Curaçao

Curaçao,^[a] officially the Country of Curaçao,^[b] is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about 65 km (40 mi) north of Venezuela and 80 km (50 mi) southeast of Aruba. Curaçao includes the main island of Curaçao, and the much smaller, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").^[12]

Curaçao has a population of 158,665 (January 2019 estimate),^[2] with an area of 444 km² (171 sq mi); its capital is Willemstad.^[12] Together with Aruba and Bonaire, Curaçao forms part of the ABC islands.^[13][14] Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.^[14] It is the largest of the ABC islands in terms of both area,^[13] and population.^[14]

The island's name "Curaçao" may originate from the indigenous autonym of its people; this idea is supported by early Spanish accounts referring to the inhabitants as "Indios Curaçaos". Curaçao's history begins with the Arawak and Caquetio Amerindians; the island becoming a Spanish colony after Alonso de Ojeda's 1499 expedition. Though labelled "the useless island" due to its poor agricultural yield and lack of precious metals, it later became a strategic cattle ranching area. When the Dutch colonized the island in 1634, they shifted the island's focus to trade and shipping, and later made it a hub of the Atlantic slave trade. Members of the Jewish community, fleeing persecution in Europe, settled here and significantly influenced the economy and culture.

British forces occupied Curaçao twice during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars but it was returned to Dutch rule. The abolition of slavery in 1863 led to economic shifts and migrations. Dutch remains the official language, though Papiamentu, English, and Spanish are widely spoken, reflecting the island's diverse cultural influences. Curaçao was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony from 1815 to 1954, and later the Netherlands Antilles from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao.^[15][16][12]

The discovery of oil in the Maracaibo Basin in 1914 transformed Curaçao into a major refinery location,^[17] altering its economic landscape. There were efforts towards becoming a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the island achieved autonomy in 2010.^[18]

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