Aruba and Curaçao are constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but they are not part of the country of the Netherlands itself. This distinction is vital: while they share a single monarch (King Willem-Alexander) and a common Dutch passport, they are self-governing territories with their own parliaments, prime ministers, and currencies. Along with Sint Maarten and the Netherlands (the European territory), they form the four distinct "countries" that make up the Kingdom. They handle their own internal affairs, such as education and healthcare, while the Kingdom government in The Hague manages collective matters like defense and foreign policy. This unique status, established by the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, allows them to maintain a high degree of autonomy while benefiting from the legal and diplomatic protection of a major European power.