Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou),
is a
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
island country
An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...
in the southern
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and the
Dutch Caribbean
The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-wes ...
region, about north of the
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
coast. It is a constituent country of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
. Together with
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
and
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...
, it forms the
ABC islands. Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
are often called the
Dutch Caribbean
The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-wes ...
.
Curaçao was formerly part of the
Curaçao and Dependencies
The Colony of Curaçao and Dependencies ( nl, Kolonie Curaçao en onderhorigheden; pap, Kolonia di Kòrsou i dependensianan) was a Dutch colony in the Caribbean Sea from 1815 until 1828 and from 1845 until 1954. Between 1936 and 1948, the area wa ...
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
from 1815 to 1954 and later the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao ( nl, Eilandgebied Curaçao, links=no, pap, Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou, links=no), and is now formally called the Country of Curaçao.
It includes the main island of Curaçao and the much smaller, uninhabited island of
Klein Curaçao
Klein Curaçao (English: ''Little Curaçao'') is a uninhabited island belonging to, and lying 10 km south-east of, Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Dutch Caribbean.
Description
Klein Curaçao has a ...
("Little Curaçao").
Curaçao has a population of 158,665 (January 2019 est.),
with an area of ; its capital is
Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William I of the Netherlands, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdo ...
.
Etymology
One explanation for the island's name is that ''Curaçao'' was the
autonym
Autonym may refer to:
* Autonym, the name used by a person to refer to themselves or their language; see Exonym and endonym
* Autonym (botany), an automatically created infrageneric or infraspecific name
See also
* Nominotypical subspecies, in zo ...
by which its indigenous peoples identified themselves. Early
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
accounts support this theory, referring to the indigenous peoples as ''Indios Curaçaos''.
["Curaçao"](_blank)
, Curaçao-nature.com, 2005–2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016
From 1525, the island was featured on Spanish maps as ''Curaçote, Curasaote, Curasaore'', and even ''Curacaute''. By the 17th century, it appeared on most maps as ''Curaçao'' or ''Curazao.''
On a map created by
Hieronymus Cock
Hieronymus Cock, or Hieronymus Wellens de Cock (1518 – 3 October 1570) was a Flemish painter and etcher as well as a publisher and distributor of prints. in 1562 in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , the island was called ''Qúracao''.
A persistent but undocumented story claims the following: in the 16th and 17th centuries—the early years of European exploration—when
sailors
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
on long voyages got
scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...
from lack of
vitamin C
Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...
, sick Portuguese or Spanish sailors were left on the island now known as Curaçao. When their ship returned, some had recovered, probably after eating vitamin C-rich fruit there. From then on, the Portuguese allegedly referred to the island as ''Ilha da Curação'' (Island of Healing)
or the Spanish as ''Isla de la Curación''.
History
Pre-colonial
![Curaçao1836](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Cura%C3%A7ao1836.png)
The original inhabitants of Curaçao were the
Arawak
The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...
and
Caquetio
Caquetio, Caiquetio, or Caiquetia are natives of northwestern Venezuela, living along the shores of Lake Maracaibo at the time of the Spanish conquest. They moved inland to avoid enslavement by the Spaniards, while their numbers were drastically ...
Amerindians
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...
.
Their ancestors had migrated to the island from the mainland of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, probably hundreds of years before Europeans first arrived.
Spanish colonization
The first Europeans recorded as seeing the island were members of a Spanish expedition under the leadership of
Alonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda (; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He travelled through modern-day Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Curaçao, Aruba and Colombia. He navigated with Amerigo Vespucci who is famous ...
in 1499.
The Spaniards
enslaved most of the Arawak for
forced labour
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...
in their
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
colony, but paid little attention to the island itself.
In 1515, almost all of the 2,000 Caquetios living there were also transported to Hispaniola as slaves.
Starting in 1499, Curaçao served as a bridge for the Spanish exploration and conquest of territories in northern South America. The Spanish settled on the island in 1527. Throughout the 16th century, they ruled Curaçao as an insular part of the province of Venezuela, governing it from the mainland before gradually abandoning it as colonization of the continent progressed. One of the oldest written references to the island is in the archives of the main public city registry of
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, Venezuela. A document dated 9 December 1595 states that Francisco Montesinos,
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
and
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
of "the Yslas de Curasao,
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
and
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...
