
thenewcoloniesflowedintoSt.Eustatius.ItwasnotuncommontoseehundredsofsupplyshipsoffOranjestad.Whenthatwarendedandmailand
suppliesweresentdirectlytothenewUnitedStates,theeconomyofSt.Eustatiuschangeddramatically.Accordingtotradition,itwasthefirstforeign
porttosalute(1776)theAmericanflag.Tourismisthemajorindustrytoday,andtheislandisafavoritedestinationforscubadivingaficionadosand
naturelovers.
Territory:
Highestpoint=Mt.Mazinga,1,968ft.(602m)St.Eustatiusishillywithacentralflatplain.Sandybeachesarerare.Geographically,theislandissaddleshaped,withthe602meter-highMountMazinga,colloquiallycalledtheQuill(adormantvolcano)tothesoutheastandthesmallerpairSignalHill/Little
MountainandBovenMountaintothenorthwest.Thebulkoftheisland'spopulationlivesinthe"dip"betweenthetwoareas,whichcrossesthecenterof
theisland.Theislandisjust5mileslongand2mileswide;area:21sq.km.
Location:
Itisinthenorthern,LeewardIslandsportionoftheWestIndies,somedistancesoutheastoftheVirginIslands.Itformspartoftheinnerarcofthe
LeewardIslandchain,lyingimmediatelytothenorthwestofSaintKittsandNevisandtothesoutheastofSaba.Statiais150mileseastofPuertoRico,
90mileseastofSt.Croix,38milessouthofSt.Maartenand17milessoutheastofSaba.
LatitudeandLongitude:
Lat:17.50ºNLong:63.00ºW
TimeZone:
GMT-4
TotalLandArea:
21
EEZ:
12
Climate:
Tropical.Generallydryandsunny.Lightconstantnortheasttradewindsbringconstantcoolbreezesandsufficientmoisturetokeeptheaveragedaytime
temperaturedowntoabout27degreesCelsius.Theaveragenighttemperaturedropstoacomfortable23degrees.Rainfalloccursinshowersofmedium
durationduringthemonthsofApril,JuneandSeptember.
NaturalResources:
Thevolcanicmountainsarenothighenoughtoencouragesufficientcloudcondensationtoproduceagreatdealofrainwater,sothereisnofresh
groundwater.Therearenoriversorbrooks,thereforemosthouseholddwellingshavecisternsordeepundergroundwells.Wastewaterisdepositedinto
in-groundseptictanks.
ECONOMY:
TotalGDP:
PerCapitaGDP:
1981
4,340.00USD
2004
11,400.00USD
%ofGDPperSector:
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
2001
85.1%
14.9%
%
%ofPopulationEmployedbySector
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
ExternalAid/Remittances:
Growth:
InitsGovernmentProgramtheIslandGovernmenthasidentifiedsix(6)areasofpriorityareasforsustainableislanddevelopment.Amongtheseis
sustainableeconomicdevelopmentwiththefocuson:Tourism,Medical,Infrastructure,Agriculture&Fisheries,Harbor,Airport.
LabourForce:
1992
870
2001
1,038
Unemployment
Year:
UnemploymentRate(%ofpop.)
1992
5.8%
2001
8.3%
Industry:
StEustatiusearnsamodestincomefromagricultureandfromamajorpetroleumtrans-shipmentprogramme,butitistourismthatdominatesthe
economy.
