Curaçao
Americas · Capital: Willemstad
How it is run: Curaçao is a territory or observer, so some decisions about it are made elsewhere. The research links below explain who is in charge.
Curaçao is home to 156,263 people in Caribbean, where people speak English, Dutch, Papiamento.
Numbers that tell a story 🔢
👥 People
156,263 people
That is about 19 people out of every million on Earth (counted in 2025).
🗺️ Land
444 km²
Smaller than most big cities — you could cross it in an afternoon.
🏙️ How crowded
About 352 people per square kilometre — busy towns with countryside in between.
📊 Size in its region
32nd most people in Americas
38th largest by land in Americas.
🗣️ Official languages
English, Dutch, Papiamento
More than one language is used for official business.
💰 Money
Netherlands Antillean guilder (ƒ)
Life here today 🩺
These come from World Bank open data — the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
❤️ How long people live
77 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
💼 Money made per person each year
about US$22,833
An upper-middle-income country: growing cities, and more families joining the middle class.
🏢 Living in cities
91.5% of people
Mostly a city country — think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
🎒 Kids under 15
14.6% of the population
An older country — there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details 🧭
📞 Phone code
+599
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
🌐 Websites end in
.cw
🧑 People here are called
Curaçaoan
🏷️ Name at home
Curaçao · Pais Kòrsou
Also written: Curacao, Kòrsou, Country of Curaçao.
🌊 Coast or inland
Has a coastline
🕊️ UN voting group
Not a UN member
Neighbours & borders 🤝
Curaçao has no land borders at all. It is surrounded by water, so boats and planes are the way in and out.
Say its name around the world 🗣️
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Curazao
French
Curaçao
Arabic
كوراساو
Chinese
库拉索
Japanese
キュラソー
Russian
Кюрасао
Portuguese
ilha da Curação
German
Curaçao
Put it in perspective 📏
- United States — the most populated country in Americas — has about 2187.2× as many people as Curaçao.
- All of Curaçao would fit inside one large national park in many other countries.
- If everyone in Curaçao lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 78 km.
Fast facts 🧠
Fact of the day: Curaçao shares its part of the world with Jamaica. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
🏷️ Official name
Country of Curaçao
🏙️ Capital
Willemstad
🌍 Region
Americas · Caribbean
🔤 Country code
CW
🕊️ UN status
Not a UN member state
🚩 Independence
Linked territory
More about Curaçao 🔎
🧭 Where on the map
12.1° N, 68.9° W
🌐 Half of the world
Northern & Western hemisphere
🕰️ Clock check
Roughly UTC-5 — when it is noon in London it is about 07:00 in Willemstad.
- Curaçao is close to the line of 0° longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
- Curaçao is not a full UN member state, so it doesn't get its own vote in the General Assembly.
- 🇨🇼 is the flag of Curaçao. Its country code — the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics — is CW.
- The capital of Curaçao is Willemstad — that's where the country's big decisions get made.
- Curaçao shares its part of the world with Jamaica. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
Countries nearby 🤝
Talk about it 💬
- Curaçao has 3 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Curaçao can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Curaçao spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz 🧪
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Curaçao?
Willemstad
Which money do people spend in Curaçao?
Netherlands Antillean guilder (ƒ)
How many countries share a land border with Curaçao?
None — no land neighbours at all.
Roughly how many people live in Curaçao?
156,263 people
Keep researching 🔍
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further — and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here — kid-friendly encyclopedias 📚
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources 🏛️
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy 📰
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card 🏫
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians — all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.