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Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit 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 oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion is called Saint-Martin and is part of Guadeloupe.
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Country
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Surface Area: 960 square km (includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten)
Population: 218,126 (July 2004 est.)
Located in: Central America (Caribbean; two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands)
Capital City: Willemstad
Head of State: Queen BEATRIX, represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG
Prime Minister: Etienne YS
Independent since: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs)
Currency: Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Flag (image): 
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