Curaçao

Heavily Roman Catholic, the Caribbean island of Curaçao was a part of the Netherland Antilles until its dissolution on the 10th of October, 2010. Curaçao is self-governing, though the Dutch government provides support in areas of defense, foreign policy, and the island's finances. A total of 85% of the populace is Roman Catholic, with the next largest religious body adhering to the Dutch Reformed Protestant faith, accounting for approximately 3% of the population. Other significant faiths include Judaism, which represents less than 1%, and smaller communities of Seventh-Day Adventists and Methodists. Some Curaçaoans practice Montamentu, an African Caribbean ecstatic religion introduced in the 1950s by immigrants from Santo Domingo. Most of the religious communities engage in some degree of syncretism, blending Christianity with traditional African religions. Pentecostalism was on the rise at the beginning of the 21st century, alongside a shift toward the Charismatic movement ongoing since the 1970s.

Later used to breed goats, horses, and cattle, Curaçao was first discovered by Europeans in 1499, when Christopher Colombus spotted the island and claimed it for Spain. A good number of islanders were deported to Hispaniola to work in mines in the early 16th century, and the Dutch West India Company took possession of the island in 1634. While plantations were never highly developed due to the climate of the island, it became a center for smuggling, privateering, and the slave trade in the 17th century. Dutch and Sephardic Jewish merchants sold trade goods and slaves from Africa to the American colonies as well as the Spanish mainland. Slave rebellions on the island occurred in the 18th century but were quashed with help from the Roman Catholic Church, which played an important role in the repression of African culture as well as the legitimation of slavery. Protestants and Sephardim continued their commercial dominance when the first oil refineries were opened on Curaçao, which resulted in the importation of numerous workers from other islands and marked the beginning of the industrialization of the island as well as traditional colonial race relations. The importance of the Roman Catholic Church in the politics of the island was depleted with the introduction of universal suffrage in 1949, which resulted in the formation of nonreligious political parties.

Though Roman Catholicism was (and is) the main religion on the island, Curaçao was also historically important for the Jewish faith and is home to the oldest active Jewish congregation in the Americas. Dating back to 1651, the Curaçaoan Jewish community played a key role in supporting early congregations in the United States, including those in New York City. The synagogue on Curaçao is the oldest in the Americas, built in 1732 on the site of an even older synagogue, the dates related to which have been lost. Although the Jewish population is largely Sephardic owing to the Spanish colonization, many Ashkenazi Jews arrived during the time of World War II, and some of those communities continue to call Curaçao home.