Country name:
Dutch long form: Land Curacao
Dutch short form: Curacao
Papiamentu long form: Pais Korsou
Papiamentu short form: Korsou
former: Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies
etymology: 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:
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:
parliamentary

Capital:
name: Willemstad
geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 55 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
note: 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:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday:
King's Day, 27 April 1967

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

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

Citizenship:
see the Netherlands

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]

Executive branch:
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 Bernard WHITEMAN (1 September 2015); Prime Minister Ivar ASJES resigned 31 August 2015
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
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

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)
elections: last held 5 October 2016 (next to be held in October 2020)
election results: 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): 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: NA
subordinate courts: first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts

Political parties and leaders:
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:
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

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
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 4613066
FAX: [599] (9) 4616489

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

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

National anthem:
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