NicheIndustry:
Ecotourism-Divesitesrangefromcoralreefs,drop-offsandcanyonstohistoricalandrecentwrecks.Therearealsobotanicalgardens,hikingtrails,and
anextinctvolcanotoenjoy.ThreeNationalParkareas(St.EustatiusMarinePark,QuillBovenNationalPark,MiriamC.SchmidtBotanical
Gardens)protectthehighbiodiversityanduniquetropicalecosystemspresentonbothlandandseaandthetotalprotectedareacovers33km2-almost
twicethesizeoftheislandofStEustatius.ThenationalparkssystemwasinitiatedbytheIslandGovernmentin1996toprotectdiversehabitatsonand
aroundtheisland.TheGovernmentdelegatedmanagementauthorityfortheparkstoalocalNGO–StEustatiusNationalParksFoundation.Numerous
endangeredorcriticallyendangeredspeciesareprotectedthroughactiveresearchandmonitoringprogrammes,includingthreespeciesofseaturtles,
theAntilleanIguana,RedBelliedRacerSnake,orchids,cactiandtheendemicvine‘StatiaMorningGlory’.
Tourism:
In1994a"TourismPolicyofSintEustatius1995-1997"wasapprovedbytheExecutiveCouncil.TheGovernmentrecognizestheimportanceoftourism
fortheIslandeconomyaswellasthewelfareandwellbeingofthepopulation.9,600peoplevisitthecountryeveryyear,with26percentcomingfromthe
U.S.Thedevelopmentisbasedonacarefullyplannedpolicy.Importantistominimizedisruptiveethnic,socioculturalandenvironmentaleffects
associatedwithtourismdevelopment.TheGovernmentshallstimulateandfosterownershipandmanagementbyStatiansbutwelcomesalsoforeign
investment.TheGovernmentwillprovideallinformationnecessarytoinvestorstimelyandwillsupportanyinvestmentincentiveapplicablesuchastaxholidays.Alllegislationtopreservenatureandhistoricalbuildingsareinplace,theHistoricalCorePlan,StatiaMarinePark,BotanicalGarden,protection
offloraandfauna,andsitesofhistoricalimportance,areinprocessforapprovaloftheExecutiveCouncilandIslandCouncil,suchastheestablishment
oftwonatureparksandaMonumentOrdinance.2001Censusinformationshows71cruiseshipsstoppedatthisislandthatyearwith10,505
passengers.
ImportsandExports:
Almostallconsumergoodsareimported,withVenezuela,theUS,EuropeandJapanbeingthe
mainsuppliers
Tot.ValueofImports
0.00()
FromEu:
ImportPartners(EU:)
PartnersOutsideEU:
ImportPartners:
Tot.ValueofExports
()
ToEu:
ExportPartners:
PartnersOutsideEU::
ExportPartners:
MainImports:
MainExports:
TRANSPORTATION/ACCESS
External:
NumberofAirports:1
Statia'sairportisFDRoosevelt(EUX),located1km(0.6miles)fromOranjestad.AlthoughatpresenttheislandcanonlybereachedthroughSt.Maarten,
otherhubsintheareaarePuertoRicoandAntigua,bothapprox.45minutesflight,andSt.Kitts,approx.10minutesflight.WindwardIslandAirwayshas
5dailyscheduledflightsoutofSt.Maarten.
NumberofMainPorts:1
Thepresentportwasbuiltin1993andconsistofan80meterslongbreakwaterwithaharbour-lightandan8meterswide,60meterslongpierwithRoRoaccommondationof15meterswide.Theharbourissuitableforvesselsupto600DWTand175feetlongbutalsovesselsof4.000DWTmoored
alongthepieraslongastheirdepthhasamaximalof4meters.
Internal:
Air
Road:
Sea:
OtherFormsofTransportation:
EconomicZones:
EnergyPolicy:
Type
Sector
Total
TotalEnergy
Public
Public
Energy
Thermic Geothermic Other
Domestic Commercial
Industry
Year
Consumption
Service
Lighting
Production (Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
(Mwh)
2001 10,300
0
0
0
11,000
0
0
0
0
0
OfficialCurrency:
NetherlandsAntilleanguilder
BankingandInsurance:
NumberofBanksandCreditUnions:3
NumberofAgriculturalCreditUnions:
NumberofInsuranceCompanies:
FirstCaribbeanInternationalBankisopenMondaystoFridaysfrom08.30hours-15.30hours.ThePostOfficeBank,PostSpaarbankopensMondays
toFridaysfrom07.30-16.00hours.TheWindwardIslandBankisopenMondaystoFridaysfrom08.30-12.00hoursand13.30-15.30hours.