" conferred his
power of attorney
A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...
to Pedro Gutiérrez de Lugo, a Caracas resident, to collect his ecclesiastic salary from the Royal Treasury of
King Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, K ...
.
The Spanish introduced numerous tree, plant and animal species to Curaçao, including horses, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle from Europe and other Spanish colonies. In general, imported sheep, goats and cattle did relatively well. Cattle were herded by Caquetios and Spaniards and roamed freely in the kunuku plantations and
savannas
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
.
Not all imported species fared equally well, and the Spanish also learned to use Caquetio crops and agricultural methods, as well as those from other Caribbean islands. Though historical sources point to thousands of people living on the island, agricultural yields were disappointing; this and the lack of precious metals in the salt mines led the Spanish to call Curaçao "the useless island".
Over time, the number of Spaniards living on Curaçao decreased while the number of aboriginal inhabitants stabilized. Presumably through natural growth, return and colonization, the Caquetio population then began to increase. In the last decades of Spanish occupation, Curaçao was used as a large cattle ranch. At that point, Spaniards lived around
Santa Barbara, Santa Ana and in the villages in the western part of the island, while the Caquetios are thought to have lived scattered all over the island.
Dutch colonial rule
In 1634, during the
Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
of independence between the
Republic of the Netherlands and Spain, the
Dutch West India Company
The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...
under Admiral
Johann van Walbeeck Jan, Johan or Johannes van Walbeeck (1602, Amsterdam – after 1649) was a Dutch navigator and cartographer during a 1620s circumnavigation of the earth, an admiral of the Dutch West India Company, and the first governor of the Netherlands Antilles. ...
invaded the island; the Spanish surrendered in San Juan in August. Approximately 30 Spaniards and many indigenous people were then deported to Santa Ana de Coro in Venezuela. About 30 Taíno families were allowed to live on the island while Dutch colonists started settling there.
The Dutch West India Company founded the capital of Willemstad on the banks of an inlet called the Schottegat; the
natural harbour
A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
proved an ideal place for trade. Commerce and shipping—and
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
—became Curaçao's most important economic activities. Later,
salt mining
Salt mining extracts natural salt deposits from underground. The mined salt is usually in the form of halite (commonly known as rock salt), and extracted from evaporite formations.
History
Before the advent of the modern internal combustio ...
became a major industry, the mineral being a lucrative export at the time. From 1662, the Dutch West India Company made Curaçao a centre of the
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
, often bringing slaves from West Africa to the island, before selling them elsewhere in the Caribbean and
Spanish Main
During the Spanish colonization of America, the Spanish Main was the collective term for the parts of the Spanish Empire that were on the mainland of the Americas and had coastlines on the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico. The term was used to di ...
.
Sephardic Jews
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
fleeing persecution in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
sought safe haven in
Dutch Brazil
Dutch Brazil ( nl, Nederlands-Brazilië), also known as New Holland ( nl, Nieuw-Holland), was a colony of the Dutch Republic in the northeastern portion of modern-day Brazil, controlled from 1630 to 1654 during Dutch colonization of the Americas ...
and the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...
. Many settled in Curaçao, where they made significant contributions to its civil society, cultural development and economic prosperity.
In the
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...
of 1672–78, French Count
Jean II d'Estrées
Jean, Comte d'Estrées, (3 November 1624 in Solothurn, Switzerland – 19 May 1707 in Paris), was a Marshal of France, and an important naval commander of Louis XIV. He was born into a noble family from Picardy. His aunt was Gabrielle d'Estr ...
planned to attack Curaçao. His fleet—12
men-of-war
The man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship or frigate from the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed wi ...
, three
fire ships
A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...
, two transports, a
hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...
, and 12
privateers
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
—met with disaster, losing seven men-of-war and two other ships when they struck
reefs
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...
off the
Las Aves archipelago
The Las Aves Archipelago is a pristine archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, and is part of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela. It is located north of the Venezuelan states of Aragua and Carabobo, between the Dutch island Bonaire in the west, an ...
. The serious navigational error occurred on 11 May 1678, a week after the fleet set sail from
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...
. To commemorate its narrow escape from invasion, Curaçao marked the events with a day of thanksgiving, which was celebrated for decades into the 18th century.
