{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "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": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm off the coast of Venezuela"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "12 10 N, 69 00 W"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Central America and the Caribbean"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total": {
        "text": "444 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "444 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "0 sq km"
      }
    },
    "Area - comparative": {
      "text": "more than twice the size of Washington, DC"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "text": "0 km"
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "364 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "exclusive fishing zone": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "generally low, hilly terrain"
    },
    "Elevation": {
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "elevation extremes": {
        "text": "lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m ++ highest point: Mt. Christoffel 372 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "calcium phosphates, aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "10% ++ arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "0%"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "90% (2011 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Population - distribution": {
      "text": "largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest"
    },
    "Natural hazards": {
      "text": "Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened"
    },
    "Environment - current issues": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Geography - note": {
      "text": "Curacao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group"
    }
  },
  "People and Society": {
    "Population": {
      "text": "149,035 (July 2016 est.)"
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Curacaoan"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Curacaoan; Dutch"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "Afro-Caribbean majority; Dutch, French, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian, Jewish minorities"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "text": "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)"
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "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.)"
    },
    "Age structure": {
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "20.17% (male 15,327/female 14,733)"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "14.46% (male 11,239/female 10,314)"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "37.24% (male 27,132/female 28,370)"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "13.49% (male 8,706/female 11,396)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "14.64% (male 8,993/female 12,825) (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "51.1%"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "28.7%"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "22.4%"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "4.5% (2015 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "36 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "33.3 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "39.8 years (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "0.42% (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "13.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest"
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "89.3% of total population (2015)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "2.04% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "WILLEMSTAD (capital) 145,000 (2014)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-24 years": {
        "text": "1.09 male(s)/female"
      },
      "25-54 years": {
        "text": "0.96 male(s)/female"
      },
      "55-64 years": {
        "text": "0.76 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.7 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "0.92 male(s)/female (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "7.7 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "8.3 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "7.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "78.3 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "76 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "80.7 years (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "2.06 children born/woman (2016 est.)"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "HIV/AIDS - deaths": {
      "text": "NA"
    },
    "Major infectious diseases": {
      "note": {
        "text": "active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)"
      }
    },
    "Education expenditures": {
      "text": "4.9% of GDP (2013)"
    },
    "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "18 years"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "18 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "19 years (2013)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "Dutch long form": {
        "text": "Land Curacao"
      },
      "Dutch short form": {
        "text": "Curacao"
      },
      "Papiamentu long form": {
        "text": "Pais Korsou"
      },
      "Papiamentu short form": {
        "text": "Korsou"
      },
      "former": {
        "text": "Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "the most plausible name derivation is that the island was designated Isla de la Curacion (Spanish meaning \"Island of the Cure\" or \"Island of Healing\") or Ilha da Curacao (Portuguese meaning the same) to reflect the locale's function as a recovery stop for sick crewmen"
      }
    },
    "Dependency status": {
      "text": "constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs"
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "parliamentary"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Willemstad"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "12 06 N, 68 55 W"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)",
      "note": {
        "text": "Curacao is one of four constituent parts (countries) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three parts are the Netherlands, Aruba, and Sint Maarten"
      }
    },
    "Independence": {
      "text": "none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)"
    },
    "National holiday": {
      "text": "King's Day, 27 April 1967"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "text": "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"
    },
    "Legal system": {
      "text": "based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "text": "see the Netherlands"
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Lucille A. GEORGE-WOUT (since 4 November 2013)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Prime Minister Bernard WHITEMAN (1 September 2015); Prime Minister Ivar ASJES resigned 31 August 2015"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "Cabinet appointed by the governor"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "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"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "description": {
        "text": "unicameral Estates of Curacao or Staten van Curacao (21 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)"
      },
      "elections": {
        "text": "last held 5 October 2016 (next to be held in October 2020)"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "percent of vote by party - MAN 16.2%, MFK 16%, PAR 15.1%, KdnT 10.4%, PNP 8.8%, PS 6.7%, Un Korsou Hustu 6.1%, Movementu Progresivo 5.2%; seats by party - MAN 4, MFK 4, PAR 4, KdnT 3, PNP 2, PS 2, Un Korsou Hustu 1, Movementu Progresivo 1"
      }
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (consists of judges from the subordinate courts)"
      },
      "judge selection and term of office": {
        "text": "NA"
      },
      "subordinate courts": {
        "text": "first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts"
      }
    },
    "Political parties and leaders": {
      "text": "Korsou di Nos Tur or KdnT [Amparo dos SANTOS] ++ Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK [Gerrit SCHOTTE] ++ Movementu Progresivo [Marylin MOSES] ++ 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] ++ Un Korsou Hustu [Omayra LEEFLANG]"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "text": "none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Consul General James R. Moore (since June 2013); note - also accredited to Aruba and Sint Martin"
      },
      "consulate(s) general": {
        "text": "J. B. Gorsiraweg "
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[599] (9) 4613066"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[599] (9) 4616489"
      }
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "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 symbol(s)": {
      "text": "laraha (citrus tree); national colors: blue, yellow, white"
    },
    "National anthem": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Himmo di Korsou (Anthem of Curacao)"
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Guillermo ROSARIO, Mae HENRIQUEZ, Enrique MULLER, Betty DORAN/Frater Candidus NOWENS, Errol \"El Toro\" COLINA"
      },
      "note": {
        "text": "adapted 1978; the lyrics, originally written in 1899, were rewritten in 1978 to make them less colonial in nature"
      }
    }
  },
  "Economy": {
    "Economy - overview": {
      "text": "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 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. 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."