FinancialServices:
Communications/E-Commerce:
Anewtaxincentiveagreement,effectiveMarch2007,allowsU.S.taxpayerstoclaimataxdeductionforexpensesassociatedwithaconventionheldin
theNetherlandsAntillestothesameextentasaconventionheldintheUS.Expensesincurredwhileattendingconventions,businessmeetingsand
seminarsontheislandareallowedasdeductionsaccordingtothesameregulationsastheislandswasaU.S.territory.
PublicOwnership:
Therearethreetypesoflandtenure:regularlandedproperty,hereditarytenureorlonglease,andtherentingofgovernmentland.Foreconomic
purposes,especiallyintheoilandtourismindustries,governmentlandsarerentedinlongrenewableleases.
LandUse:
TheGovernmentdoesnotsellland,onlylongleaseforpropertiesusedforbusinesspurposes.BeforeapprovalbytheExecutiveCouncilastudyis
carriedoutontheareathatistodevelopedandifitisaccordingtotheZoningOrdinanceandtheHindranceOrdinanceoftheIslandTerritory.Thereis
approximately30.000m2beachpropertyavailablefortourismdevelopmentonlongleasetermsatthehistoricalLowerTownarea.Dependingthetotal
investment,employmentandcontributiontothetotalcommunitythelongleasechargesarenegotiable.
Agriculture/Forestry:
Poorsoilsandinadequatewatersupplieshamperthedevelopmentofagriculture.WithintheQuillNationalPark,varyingtypesofhabitatareprotected,
rangingfromelfinforestatthetopoftheQuillvolcanotothornywoodlandonthelowerslopes.
MarineActivity:
Fishing:
Fishcommunitiesareamajorresourceofcoralreefsandmarineprotectedareas.Theyplayanimportantroleincoralreefecosystemsandare
commerciallyimportantforbothfisheriesandtourism.Thereareabout25fishermenontheislandofSt.Eustatius,threeofwhichcanbeconsidered
professionalfishermen.Mostofthefishermenareparttime,astheyhaveafixedon-shorejob.Principalfishingmethodsusedbyfishermenwerereported
tobetraps,hookandline,trawlingandoccasionallynets.TheSpinyLobster,Panulirusargus,fishingindustryiswithoutadoubtthemostimportant
commercialfisheryontheisland.Consequently,thelobstertrapisthemostcommonfishinggearontheisland,witheachfishermanpossessing
approximately15-20lobstertraps.Dependingontheweather,seaconditions,andseason,thetrapsarehauledtwiceaweek.Thelobsterfisheryisa
seasonalactivitywhichbeginsin5SeptemberandendsinApril.Theprincipalfishinggroundswerereportedtobeinfourareas:1.OntheAtlanticsideof
theislandinlinewithBargineBaytosouthofCompagnieBay,fromadepthofaround25metersandforadistanceofonenauticalmileeast.2.Inthe
areasouthofWhiteWallinwatersof15-30metersdepth.3.OntheCaribbeansideoftheislandfromCocoluchBaytoJenkinsBayfrom30meters
depthandforadistanceofaroundonenauticalmilewest.4.TrapswerealsolaidinOranjeBayfrom26-35metersdepthandintheareaofGallowsBay
immediatelysouthoftheCityPier.FollowinganinventoryofthefishingsectorofSt.EustatiuscarriedoutinFebruary2004,itwasstatedthatfisherman
primarilyfishonthenarrowshelfsurroundingtheisland.
