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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

Natural Resources

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

Population - distribution

largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest

141766
Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 81.2%, Dutch (official) 8%, Spanish 4%, English (official) 2.9%, other 3.9% (2001 census)
WILLEMSTAD (capital) 145,000 (2014)
Conventional long form
none
Conventional short form
Curacao
Local long form
Land Curacao (Dutch); Pais Korsou (Papiamento)
Local short form
Curacao (Dutch); Korsou (Papiamento)
parliamentary democracy
Name
Willemstad
Geographic coordinates
12 06 N, 68 55 W
Time difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Most of Curacao’s GDP results from services. 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. Curacao has limited natural resources, poor soil, and inadequate water supplies, and budgetary problems complicate reform of the health and education systems. Although GDP grew only slightly during the past decade, Curacao enjoys a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared to other countries in the region.
Inflation
None%
Total tax rate (% of commercial profits)
None%
Real Interest Rate
None%
Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP)
None%
Current Account Balance
US$
Labor Force, Total
Employment in Agriculture
%
Employment in Industry
%
Employment in Services
%
Unemployment Rate
%
Imports of goods and services
US$
Exports of goods and services
US$
Total Merchandise Trade
%
FDI, net inflows
US$
Commercial Service Exports
US$
aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services
Commodities
petroleum products
Partners
Commodities
crude petroleum, food, manufactures
Partners
Country Risk Rating
Business Climate Rating

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