One of the most notable things about the island is its culture. This Dutch island features the pastel colors and building styles you'd find in the Netherlands. However, the people of the island have developed a culture, and even a language, of their own. Papiamentu (often spelled Papiamento) is the island's native Creole.
Regions
The island has two main parts: the south-eastern part called Banda Riba and the north-western end of the island called Banda Bou. The names literally mean the upside and the downside. They take their names from the direction of the tradewinds that blow from top to bottom (East to West.)
Banda Riba has the capital city of Willemstad and most of the population of the island. The port inside the island is a great natural harbor called Schottegat. There is an old fort there with a good view of the entire region. The channel leading from the ocean to the bay is the best part of town to visit. The east side is called Punda and the west side is called Otrabanda. They are connected by a famous moving foot bridge called the Queen Emma Brug (Bridge.) The buildings on the Punda side are very picturesque. They are of Dutch architecture and are painted with pretty pastel colors.
Banda Bou is the end of the island with most of the beaches and natural attractions. The water at the beaches is a light turquoise and the weather is unparalleled. Other attractions are the east side of the island's rocky shores and grottos. The highest point on the island is Mount Christoffel at 1,239 feet (377 meters.)
Cities
The capital, Willemstad, is reminiscent of a Dutch town; with its architecture, red roofs, and pastel colors. It is also divided into two sides, Punda (East)and Otrobanda (literally "other side" on the West of the canal). This is where you'll find much of the island's culture, dining, entertainment, and history.
Other destinations
Curaçao's beaches are concentrated on the southern coast, especially the western side. Find these from Kaap St. Marie up to Westpunt.
Talk
The native language of Curacao is Papiamentu, which is a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch, and other languages. Most people from the island speak this language in addition to Dutch, English, and Spanish. Almost everyone speaks English.
Get in
Those who want to travel by air can enter at Curaçao's airport, Hato International Airport (CUR). It is located in Plaza Margareth Abraham, not far from the capital of Willemstad, and accepts flights from many regional carriers, but has recently expanded to accept international flights from North and South America. To contact the airport by phone, call 599-9-888-0101.
Cruise ships arrive at Curaçao Mega Pier or the Curaçao Cruise Terminal. From these ports it's just a short journey to many of the island's popular tourist destinations. Travelers can also enjoy nearby shopping at duty-free stores. Larger ships will arrive at the Mega Pier, and smaller ships will dock at the Cruise Terminal.
Sailors can enter at ports in Willemstad and Spanish Water. While there is a Members-only Yacht Club at the latter, both have marinas at which seafaring travelers can dock their ships.
Get around
As the largest island in the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao offers visitors plenty of ways to get around. Rental cars are available at rates of about $50 per day. However, buses costing under $1 per ride are another great way for visitors to get around. Better yet, they're easily recognizeable by their plate marked "BUS."
If public transit isn't your style, and you don't want to rent your own car, taxis are another popular and easy-to-find option. They, too, are marked, and their plates read "TX." Some taxi drivers will even be your tour guide for the day, if you ask. But remember to agree on a fee before heading out. Active travelers can rent bikes and mopeds, or motorcycles.
Ferries are a great way for shoppers to get to and from some of the island's main shopping areas.
Do
Go to Wet & Wild Beach Club on the Seaquarium Beach on a Sunday evening around 6 to see the sun set and see the Dutch marines stationed on Curacao partying together with the numerous interns from Holland.
Eat
Local cuisine in Curaçao is Dutch-influenced. However, some flavors of the West Indies are also found. Cheeses and seafood are both important in Curaçaoan food. The island is also known from the liqueur which bears its name.
Curaçao (IPA: ˈkjuːrəˌsaʊ) is an island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea off the west coast of Venezuela. The island is the largest and most populous of the three so-called ABC islands (for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the Lesser Antilles – specifically the Leeward Antilles – and belongs to the Netherlands Antilles, a self-governing part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curaçao's capital is Willemstad.
Curaçao has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population was 130,627 inhabitants, which means a population density of 294 inhabitants per square kilometre. In 2004 the population was estimated at 133,644 inhabitants. It lies outside the hurricane belt.
