 Background
Originally settled by Arawak Indians, Curacao was seized by the Dutch in 1634 along with the neighboring island of Bonaire. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, Curacao was hard hit economically by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of the Isla Refineria to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. In 1954, Curacao and several other Dutch Caribbean possessions were reorganized as the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In referenda in 2005 and 2009, the citizens of Curacao voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The change in status became effective in October 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
Location
Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea - 55 km off the coast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates
12 10 N, 69 00 W
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Area
more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
364 km
Maritime claims
tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 600 mm/year
Terrain
generally low, hilly terrain
Elevation extremes
calcium phosphates, aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Land use
NA
Total renewable water resources
NA
Natural hazards
Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
Environment - current issues
NA
Geography - note
Curacao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group
Nationality
Afro-Caribbean majority; Dutch, French, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian, Jewish minorities
Languages
Papiamentu (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 81.2%, Dutch (official) 8%, Spanish 4%, English 2.9%, other 3.9% (2001 census)
Religions
Roman Catholic 72.8%, Pentecostal 6.6%, Protestant 3.2%, Adventist 3%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, Evangelical 1.9%, other 3.8%, none 6%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
Population
146,836 (July 2013 est.)
Age structure
NA
Birth rate
NA
Death rate
8 deaths/1,000 population (2009)
Net migration rate
1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008)
Sex ratio
2.09 children born/woman (2013 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
Country name
constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Government type
parliamentary
Capital
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Independence
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)
Constitution
previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 5 September 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Curacao but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - in October 2010, with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Curacao became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2013)
Legal system
based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
unicameral Estates of Curacao (21 seats; members elected by popular vote for four year terms)
Judicial branch
Frente Obrero Liberashon (Workers' Liberation Front) or FOL [Anthony GODETT]
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Diplomatic representation from the US
on a blue field a horizontal yellow band somewhat below the center divides the flag into proportions of 5:1:2; two five-pointed white stars - the smaller above and to the left of the larger - appear in the canton; the blue of the upper and lower sections symbolizes the sky and sea respectively; yellow represents the sun; the stars symbolize Curacao and its uninhabited smaller sister island of Klein Curacao; the five star points signify the five continents from which Curacao's people derive
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Tourism, petroleum refining, offshore finance, and trade and transport are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP grew slightly during the past decade, the island enjoys a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Curacao has an excellent natural harbor that can accommodate large oil tankers. Venezuelan state oil company PdVSA, under a contract in effect until 2019, leases the single refinery on the island from the government, employing some 1,500 people; most of the oil for the refinery is imported from Venezuela; most of the refined products are exported to the US. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US, Brazil, Italy, and Mexico being the major suppliers. The government is attempting to diversify its industry and trade and has signed an Association Agreement with the EU to expand business there. Most of Curacao’s GDP results from services. Curacao has limited natural resources, poor soils, and inadequate water supplies, and budgetary problems complicate reform of the health and education systems. In 2013 the government implemented changes to the sales tax and reformed the public pension and health care systems, including increasing the sales tax from 5% to as high as 9% on some products, raising the age for public pension withdrawals to 65, and requiring citizens to pay higher premiums.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$3.128 billion (2012 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$5.6 billion (2012 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.6% (2012 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$15,000 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Industries
tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Labor force
73,010 (2013)
Labor force - by occupation
13% (2013 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
16.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
-0.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Public debt
33.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.2% (2012 est.)
Exports
$1.607 billion (2011 est.)
Exports - commodities
petroleum products
Imports
$1.285 billion (2011 est.)
Imports - commodities
crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Exchange rates
Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar -
Electricity - production
1.785 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Electricity - consumption
968 million kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
531 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Refined petroleum products - consumption
72,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Refined petroleum products - exports
211,100 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports
291,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2009 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)
Telephone system
government-run Telecuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; several privately-owned radio stations
Internet country code
.cw
Internet hosts
NA
Internet users
NA
Roadways
no regular military forces; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy (2012)
Military service age and obligation
no conscription (2010)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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