DUTCH WEST INDIES, The. The possessions of Holland in the West Indies are Surinam or Dutch Guiana and the colony of Curacao. Surinam is situated on the north coast of South America between 2 and 6° north latitude and 53° 50" and 58° 20" west longitude, and is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the river Merowijne (which separates it from French Guiana), on the west by the river Corantyn (which sepa rates it from British Guiana) and on the south by inaccessible forests and savannas to the Turnac-Humac Mountains. In 1667 Surinam was assured to the Netherlands in the exchange for the colony of New Netherlands in North America. Since then it has been twice in the power of England (1799-1802 and 1804-16). Its area is 46,060 square miles and the population (1915) 85,536, exclusive of negroes living in the forests. The superior administration is in the hands of a governor, assisted by a council of four members, all nominated by the queen. The Colonial States form the representative body of the colony; the members are chosen for six years by electors in proportion of one in 200 electors. There is entire religious liberty. At the end of 1915 there were Reformed and Lutheran, 10,157; Moravian Brethren, 26,136; Roman Catholic, 18,761; Jews, 882; Moham medans, 11,559; Hindus, 17,633, etc. There were in 1915, 28 public schools with 3,679 pupils, and 40 private schools with 6,702 pupils. There is a government normal school. In 1915 sugar was produced to the amount of 14,747,100 kilo grams, cacao 1,464,200 kilograms, coffee 609,700 kilograms, rice 5,280,200 kilograms, maize 1,867, 900 kilograms. Rum and molasses were pro duced to the extent of 1,693,500 and 112,000 litres, respectively.
In 1915 the export of gold, mostly alluvial, was 1,157,031 grammes. In this same year there entered 246 vessels of 209,418 tons and cleared 244 ships of 209,911 tons. Surinam is divided into 13 districts. Communication between these several districts is carried on by vessels and small steamers. Capital, Paramaribo (35,530).
The colony of Curacao consists of the fol lowing islands : Curacao (area 210 square miles, pop. 33,675); Bonaire (area 95 square miles,
pop. 6,592); Aruba (area 69 square miles, pop. 9,204) ; Saint Martin (southern part only, area 17 square miles, pop. 3,202) ; Saint Eustache (area 7 square miles, pop. 1,431) ; Saba (area 5 square miles, pop. 2,488), a total area of 403 square miles with a population on 31 Dec. 1915 of 56,754. The capital of Curacao is Willemstadt (pop. 11,000), which has one of the best harbors in the West Indies. There is a governor, assisted by a council of four members, nominated by the queen. The different islands, except Curacao, are under officials called nomi nated by the queen. The chief products are maize, beans, pulse, cattle, salt, phosphate of lime. The most important source of income is the shipping industry, which gives employment to numerous laborers in the work of trans shipping goods and as sailors on the vessels that touch regularly at Willemstadt. No statistics are available as to the amount of money thus placed in circulation. The making of straw hats continues to be the industry second in import ance. The exports of straw hats to the United States in 1916 was valued at $129,034. An oil refinery was established in 1916 for the refining of crude petroleum from the Venezuelan oil fields. In 1916 the exports were valued at $967, 336 and the imports at $2,461,528. The revenue is derived from import, export and excise duties, taxes on land and some indirect taxes.
In 1916 the Dutch government sent a special ist to Curacao to investigate the sanitary condi tions on the island. As a result a department of public health was established under the direction of a Dutch pathologist, and this has rendered important service in cleaning streets, wiping out mosquitoes and in the prevention of venereal disease by building a hospital for their treat ment. Measures have been taken for the open ing of a bacteriological laboratory and for the passage of quarantine laws suited to the climate. A modern sanatorium was completed in 1917.