MarineLife:
clams,wahoo,tuna,dolphin,lobster,conch,snapper,andgrouper
CriticalIssues:
Oilsspillsintheportareaisapublichealthconcern.Tankersarecausingdamagesuchas:•Brokenindividualcoralcolonies•Structuraldamageto
thereefs•Sedimentation
JURISDICTIONALRESOURCES
Capital:
Oranjestad
PoliticalSystem:
Type:Parliamentary.Independence:PartoftheKingdomoftheNetherlands.Constitution:December1954,StatuteoftheRealmoftheNetherlands,as
amended.Branches:Executive--monarchrepresentedbyagovernor-general(chiefofstate),primeminister(headofgovernment),Cabinet.Legislative-unicameralparliament.Judicial--JointHighCourtofJusticeappointedbythemonarch.Subdivisionsarebyisland:Saba,SintEustatius,SintMaarten,
Bonaire,Curaçao.Suffrage:Universalat18.
PoliticalParties:
St.EustatiusDemocraticParty(DP--St.Eustatius);St.EustatiusAlliance(SEA);PeopleÂ’sLaborParty(PLP).
ImportantLegislation:
Protectedunderislandlegislation,St.EustatiusMarinePark,establishedin1996,hasbeenactivelymanagedsince1998;itencompassesallwaters
surroundingSt.Eustatiusouttoadepthof30mandtheparkcontainstwono-takezonestoprotectandreplenishfishstocks.MEMORANDUMOF
UNDERSTANDINGONTHEFUTURECONSTITUTIONALSTATUSOFBONAIRE,ST.EUSTATIUS,ANDSABAAGREEDDURINGTHEMINI-
CONFERENCEHELDONOCTOBER10&11,2006,INTHEHAGUE:Bonaire,St.EustatiusandSabawillobtainanewconstitutionalstatuswithinthe
constitutionoftheNetherlands.Thiscanbeeffectedbyconstitutingtheislandsaspublicentitieswithinthemeaningofarticle134ofthe[Dutch]
Constitution.IntheAgreementofPrinciplesithasbeenagreedthattheNetherlandsAntilleswillceasetoexistasadistinctgovernmentalentity.Inthe
newconstitutionalset-uptheNetherlandswillberesponsibleforlawenforcementandtheadministrationofjusticeonSt.Eustatius.Inthenew
constitutionalset-upSt.Eustatiusshallhaveabalancedbudget,aswellasabalancedlong-rangeperspective.Attheoutsetofthenewconstitutional
set-upthebudgetmustbebalancedinaccordancewithinternationallyacceptedbudgetaryprinciples,asareappliedalsobytheDutchgovernment.Asis
thecaseatpresent,inthenewconstitutionalset-uptheislandswillnotbeauthorizedtoborrowmoney.
PrincipalTaxes:
PROFITTAX(CORPORATEINCOMETAX):AlevyofProfitTaxisapplicabletocorporationsasPublicLimitedLiabilityCompanies,Partnerships,and
Foundationsthattakeaimatprofitmaking.Thelocalactivitieswillbeconsideredfortaxgenerallyatastandardrateof34.5%ofprofitsandispayableto
theIslandReceiver.Thelawprovidesvariousincentivesinordertostimulateinvestment.Theseincentivesincludetaxcreditsoninvestments,
depreciationacceleration,andtaxholidays.(ThelatteriselaboratedoninthetaxholidaysectionofincentivesinaccordancewiththeNewFiscalFrame
WorkNFR).WAGETAXANDINCOMETAX:WagetaxisbasedonaP.A.Y.E.(PayAsYouEarn)system.Theemployerhastheresponsibilityof
deductingwagetaxandpremiumsfromthesalariesofemployeesandpayingtheseamountstotheIslandReceiver.Incometaxisthesummaryofwage
taxesandtaxesonanyotherformofincome.Wagetaxisviewedasapre-paymentofincometaxandisthereforedeductible.Belowisatableofincome
taxratesbasedonanannualincome.>10,800NLG0%;upto27.400NLG15,60%;39.500NLG23,40%;52.200NLG32,50%;69.200NLG39,00%;