![Curaçao, Broad Street](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Cura%C3%A7ao%2C_Broad_Street.jpg)
Many Dutch colonists grew affluent from the slave trade, building impressive colonial buildings in the capital of Willemstad; the city is now a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
In 1795,
a major slave revolt took place under the leaders
Tula Rigaud, Louis Mercier, Bastian Karpata, and Pedro Wakao. Up to 4,000 slaves in northwest Curaçao revolted, with more than 1,000 taking part in extended gunfights. After a month, the slave owners were able to suppress the revolt.
![Luis Brión 2012 000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Luis_Bri%C3%B3n_2012_000.jpg)
Curaçao's proximity to South America resulted in interaction with cultures of the coastal areas more than a century after the independence of the Netherlands from Spain. Architectural similarities can be seen between 19th century Willemstad neighborhoods and the nearby Venezuelan city of
Coro
Coro or CORO may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Coro'' (Berio), a composition by Luciano Berio
* Coro (music), Italian for choir
* Coro TV, Venezuelan community television channel
* Omweso (Coro), mancala game played in the Lango region of Uganda
* ...
in
Falcón State
)
, anthem =
, image_map = Falcon in Venezuela.svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Location within Venezuela
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_map_alt =
, pushpin_mapsiz ...
, which has also been designated a World Heritage Site. Netherlands established economic ties with the
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada ( es, Virreinato de Nueva Granada, links=no ) also called Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada or Viceroyalty of Santafé was the name given on 27 May 1717, to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in norther ...
that included the present-day countries of
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. In the 19th century, Curaçaoans such as
Manuel Piar
Manuel Carlos María Francisco Piar Gómez (April 28, 1774 – October 16, 1817) was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence.
Heritage and early life
The son of Fernando Alonso Piar y Lottyn, a Span ...
and
Luis Brión
Felipe Luis Brión Detrox (July 6, 1782, Curaçao – September 27, 1821, Curaçao) was a military officer who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence. He rose to the rank of admiral in the navies of Venezuela and the old Republic of C ...
were prominently engaged in the wars of independence of both Venezuela and Colombia. Political refugees from the mainland, such as
Simon Bolivar
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
, regrouped in Curaçao.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the British attacked the island several times, most notably in
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...
, 1804, and from 1807 to 1815. Stable Dutch rule returned in 1815 at the end of the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, when the island was incorporated into the colony of
Curaçao and Dependencies
The Colony of Curaçao and Dependencies ( nl, Kolonie Curaçao en onderhorigheden; pap, Kolonia di Kòrsou i dependensianan) was a Dutch colony in the Caribbean Sea from 1815 until 1828 and from 1845 until 1954. Between 1936 and 1948, the area wa ...
.
The Dutch
abolished slavery in 1863, causing vast changes in the economy with the shift to
wage labour
Wage labour (also wage labor in American English), usually referred to as paid work, paid employment, or paid labour, refers to the socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer in which the worker sells their labour power under ...
.
Some Curaçao inhabitants emigrated to other islands, such as
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, to work in
sugarcane plantations. Other former slaves had nowhere to go and continued working for plantation owners under the
tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...
system, in which former slaves leased land from former masters, paying most of their
harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
to owners as rent. The system lasted until the early 20th century.
Historically, Dutch was not widely spoken on the island outside of the colonial administration, but its use increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
[''Dede pikiña ku su bisiña: Papiamentu-Nederlands en de onverwerkt verleden tijd''. van Putte, Florimon., 1999. Zutphen: de Walburg Pers] Students on Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire were taught predominantly in Spanish until the late 17th century, when the British took all three islands. Teaching of Spanish was restored when Dutch rule resumed in 1815. Also, efforts were made to introduce widespread bilingual Dutch and
Papiamentu
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...
education in the late 19th century.
20th and 21st centuries
When oil was discovered in the Venezuelan
Maracaibo Basin
The Maracaibo Basin, also known as Lake Maracaibo natural region, Lake Maracaibo depression or Lake Maracaibo Lowlands, is a foreland basin and one of the eight natural regions of Venezuela, found in the northwestern corner of Venezuela in South A ...
town of Mene Grande in 1914, Curaçao's economy was dramatically altered. In the early years, both
Shell
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
** Thin-shell structure
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard ou ...
and
Exxon
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...
held drilling
concessions in Venezuela, which ensured a constant supply of crude oil to refineries in Aruba and Curaçao. Crude oil production in Venezuela was inexpensive. Both Shell and Exxon were
vertically integrated
In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration is a term that describes the arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each member of the supply ...
and controlled the entire industry, from pumping, transporting, and refining to sales. The refineries on Aruba and Curaçao operated in global markets and were profitable partly because of the margin between the production costs of crude oil and the revenues made off of products. This provided a safety net for losses incurred through inefficiency or excessive operating costs at the refineries.
