of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Military - note:
the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power (2010)
Transnational Issues ::Cuba
Disputes - international:
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Cuba is principally a source country for children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically commercial sexual exploitation within the country; the scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult to gauge due to the closed nature of the government and sparse non-governmental or independent reporting
tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; in a positive step, the Government of Cuba shared information about human trafficking and its efforts to address the issue; the government did not prohibit all forms of trafficking during the reporting period, nor did it provide specific evidence that it prosecuted and punished trafficking offenders, protected victims of all forms of trafficking, or implemented victim protection policies or programs to prevent human trafficking (2010)
Illicit drugs:
territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 (2008)
page last updated on January 20, 2011
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@Curacao (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Curacao
Background:
Originally settled by Arawak Indians, Curacao was seized by the Dutch in 1634 along with the neighboring island of Bonaire. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, 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 the Isla Refineria to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. In 1954, Curacao and several other Dutch Caribbean possesions were reorganized as the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In referenda in 2005 and 2009, the citizens of Curacao voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The change in status became effective in October of 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
Geography ::Curacao
Location:
Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea - located 56.35 km off the coast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
12 10 N, 69 00 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 444 sq km country comparison to the world: 198 land: 444 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
more than two times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
364 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Climate:
tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semi-arid with average rainfall of 600 mm/year
Terrain:
generally low, hilly terrain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt. Christoffel, 372m
Natural resources:
calcium phosphates, aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 90%
Irrigated land:
NA
Total renewable water resources:
NA
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
NA
Natural hazards:
Curacao is south of the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
Curacao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group
People ::Curacao
Population:
142,180 (est. January 2010) country comparison to the world: 187
Age structure:
0–14 years: 21.1% (males 15,337/females 14,589)
15–64 years: 66.7% (males 42,896/females 51,998)
65 years and over: 12.2% (males 6,972/females 10,388) (2010)
Population growth rate:
NA
Birth rate:
NA
Death