116.800NLG46,80%;116.800+NLG57,20%.MEDICALINSURANCEPREMIUMZV/AVBZ1.TheabbreviationsZV/AVBZstandfor'HealthInsurance'
and'GeneralInsuranceonSpecialMedicalExpenses.'Thepremiumforhealthinsuranceis10.4%andisdividedin8.3%employercontribution,2.1%
employeecontribution.TheAVBZisasocialinsuranceagainstrisksthataredifficulttoinsure.Thisregardsillnessesoflongduration(chronic),long
hospitalization,psychiatricnursing,reliefandcareofmentallyandphysicallyhandicappedpersons.Thepremiumis2%ofmonthlysalaryandisdivided
in1.5%ontheaccountoftheemployeeand0.5%ontheemployer.TheZV/AVBZpremiumsarealsopaidinthesamemanneroftheWageTaxpayment
schedule.TURNOVERTAX(TOT)TurnoverTaxisataxonbusinessturnoverandservicesrealizedbyentrepreneursorbusinessesinaccordancewith
theirbusinessinSt.Eustatius.Thistaxisanindirecttaxwiththecharacterofaconsumptiontaxandisnotimposedonimports.Thepaymentsaremade
onamonthlybasestotheFederalReceiver.Therearetwotaxratesforturnovertax:Certainbasicnecessities,Theoveralltaxedrateis3%onall
deliveriesofgoodsandservices.
AssociatedPower:
NetherlandAntilles,
Citizenship:
DutchAntillean,EUpassport.
Paradiplomacy:
TheGovernmentStructureTheNetherlandsAntillesconsistsoffive(5)islands,namely:Curaçao,Bonaire,St.Maarten,St.EustatiusandSaba.The
NetherlandsAntillesispartoftheKingdomoftheNetherlands,whichalsoincludesArubaandtheNetherlands.TheNetherlandsAntillesenjoysselfdeterminationonallinternalmattersanddeferstotheNetherlandsinmattersofdefence,foreignpolicy,andjudicialfunctions.TheNetherlandsAntillesis
governedbywhatisreferredtoastheFederalorCentralGovernment.Itismadeupof22senatorsthatformtheParliament.Eachislandisrepresented
inparliament.MinistersareputinplacetotakechargeofthedailyoperationoftheFederalGovernment.Ministersaresupportedbythevariousfederal
departments.Agovernor-general,whoservesa6-yearterm,representsandisappointedbytheMonarchoftheNetherlands,HerMajestyQueen
Beatrix.IntheNetherlandsAntilleslocalgovernmentsareassignedauthorityindependentlyoneachislandunderthedirectionofaKingdom-appointed
IslandGovernor.TheselocalgovernmentsconsistofanIslandcouncilandanExecutiveCouncil(administrativebody).TheIslandCounciloftheIsland
TerritoryofSt.EustatiusconsistsoffivemembersandischairedbytheGovernorofSintEustatius.TheIslandcouncilinturnappointstwo(2)
commissionerswhoalongwiththeGovernorofSintEustatiusformstheExecutiveCouncil.TheExecutiveCouncilofSt.Eustatiusismadeupof
commissionerswhointurnareresponsibleforvariousportfolios,whereunderyouwillfindthegovernmentdepartmentsorfoundations.Everyfour(4)
yearsanIslandelectioniscalledwheremembersareelectedtotheIslandCouncil.
HUMANRESOURCES
Population:2699;Males:1330;Females1369.Area:21sq.km.Populationdensitypersq.km.Dec.2004:129.
2007
Island
Area(kmsq.)
Population
%ofTotalPopulation
PopulationispredominantlyofAfricandescent.Duringthepeakoftheslavetrade,manyAfricanswereforciblybroughttotheislandtoworkonmore
than70plantations.Whenslaverywasbannedinthelate1700s,thepeopleofthiscountryeasilybegantoliveinharmony.Islandersshareapleasant
natureandastrongworkethicthatisevidentacrosstheDutchCaribbean.Morethantwentynationalitieslive,work,andplaytogetherpeacefullyonthis
quietisland.