In 1929, Curaçao was attacked by
Venezuelan
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
rebel commander
Rafael Simón Urbina
Rafael Simón Urbina López (Puerto Cumarebo, 1897 - Caracas, 13 November 1950) was a Venezuelan rebel who fought against the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez.
Biography
Early battles
Implicated in a 1919 conspiracy to overthrow President Góm ...
, who, with 250 soldiers, captured the fort. The Venezuelans plundered weapons, ammunition, and the island's treasury. They also managed to capture the Governor of the island, Leonardus Albertus Fruytier (1882-1972), and hauled him off to Venezuela on a stolen American ship, ''Maracaibo''. Fruytier was criticized and had to resign as governor. After returning to the Netherlands, he settled for a position as chief inspector in
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
. The Dutch increased their military presence on the island.
In 1954, Curaçao and other Dutch Caribbean colonies were joined together to form the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
. Discontent with Curaçao's seemingly subordinate relationship to the Netherlands, ongoing
racial discrimination
Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...
, and a rise in
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...
owing to layoffs in the oil industry led to a
series of riots in 1969. The riots resulted in two deaths, numerous injuries and severe damage in Willemstad. In response, the Dutch government introduced far-reaching reforms, allowing Afro-Curaçaoans greater influence over the island's political and economic life, and increased the prominence of the local Papiamentu language.
![Dutch soldier, 1969 Curaçao uprising](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Dutch_soldier%2C_1969_Cura%C3%A7ao_uprising.png)
Curaçao experienced an economic downturn in the early 1980s. Shell's refinery on the island operated with significant losses from 1975 to 1979, and again from 1982 to 1985. Persistent losses, global
overproduction
In economics, overproduction, oversupply, excess of supply or glut refers to excess of supply over demand of products being offered to the market. This leads to lower prices and/or unsold goods along with the possibility of unemployment.
The de ...
, stronger competition, and low market expectations threatened the refinery's future. In 1985, after 70 years, Royal Dutch Shell decided to end its activities on Curaçao. This came at a crucial moment. Curaçao's fragile economy had been stagnant for some time. Several revenue-generating sectors suffered even more during this period: tourism from Venezuela collapsed after the
devaluation
In macroeconomics and modern monetary policy, a devaluation is an official lowering of the value of a country's currency within a fixed exchange-rate system, in which a monetary authority formally sets a lower exchange rate of the national curren ...
of the
bolivar, and a slowdown in the transportation sector had deleterious effects on the Antillean Airline Company and the Curaçao Dry Dock Company. The offshore financial services industry also experienced a downturn due to new U.S. tax laws.
In the mid-1980s, Shell sold its refinery for the symbolic amount of one
Antillean guilder
The Netherlands Antillean guilder ( nl, gulden) is the currency of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, which until 2010 formed the Netherlands Antilles along with Bonaire, Saba (island), Saba, and Sint Eustatius. It is subdivided into 100 ''cents'' (Dutch ...
to a local government
consortium
A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...
. In recent years, the aging refinery has been the subject of lawsuits alleging that its emissions, including
sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...
and
particulate matter
Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...
, far exceed safety standards.
The government consortium leases the refinery to the Venezuelan
PDVSA
Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA, ) (English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as exploration and production ...
state oil company.
Continuing economic hardship in the late 1990s and early 2000s resulted in much emigration to the Netherlands.
On 1 July 2007, Curaçao was due to become a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, like Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. On 28 November 2006, the change was delayed when the island council rejected a clarification memorandum on the process. A new island council ratified this agreement on 9 July 2007.
On 15 December 2008, Curaçao was again scheduled to become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. A non-binding referendum on the move was held in Curaçao on 15 May 2009; 52% of voters supported it.
Since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles
The
dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—became th ...
came into effect on 10 October 2010. Curaçao became a country within the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
, with the kingdom retaining responsibility for
defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense industr ...
and
foreign policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
. The kingdom was also tasked with overseeing the island's finances under a
debt-relief arrangement agreed upon between the two. Curaçao's first
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
was
Gerrit Schotte
Gerrit Fransisco Schotte () (born 9 September 1974) is a Curaçaoan politician, and the current leader of the Movementu Futuro Kòrsou (MFK). In the Curaçao general election of 27 August 2010, the MFK became the second-largest party with 5 sea ...