History
The original inhabitants of Curaçao were Arawak Amerindians. The first Europeans to see the island were members of a Spanish expedition under the leadership of Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. The Spaniards decimated the Arawak with diseases such as smallpox and measles. The island was occupied by the Dutch in 1634. The Dutch West India Company founded the capital of Willemstad on the banks of an inlet called the 'Schottegat'. Curaçao had been previously ignored by colonists because it lacked many things that colonists were interested in, such as gold deposits. However, the natural harbour of Willemstad proved quickly to be an ideal spot for trade. Commerce and shipping -- but also piracy-- became Curaçao's most important economic activities. In addition, Curaçao came to play a pivotal role in one of the most intricate international trade networks in history: the Atlantic slave trade. The Dutch West India Company made Curaçao a center for slave trade in 1662. Dutch merchants brought slaves from Africa to the trading area called Asiento. From there, slaves were sold and shipped to various destinations in South America and the Caribbean. At the height of the trade large numbers of slaves were traded here.
The slave trade made the island affluent, and led to the erection of the impressive colonial buildings that still stand today. Curaçao features architecture that blends various Dutch and Spanish colonial styles. The wide range of other historic buildings in and around Willemstad earned the capital a place on UNESCO's world heritage list. Landhouses (former plantation estates) and West African style 'kas di pal'i maishi' (former slave dwellings) are scattered all over the island and some of them have been restored and can be visited.
The proximity to South America translated in a long-standing Latin American influence on Curaçao. This is reflected in the architectural similarities between the 19th century parts of Willemstad and nearby Venezuelan city of Coro in Falcón State, the latter also being a UNESCO world heritage site. In the 19th century, Curaçaoans such as Manuel Piar and Luis Brión were actively engaged in the political affairs of the region, such as the wars of independence of Venezuela and Colombia.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the island changed hands among the English, the French, and the Dutch several times. Stable Dutch rule returned in 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic wars. The Dutch abolished slavery in 1863. The end of slavery caused economic hardship, prompting many inhabitants of Curaçao to emigrate to other islands, such as to Cuba to work in sugarcane plantations.
When in 1914 oil was discovered in the Maracaibo Basin town of Mene Grande, the fortunes of the island were dramatically altered. Royal Dutch Shell and the Dutch Government had built an extensive oil refinery installation on the former site of the slave-trade market at Asiento, thereby establishing an abundant source of employment for the local population and fueling a wave of immigration from surrounding nations. Curaçao was an ideal site for the refinery as it was away from the social and civil unrest of the South American mainland, but near enough to the Maracaibo Basin oil fields. It also had an excellent natural harbor that could accommodate large oil tankers. The company brought a degree of affluence to the island. Large housing was provided and Willemstad developed an extensive infrastructure. However, discrepancies started to appear amongst the social groups of Curaçao. The discontent and the antagonisms between Curaçao social groups culminated in large scale rioting and protest on May 30, 1969. The civil unrest fueled a social movement that resulted in the local Afro-Caribbean population attaining more influence over the political process (Anderson and Dynes 1975). The island also developed a tourist industry and offered low corporate taxes to encourage many companies to set up holdings in order to avoid rigorous schemes elsewhere. In the mid 1980s Royal Shell sold the refinery for a symbolic amount to a local government consortium. Since then discussions have centered on changing the constitutional situation as well as finding new sources of income. The government consortium currently leases the refinery to the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. In recent years, the island had attempted to capitalize on its peculiar history and heritage to expand its tourism industry.
Due to an economic slump in recent years, emigration to the Netherlands has been high. Attempts by Rita Verdonk to stem this flow of emigration have exacerbated already tense Dutch-Curaçao relations. In turn, a lot of immigration from surrounding Caribbean islands and Latin American countries has also taken place. This means that the population base is changing, and a local discourse of island identity and citizenship has become prominent.
Geography
Like Aruba and Bonaire, Curaçao is a transcontinental island that is geographically part of South America but is also considered to be part of West Indies and one of the Leeward Antilles. Curaçao and the other ABC Islands are in terms of climate, geology, flora and fauna more akin to nearby Paraguaná Peninsula, Isla Margarita and the nearby Venezuelan areas of the Coro region and Falcón State. Curaçao has a semi-arid savanna-like climate and lies outside the hurricane belt with only a 0-3% chance of getting hit by a hurricane. The flora of Curaçao differs from the typical tropical island vegetation. Xeric scrublands are common, with various forms of cacti, thorny shrubs, and evergreens. Curaçao's highest point is the 375 metre (1,230 ft) Mount Christoffel in the northwestern part of the island. This lies in the reserved wildlife park, Curaçao Christoffelpark, and can be explored by car, bike or horse or on foot. Several trails have been laid out. Curaçao has many places where one can hike. There are Saliñas, salt marshes where flamingos fly out to rest and feed. 15 miles off the coast of Curaçao, to the southeast, lies the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").