Population:
Year
ResidentPopulation
AgeofPopulation:
0-14
15-24
25-49
50-64
65andup
2001
620
254
930
289
199
2007
640
330
1,123
403
203
Migration:
Immigrationstatistics2004:255;Emigrationstatistics2004:253.TAKENFROMTHEST.EUSTATIUSBUSINESSASSOCIATIONMIGRATION
POLICYPLAN:Themainareasoffocusinthisprogramare:•infrastructureinvestmentsandinvestmentclimate•Statia’stourismproductand
tourismmarketing•SmallbusinessdevelopmentandthedevelopmentofothersectorsBottlenecksandchallengestomakethesegoalsarealityare,
amongothers,theoutdatedstandardofmanylocalbusinesses,thelackofcapitalforinvestment,oureconomyofscaleandthelackofsufficientpeople
inthelocallabormarket.Thebaseforahealthyandvibranteconomyistoosmallwithapopulationofonlythreethousandfivehundredpeople.This
resultsinthelackorshortageofpublicservicesandutilitiesortoohighcostpercapita.Forinstanceduetothesizeofthepopulationonlybasichealth
careisavailableontheisland.Ineducationitisnotpossibletocompletehighschoollocally.Uptothispresentdateandtimetheislanddoesnothavea
waterdistributionnetwork.BesidestheinconvenienceandinequalitythiscreatesincomparisonwithotherresidentsoftheNetherlandsAntilles,italso
resultsinaninsurmountableburdenforthegovernment,theprivatesectoraswellaseachindividualresident.Wehaveatpresenttwomajorbusinesses
ontheislandthatintheopinionofSTEBAareverysensitivewithregardtoimmigrationpolicy.BothcompaniesareacknowledgedbytheGovernmentas
veryimportanttotheislandeconomy.FirstthereistheMedicalSchoolthatreliesonforeignstudentscomingfromabroadtodotheirstudiesinStatia.
AlsoprofessorsarenotreadilyavailableinStatiaandintheNetherlandsAntilles.Lengthyandstrenuousproceduresarehamperingtheabilityofthe
schooltosurviveortogrow.ThesecondistheOilTerminal,whichisfacingsimilarconstraints.
CrudeBirthRate:
2003
1.5%
LifeExpedctancy:
Males:70.6yrs.Females:79yrs.Crudemortalityrates:7.5deathsper1000(2005).
CrudeDeathRate:
2002
0.76%
2005
0.64%
Ethnicity:
Mixedblack85%,CaribAmerindian,white,EastAsian,andDutch
ClassDivision:
Languages:
Dutchistheofficiallanguage.Englishisthemostcommonlyspoken.Papiamentu(amixtureofPortuguese,Spanish,EnglishandDutchwords)isthe
thirdlanguage.
Religion:
Baptist,Catholic,Protestant,others.Thefollowingreligionshaveservicesontheisland:SeventhDayAdventist,Methodist,RomanCatholic,Jehovah
Witnesses,BahaiFaith,Baptist,Anglican,ApostolicFaith,PentecostalandWorldofFaithMinistry.
Literacy:
96.3%adultm/f.
EducationSystem:
TheeducationsystemisEuropeanandmorespecifically,Dutch.GeneralInstructionisgivenintheDutchlanguage.EnglishandSpanisharealsotaught
intheschools.Therangeofeducationalfacilitiesincludeprimary,elementary,secondaryandvocational.Scholarships,loansandgrantsareavailablefor
furtherstudyintheNetherlands,theUnitedStates,Canada,LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean.EducationintheNetherlandsAntillesisbasedonthe
principlethateachchild,regardlessofreligiousfaith,raceorsocialstatus,hastobegiventheopportunitytodevelophimorherselfcompletely.Primarily
itisexpectedthattheaimshouldbetostrivetoformthechildtobeanacceptablememberofthesociety,inaccordancewithhisorherindividual
capacitiesandnaturalabilities.St.EustatiusisorganizedinthesamemannerastheDutchsystem.THEDUTCHSCHOOLSYSTEM:Childrenmaygoto
schoolwhentheyreachtheageof4,buttheymustgo,whentheyare5.Thechildrenthengototheprimaryschool.Thisschoolisdividedin8groups.
