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CuraCao[kyoo´rusO, kOOrAsou´] Pronunciation Key, island (1989 est. pop. 146,100), 178 sq mi (461 sq km), largest and most populous of the Netherlands Antilles, West Indies. CuraCao is semiarid; most of the plant life is of desert character. Oil refining is the principal industry, and the island has one of the world's largest refineries, receiving oil from the enormous reserves at nearby Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. There are also phosphate deposits. Other major industries include tourism (CuraCao is a free port) and ship repairing. CuraCao's ship-repair dry dock is one of the largest in the Americas.
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