Curaçao is renowned for its coral reefs which make it an excellent spot for scuba diving. The beaches on the south side contain many popular diving spots. An unusual feature of Curaçao diving is that the sea floor drops off steeply within a few hundred feet of the shore, and the reef can easily be reached without a boat. This drop-off is locally known as the "blue edge." Strong currents and lack of beaches make the rocky northern coast dangerous for swimming and diving, but experienced divers sometimes dive there from boats when conditions permit. The southern coast is very different and offers remarkably calm waters. The coastline of Curaçao features many bays and inlets, many of them suitable for mooring.
Some of the coral reefs have been affected by tourism. Porto Marie beach is experimenting with artificial coral reefs in
order to improve the reef's condition. Hundreds of artificial coral blocks that have been placed are now home to a large
array of tropical fish.
People
Because of its history, the island's population comes from many ethnic backgrounds. There is an Afro-Caribbean majority, and also sizeable minorities of Dutch, East Asian, Portuguese and Levantine people. The Sephardic Jews that arrived from the Netherlands and then-Dutch Brazil since the 17th century have had a significant influence on the culture and economy of the island. The years before and after World War II also saw an influx of Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. Many Portuguese and Lebanese also migrated to Curacao in the early 19th century due to the financial possibilities of the island. There are also many recent immigrants from neighbouring countries, most notably the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia. In recent years the influx of Dutch pensioners has increased significantly, dubbed locally as pensionados.
Politics
Curaçao gained limited self-government on January 1, 1954 as an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles. Despite this, the islanders did not fully participate in the political process until after the social movements of the late '60s. In the 2000s the political status of the island has been under discussion again, as for the other islands of the Netherlands Antilles, regarding the relationship with the Netherlands and between the islands of the Antilles.
In a referendum held on April 8 2005, together with Sint Maarten, the residents voted for a separate status outside the Netherlands Antilles, like Aruba, rejecting the options for full independence, becoming part of the Netherlands, or retaining the status quo. In 2006, Emily de Jongh-Elhage - a resident of Curaçao - was elected as the new prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles.
On July 1 2007, the island of Curaçao was due to become an autonomous associated state, under the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, on 28 November 2006, the island council rejected a clarificatory memorandum on the process, thereby postponing this process to December 28th 2008 according to recent reports.
Economy
Although a few plantations were established on the island by the Dutch, the first profitable industry established on Curaçao was salt mining. The mineral was an extremely lucrative export at the time and became one of the major factors responsible for drawing the island into international commerce. Curaçao also became a center for slave trade during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the 19th century, phosphate mining also became significant. All the while, Curaçao's fine deep water ports and ideal location in the Caribbean were crucial in making it a significant center of commerce.
Today, the main industries of the island include oil refining, tourism and financial services. Shipping and other activity related to the port of Willemstad also makes a considerable contribution to the economy.
Name origin
The origin of the name Curaçao is still under debate. One explanation is that it is derived from the Portuguese word for 'heart' (coração), referring to the island as a centre in trade. Spanish traders took the name over as Curaçao, which was followed by the Dutch. Another explanation is that Curaçao was the name the indigenous peoples of Curaçao had used to label themselves (Joubert and Baart, 1994). This theory is supported by early Spanish accounts, which refer to the indigenous peoples as "Indios Curaçaos". The Papiamento word for Curaçao is Kòrsou. The name "Curaçao" has become associated with a particular shade of blue, and is sometimes used as an adjective, because of the deep-blue liqueur named "Blue Curaçao".
