Curacao

• problems in waste management that threaten environmental sustainability on the island include pollution of marine areas from domestic sewage, inadequate sewage treatment facilities, industrial effluents and agricultural runoff, the mismanagement of toxic substances, and ineffective regulations;
• the refinery in Sint Anna Bay, at the eastern edge of Willemstad’s large natural harbor, processes heavy crude oil from Venezuela;
• it has caused significant environmental damage to the surrounding area because of neglect and a lack of strict environmental controls;
• the release of noxious fumes and potentially hazardous particles causes schools downwind to regularly close

noun:

Curacaoan

adjective:

Curacaoan; Dutch

0-14 years:

19.88% (male 15,250 /female 14,613)

15-24 years:

14.05% (male 10,957 /female 10,158)

25-54 years:

36.66% (male 27,278 /female 27,802)

55-64 years:

13.84% (male 9,018 /female 11,769)

65 years and over:

15.57% (male 9,547 /female 13,849) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

52.4 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

28.7 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

23.6 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

4.2 (2015 est.)

total:

36.3 years (2018 est.)

male:

33.8 years

female:

39.6 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.77 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.69 male(s)/female

total population:

0.92 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

7.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

78.6 years (2018 est.)

male:

76.3 years

female:

81.1 years

total:

29.7%

male:

NA

female:

NA (2015 est.)

• constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands;
• full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010;
• Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

name:

Willemstad

geographic coordinates:

12 06 N, 68 55 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time); etymology - named after Prince William II of Orange (1626-1650), who served as stadtholder (Dutch head of state) from 1647 to 1650, shortly after the the Dutch captured Curacao from the Spanish in 1634

• King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967);
• note - King's or Queen's Day are observed on the ruling monarch's birthday;
• celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday

history:

• 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 semi-autonomous entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands

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 Ivar ASJES (since 7 June 2013)

cabinet:

Cabinet sworn-in by the governor

elections/appointments:

• the monarch is hereditary;
• governor appointed by the monarch;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually elected prime minister by the Parliament of Curacao;
• next election scheduled for 2016

description:

unicameral Parliament of Curacao (21 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

• last held on 28 April 2017 (next to be held in 2021);
• early elections were held after Prime Minister Hensley KOEIMAN resigned on 12 February 2017, when the coalition government lost its majority

election results:

• percent of vote by party - PAR 23.3%, MAN 20.4%, MFK 19.9%, KdnT 9.4%, PIN 5.3%, PS 5.1%, MP 4.9%, other 11.7%;
• seats by party - PAR 6, MAN 5, MFK 5, KdnT 2, PIN 1, PS 1, MP 1;
• composition - men 15, women 6, percent of women 28.6%

highest courts:

• Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (sits as a 3-judge panel);
• final appeals heard by the Supreme Court, in The Hague, Netherlands

judge selection and term of office:

Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch for life

subordinate courts:

first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts

• Korsou di Nos Tur or KdnT [Amparo dos SANTOS]
• Mayors for Liberec Region (Starostove pro Liberecky Kraj) or SLK [Martin PUTA]
• Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK [Gerrit SCHOTTE]
• Movementu Progresivo or MP [Marylin MOSES]
• Movishon Antia Nobo or MAN [Hensley KOEIMAN]
• Partido Antia Restruktura or PAR [Eugene RHUGGENAATH]
• Partido Inovashon Nashonal or PIN [Suzanne CAMELIA-ROMER]
• Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal or PAIS [Alex ROSARIA]
• Partido Nashonal di Pueblo or PNP [Humphrey DAVELAAR]
• Pueblo Soberano or PS
• Un Korsou Hustu [Omayra LEEFLANG]

chief of mission:

Consul General Allen GREENBERG (since June 2019); note - also accredited to Aruba and Sint Maarten

telephone:

[599] (9) 4613066

mailing address:

P. O. Box 158, J.B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao

FAX:

[599] (9) 4616489

• 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

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

agriculture:

1.2%

industry:

16.9%

services:

81.8% (2008 est.)

major seaport(s):

Willemstad

oil terminal(s):

Bullen Baai (Curacao Terminal)

bulk cargo port(s):

Fuik Bay (phosphate rock)