Thefirsttwolevelsarekindergarten.Whenthechildrenleavegroup8,theygotothesecondaryschool.Thereare3levels:1.VMBO(4years)2.HAVO
(5years)3.VWO(6Years).VWOisthemostdifficultandVMBOistheleastdifficult.VMBOStudentswillhaveapracticaloccupation,forexample
carpenter,butcher,etc.HAVOStudentscangotocollege.Theycanforexamplebecomeateacher.VWOStudentscangotouniversity.
TotalPre-schools:(2007)
4
TotalPrimarySchools
FirstLevel:
1
SecondLevel:
ThirdLevel:
1
TotalSecondarySchools:
1
TotalProfessionalSchools
Universities:
NumberofSchoolsperIsland:
Pre-school
Pub
St.Eustatius(Statia)
4
Priv
Elementary High-school Prof. University
1
2
1
3
Pub
1
1
Priv
Pub Priv
StudentsEnrolled:
Year:
Pre-School
Elementary
High-school
Prof.
University
2007
379
160
5
0
0
2001
179
298
158
0
58
Teachers
Elementary
Year
2001
Pre-School
0
1
2
3
0
0
0
High-School
Prof.
University
0
98
0
SintEustatiusboastsafullyfunctioning,highlyreputable,medicaluniversity,theUniversityofSintEustatiusSchoolofMedicine,withmorethan100
students.TheCBSNAcollectsdataonpublicschoolsonly.2001censusdataindicates98peopleworkedintheeducationfield.
MedicalServices:
QueenBeatrixMedicalCenter:20beds.ThereisoneGeriatrichomewhichhas13beds.Therearethreephysiciansontheisland,1specialistand2
generalpractitioners.Oneofthephysiciansownesapharmacy,aswell.Therearenodentistsormidwivesbutthereisoneparamedic.
HISTORYANDCULTURE
History:
ThefirstsettlementinSintEustatiuswasestablishedin1636andchangedhandsbetweentheDutch,French,andSpanish22timesinitshistory.Inthe
18thcenturytheislandbecameaduty-freeportforoverburdenedcolonizersshippingbacktothehomeland,whichpropelleditintoamajorportwith
rapidpopulationgrowththatlostmomentumaftertheAmerican-Britishpeacetreatyin1783.AstheeighteenthcenturydrewtoacloseSt.Eustatius
graduallylostitsimportanceasatradingcenterandmostmerchantsandplanterslefttheIsland,leavingtheirhomesandwarehouses.Throughthe
nineteenth-andearlytwentieth-centuriesStatiabecameandremainedaquietislandwaitingtobediscoveredbyhistorymindedvisitors.Fortunately,in
the1960'sand70's,thepeopleofStatiabecameincreasinglyawareoftheculturalvalueoftheiruniqueheritageandinitiativesweretakentopreserve
andmaintainit.Accordingtotradition,in1776itwasthefirstforeignporttosalutetheAmericanflag.
Referenda:
VotersintheNetherlandsAntilleshaveoptedtodismantletheNetherlandsAntillesandcreatenewstructuresbetweenthevariousislandsandthe
Kingdom.St.MaartenandCuracaohaveoptedforanautonomouscountrystatuswithintheKingdomsimilartoAruba'sstatus.Saba,SintEustatius,and
BonairehaveoptedforclosertiestotheKingdom.ThetargetdateforimplementingthesechangesisDecember15,2008,butitisunclearifthistarget
willbemet.
