<P> Tourism, petroleum transshipment and oil refinement (on Curaçao), as well as offshore finance were the mainstays of this small economy, which was closely tied to the outside world . The islands enjoyed a high per capita income and a well - developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the region . </P> <P> Almost all consumer and capital goods were imported, with Venezuela, the United States, and Mexico being the major suppliers, as well as the Dutch government which supports the islands with substantial development aid . Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hampered the development of agriculture . The Antillean guilder had a fixed exchange rate with the United States dollar of 1.79: 1 . </P> <P> A large percentage of the Netherlands Antilleans descended from European colonists and African slaves who were brought and traded here from the 17th to 19th centuries . The rest of the population originated from other Caribbean islands as well as Latin America, East Asia and elsewhere in the world . In Curaçao there was a strong Jewish element going back to the 17th century . </P> <P> The language Papiamentu was predominant on Curaçao and Bonaire (as well as the neighboring island of Aruba). This creole descended from Portuguese and West African languages with a strong admixture of Dutch, plus subsequent lexical contributions from Spanish and English . An English - based creole dialect, formally known as Netherlands Antilles Creole, was the native dialect of the inhabitants of Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten . </P>

Where is the netherlands antilles located on a map