Language
Curaçao has a polyglot society. The languages widely spoken on Curaçao are Papiamentu, Dutch, Spanish and English. Many people can speak all four of these languages to varying degrees of fluency. Spanish is more commonly spoken speakership than Dutch, though the latter was long the sole official language of the island. Since the early 1990s, steps have been taken to make English and Papiamentu - but not Spanish - official languages of the Netherlands Antilles as well. This was achieved in March 2007. English is the primary language of the Windward Islands (St. Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten), which are also part of the Netherlands Antilles - whose capital is located on Curaçao. Dutch was made the sole language of instruction in the educational system in the early 20th century to facilitate education for the offspring of expatriate employees of Royal Dutch Shell(Romer, 1999). Prior to 1914, schooling in Spanish and even Papiamentu was more prominent. There was even a Sivah on the island throughout the 18th century (Hoetink, 1987). Papiamentu was tentatively re-introduced in the school curriculum during the mid-1980s. Instruction in the language has been increasing since then. Recent political debate has centered on the issue of Papiamentu becoming the sole language of instruction.
Religion
According to the 2001 census, the majority of the inhabitants of Curaçao are Roman Catholic (85%). This includes a shift towards the Charismatic Renewal or Charismatic movement since the mid-seventies. Other major denominations are Protestantism, Seventh-day Adventist, and Methodist. Alongside these Christian denominations, some inhabitants practice Montamentu, an African religious practice similar to Voodoo, Santeria, and other diasporic African religions. Like elsewhere in Latin America, Pentecostalism is on the rise. There are practicing Muslims as well as Hindus.
Though small in size, Curaçao's Jewish community has had a significant impact on history. Curaçao boasts the oldest active Jewish congregation in the Americas - dating to 1651 - and the oldest synagogue of the Americas, in continuous use since its completion in 1732 on the site of a previous synagogue. The Jewish Community of Curacao also played a key role in supporting early Jewish congregations in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, including in New York City and the Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island. Also see List of Caribbean Jews
Literature
Despite the island's relatively small population, the diversity of languages and cultural influences on Curaçao have generated a remarkable literary tradition, primarily in Dutch and Papiamentu. The oral traditions of the Arawak indigenous peoples are lost. West African slaves brought the tales of Anansi, thus forming the basis of Papiamentu literature. The first published work in Papiamentu was a poem by Joesph Sickman Corsen entitled Atardi, published in the La Cruz newspaper in 1905. Throughout Curaçaoan literature, narrative techniques and metaphors best characterized as magic realism tend to predominate. Novelists and poets from Curaçao have made an impressive contribution to Caribbean and Dutch literature. Best known are Cola Debrot, Frank Martinus Arion, Pierre Lauffer, Elis Juliana, Boeli van Leeuwen and Tip Marugg.
Cuisine
Local food is called Krioyo (pronounced the same as criollo, the Spanish word for "Creole") and boasts a blend of flavours and techniques best compared to Caribbean cuisine and Latin American cuisine. Dishes common in Curaçao are found in Aruba and Bonaire as well. Popular dishes include: stobá (a stew made with various ingredients such as papaya, beef or goat) , Guiambo (soup made from okra and seafood), kadushi (cactus soup), sopi mondongo (intestine soup), funchi (cornmeal paste similar to fufu, ugali and polenta) and a lot of fish and other seafood. The ubiquitous side dish is fried plantain. Local bread rolls are made according to a Portuguese recipe.
All around the island, there are "snèk" which serve local dishes as well as alcoholic drinks in a manner akin to the English pub.
Around the holiday season special dishes are consumed, such as the hallaca and pekelé, made out of salt cod. At weddings and other special occasions a variety of ""kos dushi"" are served: ""kokada"" (coconut sweets), ""ko'i lechi"" (condensed milk and sugar sweet) and ""tentalaria"" (peanut sweets).
The Curaçao liqueur was developed here, when a local experimented with the rinds of a locally grown variety of valencia oranges.
Asian and Dutch influences also abound. The island also has a lot of Chinese restaurants that serve mainly satay and lumpia. The Dutch kitchen is served at homes and restaurants.
Prostitution
As in the Netherlands, prostitution is legal. A large open-air brothel called "The Mirage" or"Campo Alegre" has operated near the main Curacao airport since the 1940s. It is located just off Franklin D Roosevelt Weg.
Education
Public education is based on the Dutch educational system, with most instruction provided in Dutch. Private and parochial schools also exist on the island. The International School Of Curacao provides education for English-speaking immigrants.
Higher education in Curaçao, as in the rest of the Netherlands Antilles, is good relative to regional standards.
The main institutions of higher learning are:
Natives of Curaçao
Famous people from Curaçao include:
References
External links
Mapquest zoom level 7 only has the Willemstad region; this region is also available in zoom level 8, 9, and 10.