RecentSignificantEvents:
CONSTITUTIONALSTATUS-St.EustatiusisacquiringanewconstitutionalstatuswithintheKingdomoftheNetherlandswhichshouldgointoeffect
December15th2008.AtthisdatetheislandwillbecomeagoverningauthoritywithintheNetherlands.FLAG-St.Eustatiusadopteditsflagon16
November2004(StatiaDay).FlagDescription:Theflagisrectangularwiththecolorsblue,red,white,goldandgreen.Theflagisdividedinfourfivesidedbluesquares,eachfimbriatedred.Inflagcenterisadiamond-formwhitefield.Inthediamondisthesilhouetteoftheislandingreen.Inthecenter
inthetopofthediamondisafive-pointedgoldenstar.COATOFARMS-ThecoatofarmswasalsoadoptedonStatiaDay,16November,2004.The
designofthecoat-of-armsisbyWalterHellebrandandhasamottoinLatin:"SUPERBAETCONFIDENS"meaningProudandConfident.TURTLE
TRACKING-TheNetherlandsAntillesispartytoanumberofinternationalagreementswhichprotectseaturtles.Sincetheearly1990stheNetherlands
AntillesratifiedtheSpeciallyProtectedAreasandWildlife(SPAW)Protocolandin1999theInter-AmericanConventionfortheProtectionand
ConservationofSeaTurtles(IAC),bothofwhichrequirefullprotectionofseaturtlesaswellastheirhabitatsandnestingareas.
Music,Dance,HandicraftandPatrimony:
ThemusicoftheNetherlandsAntillesisamixtureofnative,AfricanandEuropeanelements,andiscloselyconnectedwithtrendsfromneighboring
islandslikeMartinique,TrinidadandGuadeloupe.
Sources:
http://islands.unep.ch/IST.htm#1230
St.Eustatius:TreasureIslandoftheCaribbean
http://www.intute.ac.uk/sciences/worldguide/factsheets.html
http://www.world66.com/centralamericathecaribbean/thecaribbean/netherlandsantilles/people
http://www.steustatiushistory.org/index.html
http://www.statiatourism.com/
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/22528.htm
St.Eustatius,TreasureIslandoftheCaribbeanhttp://books.google.com/books?
id=BaZjQPRwoKIC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=egalitarianism+statia&source=web&ots=MAj7b23_iV&sig=JHsg42vi5DXvpQ6sSAMQWubBUnQ#PPA58,M1
http://islands.unep.ch/IST.htm#1230
http://books.google.com/books?id=o9ODxqsr-dIC&pg=RA1-PA569&lpg=RA1-PA569&dq=st+eustatius+labour+force&source=web&ots=KsG7FoGGV&sig=AISc7TnqkFVyXVsKNgxHJ3ZuIuM#PRA1-PT3,M1
http://www.mina.vomil.an/welcome/index.php
http://www.statiapark.org/downloads/downloads/St%20Eustatius%20Marine%20Park-2004%20Fisheries%20Baseline.pdf
http://www.steba.biz/documents/migrants.doc
http://www.central-bureau-of-statistics.an/population/population_tables.asp
http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryreports/netherlands_antilles/rapport_1.html.CentralBureauofStatisticsNetherlandsAntilles:
http://www.cbs.an/
http://islands.unep.ch/IST.htm#1230http://www.statiagovernment.comCityPopulation.http://www.citypopulation.de/NedAntillen.htmlPanAmHO.
http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol2/paisesing/Netherlands%20Antilles%20English.pdf
www.statiagovernment.com/
http://www.statiapark.org/downloads/downloads/St%20Eustatius%20Marine%20Park%20Tanker%20Impact%20Report-October%202007.pdf
http://www.who.int/whosis/database/core/core_select.cfm
http://www.statiapark.org/
http://www.steba.biz/main.php
http://www.cbs.an/census/census_info.asp
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