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 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 of 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea - 55 km off the coast of Venezuela

more than two times the size of Washington, DC

tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semi-arid with average rainfall of 600 mm/year

generally low, hilly terrain

calcium phosphates, aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened

Curacao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group

142,180 (est. January 2010)

8 deaths/1,000 population (2009)

1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008)

2.1 children born/woman (2009)

Roman Catholic 80.1%, Protestant 5.5%, none 4.6%, Pentecostal 3.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, Jewish 0.8%, other 1.3%, not reported 0.3% (2001 census)

Papiamentu (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 81.2%, Dutch (official) 8%, Spanish 4%, English 2.9%, other 3.9% (2001 census)

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

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)

Staatsregeling, 10 October 2010; revised Kingdom Charter pending

based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence

18 years of age; universal

unicameral parliament or Staten (21 seats; members elected by popular vote for four year terms)

Common Court of Justice, Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)

Frente Obrero Liberashon (Workers' Liberation Front) or FOL [Anthony GODETT]; Movimentu Antiyas Nobo (New Antilles Movement) or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK [Gerrit SCHOTTE]; Partido Antia Restruktura or PAR [Emily DE JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE LANNOOY]; Pueblo Soberano or PS [Herman WIELS]

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

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

Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance 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. The Venezuelan state oil company leases the single refinery on the island from the government; 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. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems complicate reform of the health and pension systems for an aging population.

$2.838 billion (2008 est.)

$2.606 billion (2007 est.)

$2.452 billion (2006 est.)

$5.08 billion (2008 est.)

aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment facilities, light manufacturing

$876 million (2008 est.)

US 13.1%, Guatemala 10.8%, Singapore 10.7%, Dominican Republic 9.6%, Haiti 7.6%, The Bahamas 6.1%, Honduras 4.5%, Mexico 4.2% (2009 est.)

$1.34 billion (2008 est.)

crude petroleum, food, manufactures

Venezuela 57.3%, US 19.2%, Brazil 8.1% (2009 est.)

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar -

government-run Telecuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; several privately-owned radio stations

Bullen Baai, Fuik Bay, Willemstad

the Royal Netherlands Navy maintains a permanent and active presence in the region from its main operating base on Curacao; other local security forces include a coast guard, paramilitary National Guard (Vrijwilligers Korps Curacao), and Police Force (2010)

no conscription (2010)

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands