Why go
Political context makes the capital easier to read: Curaçao has its own parliament and government, while some responsibilities are shared at Kingdom level. The change in 2010 explains references to the former Netherlands Antilles and why present-day Curaçao should be understood through its own institutions.
The full story
On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles dissolved and Curaçao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It belongs to the same Kingdom as the Netherlands, Aruba and Sint Maarten, with a distinct country government rather than the status of a Dutch municipality. Curaçao's parliamentary system includes a prime minister and cabinet, a governor and an elected legislature known as the Staten or Parlamento. The parliament has 21 members and works on legislation and scrutiny of government. Courts operate independently of the executive and legislature. Matters such as education and the justice system fall within the country's responsibilities, while foreign policy is handled for the Kingdom. In Willemstad, these institutions connect the historic capital with the island's present civic life. References to the Netherlands Antilles belong to the arrangement before 2010; references to Curaçao's government describe the country's own political institutions within the wider Kingdom.