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
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)
Independence:
none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday:
Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)
Constitution:
Staatsregeling adopted by island council 5 September 2010; entered into force 10 October 2010; revised Kingdom Charter pending
Legal system:
based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Acting Governor Adele van der PLUIJM-VREDE (since 24 October 2012)
head of government:
Prime Minister Daniel HODGE (since 31 December 2012)
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; next election is scheduled for 2016
Legislative branch:
unicameral Estates of Curacao (21 seats; members elected by popular vote for four year terms)
elections:
last held 19 October 2012 (next to be held in 2016)
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
Judicial branch:
Common Court of Justice, Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Frente Obrero Liberashon (Workers' Liberation Front) or FOL [Anthony GODETT]; Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK [Gerrit SCHOTTE]; Movishon Antia Nobo or MAN [Eunice EISDEN]; Partido Antia Restruktura or PAR [Emily DE JONGH-ELHAGE]; Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal or PAIS [Alex ROSARIA]; Partido Nashonal di Pueblo or PNP [Humphrey DAVELAAR]; Pueblo Soberano or PS [Helmin WIELS]
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General Valerie BELON
consulate(s) general:
J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao
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 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