Curacao
parliamentaryIndependence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Curacao as the 2015 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 104 fields, one of 16 editions from 2010 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm off the coast of Venezuela
18 fieldsPeople and Society
21 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2015 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2015 est.)
Male · female(2015 est.)
Religions(2011 est.)
Ethnic groups
Afro-Caribbean majority; Dutch, French, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian, Jewish minorities
Languages
Papiamentu (official) (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 81.2%, Dutch (official) 8%, Spanish 4%, English (official) 2.9%, other 3.9% (2001 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.09 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 0.94 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.77 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.7 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.92 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Government
Parliamentary; King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); Prime Minister Bernard WHITEMAN (1 September 2015)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Estates of Curacao or Staten van Curacao, 21 seats, elected 19 October 2012one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- Dutch long form:
- Land Curacao
- Dutch short form:
- Curacao
- Papiamentu long form:
- Pais Korsou
- Papiamentu short form:
- Korsou
- former:
- Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies
Dependency status
- constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
- full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010;
- Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Capital
- name:
- Willemstad
- geographic coordinates:
- 12 06 N, 68 55 W
- time difference:
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
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
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Lucille A. GEORGE-WOUT (since 4 November 2013)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Bernard WHITEMAN (1 September 2015); Prime Minister Ivar ASJES resigned 31 August 2015
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the governor
- elections:
- the monarch is hereditary;
- governor general appointed by the monarch;
- following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the parliament;
- next election is scheduled for 2016
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral Estates of Curacao or Staten van Curacao (21 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 19 October 2012 (next to be held in 2016)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - PS 22.6%, MFK 21.2%, PAR 19.7%, PAIS 17.7%, MAN 9.5%, PNP 5.9%, other 3.4%;
- seats by party - PS 5, MFK 5, PAR 4, PAIS 4, MAN 2, PNP 1
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (consists of judges from the subordinate courts)
- judge selection and terms of office:
- NA
- subordinate courts:
- first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts
Political parties and leaders
- Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK [Gerrit SCHOTTE]
- Movishon Antia Nobo or MAN [Hensley KOEIMAN]
- Partido Antia Restruktura or PAR [Zita JESUS-LEITO]
- Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal or PAIS [Alex ROSARIA]
- Partido Nashonal di Pueblo or PNP [Humphrey DAVELAAR]
- Pueblo Soberano or PS [Ivar ASJES]
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Consul General James R. Moore (since June 2013); note - also accredited to Aruba and Sint Martin
- consulate(s) general:
- J. B. Gorsiraweg
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
- telephone:
- [599] (9) 4613066
- FAX:
- [599] (9) 4616489
Flag description
- 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
National anthem
- name:
- Himmo di Korsou (Anthem of Curacao)
- lyrics/music:
- Guillermo ROSARIO, Mae HENRIQUEZ, Enrique MULLER, Betty DORAN/Frater Candidus NOWENS, Errol "El Toro" COLINA
note: adapted 1978; the lyrics, originally written in 1899, were rewritten in 1978 to make them less colonial in nature
Economy
Tourism, petroleum refining and bunkering, offshore finance, and transportation and communications are the mainstays of this small island economy, which is closely tied to the outside world.
21 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2012 est.)
Economy - overview
Tourism, petroleum refining and bunkering, offshore finance, and transportation and communications are the mainstays of this small island economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP grew only slightly during the past decade, Curacao 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, and the Port of Willemstad hosts a free trade zone and a dry dock. Venezuelan state oil company PdVSA, under a contract in effect until 2019, leases the single refinery on the island from the government, directly employing some 1,000 people;
most of the oil for the refinery is imported from Venezuela; most of the refined products are exported to the US and Asia. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, with the US, the Netherlands and Venezuela 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 soil, 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.
Industries
tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services
Exchange rates
Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar - 1.79 (2014) · 1.79 (2013) · 1.79 (2012 est.) · 1.79 (2011 est.) · 1.79 (2010 est.)
Energy
14 fieldsElectricity
Communications
4 fieldsBroadcast media
government-run Telecuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; several privately owned radio stations
Transportation
2 fieldsPorts and terminals
- major seaport(s):
- Willemstad
- oil terminal(s):
- Bullen Baai (Curacao Terminal)
- bulk cargo port(s):
- Fuik Bay (phosphate rock)
Military
No regular military forces; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy (2012)
3 fieldsMilitary branches
no regular military forces; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy (2012)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Curacao.” The World Factbook 2015. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/curacao/2015.