2015 Edition

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.

Area

land

444 sq km

total

444 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year

Coastline

364 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mt. Christoffel 372m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Geographic coordinates

12 10 N, 69 00 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%

agricultural land

10%

forest

0%

other

90% (2011 est.)

Location

Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm off the coast of Venezuela

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

12 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

generally low, hilly terrain

Total renewable water resources

NA

Age structure

0-14 years

20.3% (male 15,334/female 14,739)

15-24 years

14.7% (male 11,356/female 10,448)

25-54 years

37.6% (male 27,125/female 28,716)

55-64 years

13.2% (male 8,545/female 11,150)

65 years and over

14.2% (male 8,698/female 12,340) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

NA 13.8 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Death rate

8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

22.4%

potential support ratio

4.5% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

51.1%

youth dependency ratio

28.7%

Ethnic groups

Afro-Caribbean majority; Dutch, French, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian, Jewish minorities

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

8.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total

7.9 deaths/1,000 live births

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)

Life expectancy at birth

female

80.6 years (2015 est.)

male

75.9 years

total population

78.2 years

Major urban areas - population

WILLEMSTED (capital) 145,000 (2014)

Median age

female

39.9 years (2015 est.)

male

33 years

total

36.1 years

Nationality

adjective

Curacaoan; Dutch

noun

Curacaoan

Net migration rate

-1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Population

148,406 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.43% (2015 est.)

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.)

Sex ratio

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

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.92 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.07 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.04% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

89.3% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Capital

geographic coordinates

12 06 N, 68 55 W

name

Willemstad

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see the Netherlands

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

Country name

Dutch long form

Land Curacao

Dutch short form

Curacao

former

Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies

Papiamentu long form

Pais Korsou

Papiamentu short form

Korsou

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

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

FAX

[599] (9) 4616489

mailing address

P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao

telephone

[599] (9) 4613066

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor

chief of state

King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Lucille A. GEORGE-WOUT (since 4 November 2013)

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

head of government

Prime Minister Bernard WHITEMAN (1 September 2015); Prime Minister Ivar ASJES resigned 31 August 2015

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

Government type

parliamentary

Independence

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

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

Legal system

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

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)

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

elections

last held 19 October 2012 (next to be held in 2016)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Guillermo ROSARIO, Mae HENRIQUEZ, Enrique MULLER, Betty DORAN/Frater Candidus NOWENS, Errol "El Toro" COLINA

name

Himmo di Korsou (Anthem of Curacao)

note

adapted 1978; the lyrics, originally written in 1899, were rewritten in 1978 to make them less colonial in nature

National holiday

King's Day, 27 April 1967

National symbol(s)

laraha (citrus tree); national colors: blue, yellow, white

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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-0.4% of GDP (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.

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.)

Exports

$1.607 billion (2011 est.)

$1.44 billion (2010 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum products

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

0.7%

industry

15.5%

services

83.8% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$15,000 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.6% (2012 est.)

2% (2011 est.)

0.1% (2010 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$5.6 billion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$3.128 billion (2012 est.)

$3.02 billion (2011 est.)

$2.96 billion (2010 est.)

note

data are in 2012 US dollars

Imports

$1.285 billion (2011 est.)

$1.275 billion (2010 est.)

Imports - commodities

crude petroleum, food, manufactures

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.6% (2013 est.)

2.8% (2012 est.)

Labor force

73,010 (2013)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

1.2%

industry

16.9%

services

81.8% (2008 est.)

Public debt

33.2% of GDP (2012 est.)

40.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

16.6% of GDP (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate

13% (2013 est.)

9.8% (2011 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)

Electricity - consumption

968 million kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production

1.785 billion kWh (2012 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 - production

0 cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2011 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.)

Refined petroleum products - production

531.1 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Broadcast media

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

Internet country code

.cw

Internet users

NA

Telephone system

international

country code - 599

Ports and terminals

bulk cargo port(s)

Fuik Bay (phosphate rock)

major seaport(s)

Willemstad

oil terminal(s)

Bullen Baai (Curacao Terminal)

Roadways

total

550 km

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Military branches

no regular military forces; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy (2012)

Military service age and obligation

no conscription (2010)