    },
    "GDP (purchasing power parity)": {
      "text": "$3.128 billion (2012 est.) ++ $3.02 billion (2011 est.) ++ $2.96 billion (2010 est.)",
      "note": {
        "text": "data are in 2012 US dollars"
      }
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$5.6 billion (2012 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - real growth rate": {
      "text": "3.6% (2012 est.) ++ 2% (2011 est.) ++ 0.1% (2010 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - per capita (PPP)": {
      "text": "$15,000 (2004 est.)"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "0.7%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "15.5%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "83.8% (2012 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Agriculture - products": {
      "text": "aloe, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "tourism, petroleum refining, petroleum transshipment, light manufacturing, financial and business services"
    },
    "Industrial production growth rate": {
      "text": "NA%"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "73,010 (2013)"
    },
    "Labor force - by occupation": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "1.2%"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "16.9%"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "81.8% (2008 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "text": "13% (2013 est.) ++ 9.8% (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "16.6% of GDP (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": {
      "text": "-0.4% of GDP (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "text": "33.2% of GDP (2012 est.) ++ 40.6% of GDP (2011 est.)"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "text": "2.6% (2013 est.) ++ 2.8% (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Exports": {
      "text": "$1.607 billion (2011 est.) ++ $1.44 billion (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "petroleum products"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "text": "$1.285 billion (2011 est.) ++ $1.275 billion (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "crude petroleum, food, manufactures"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "text": "Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar - ++ 1.79 (2015 est.) ++ 1.79 (2014 est.) ++ 1.79 (2013) ++ 1.79 (2012 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity - production": {
      "text": "1.785 billion kWh (2012 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - consumption": {
      "text": "968 million kWh (2008 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - exports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Electricity - imports": {
      "text": "0 kWh (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Crude oil - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 bbl (1 January 2011 es)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - production": {
      "text": "531.1 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - consumption": {
      "text": "72,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - exports": {
      "text": "211,100 bbl/day (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Refined petroleum products - imports": {
      "text": "291,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - production": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - consumption": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - exports": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - imports": {
      "text": "0 cu m (2009 est.)"
    },
    "Natural gas - proved reserves": {
      "text": "0 cu m (1 January 2011 es)"
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephone system": {
      "international": {
        "text": "country code - 599"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "government-run Telecuracao operates a TV station and a radio station; several privately owned radio stations"
    },
    "Internet country code": {
      "text": ".cw"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "total": {
        "text": "138,750"
      },
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "93.9% (July 2014 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "National air transport system": {
      "number of registered air carriers": {
        "text": "2"
      },
      "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": {
        "text": "11 (2015)"
      }
    },
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "PJ (2016)"
    },
    "Roadways": {
      "total": {
        "text": "550 km"
      }
    },
    "Ports and terminals": {
      "major seaport(s)": {
        "text": "Willemstad"
      },
      "oil terminal(s)": {
        "text": "Bullen Baai (Curacao Terminal)"
      },
      "bulk cargo port(s)": {
        "text": "Fuik Bay (phosphate rock)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military branches": {
      "text": "no regular military forces; the Dutch Government controls foreign and defense policy (2012)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "no conscription (2010)"
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands"
    }
  }
}