. He was succeeded in 2012 by
Stanley Betrian
Stanley Mario Betrian (born 1 November 1951) is a Curaçaoan politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Curaçao, in an interim capacity. He was sworn in on 29 September by Acting Governor Adèle van der Pluijm-Vrede. He led the governme ...
, ''ad interim''. After the 2012 elections,
Daniel Hodge
Daniel Hodge (born ) is a Curaçaoan politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Curaçao. He was sworn in on by Acting Governor , replacing Stanley Betrian, who led an interim government in the last months of 2012. On , Hodge lodged ...
became the third prime minister on 31 December 2012.
He led a
demissionary cabinet
A demissionary cabinet ( nl, demissionair kabinet) is a type of caretaker cabinet in the Netherlands.
A demissionary cabinet continues the current government after a cabinet has ended. This can either be after completion of the full term, betwe ...
until 7 June 2013, when a new cabinet under the leadership of
Ivar Asjes
Ivar Onno Odwin Asjes (born 16 September 1970 in Rotterdam) is a Curaçaoan politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of Curaçao from 7 June 2013 to 31 August 2015. He resigned after losing a vote of no-confidence. before becoming prime mini ...
was sworn in.
Although Curaçao is autonomous, the Netherlands has intervened in its affairs to ensure that parliamentary elections are held and to assist in finalizing accurate budgets. In July 2017, Curaçaoan Prime Minister
Eugene Rhuggenaath
From the 29th of May 2017 until the 14th of June 2021, Eugene Rhuggenaath (born 4 February 1970) was the Curaçaoan 7tPrime ministerbefore Gilmar Pisas won the 2021 elections. He previously served as Minister for Economic Development in the Koei ...
said he wanted Curaçao to take full responsibility over its affairs, but asked for more cooperation and assistance from the Netherlands, with suggestions for more innovative approaches to help Curaçao succeed and increase its
standard of living
Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
. The Dutch government reminded the Curaçaoan government that it had provided assistance with oil refinery negotiations with the Chinese "on numerous occasions".
The 2020
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
resulted in
austerity measures
Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...
. Curaçao had to impose spending cuts to qualify for additional aid from the Netherlands.
As part of the austerity package, the Government of Curaçao announced a 12.5% cut in benefits for
civil servants
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
.
On 24 June 2020, a group of civil servants, together with
waste collector
A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and r ...
s from Selikor, marched to
Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers. It was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then English/British rule of the colony of New Netherland and subsequently the ...
and demanded to speak with Rhuggenaath.
The demonstration turned into a
riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...
, and police cleared the square in front of Fort Amsterdam
with
tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
. The city centre of
Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William I of the Netherlands, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdo ...
was later
looted
Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
.
48 people were arrested, the city districts of
Punda
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior ...
and
Otrobanda
Otrobanda is one of the historic quarters of Willemstad, located at the southwest side of the city, in Curaçao. Otrobanda was founded in 1707, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History
Otrobanda was founded in 1707 as a subur ...
were placed under
lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
for the night, and a general
curfew
A curfew is a government order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to ''not'' be in public places or on roads within a certain time frame, typically in the evening and ...
was declared from 20:30 to 06:00.
Geography
![Curacao Iguana iguana 2021 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Curacao_Iguana_iguana_2021_2.jpg)
Curaçao, as well as the rest of the
ABC islands and
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, lies on the
continental shelf
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...
of South America. It is a thin island with a generally hilly topography; the highest point is
Christoffelberg
The Christoffelberg, also known as Mt Christoffel or Mt St Christoffel, named after Saint Christopher, is the highest point on Curaçao. The Christoffelberg is high and lies in the reserved wildlife park, Curaçao Christoffelpark, which can be ...
in the northwest, with a peak at above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
. The coastline's bays, inlets and hot springs offer a source of natural minerals, thermal conditions, and seawater used in
hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...
and
mesotherapy
Mesotherapy (from Greek ''mesos'', "middle", and therapy from Greek ''therapeia'') is a non-invasive non-surgical technique that uses micro-injections of pharmaceutical
preparations, plant extracts, vitamins, and other ingredients into subcutaneo ...
, making the island one of many
balneoclimateric areas in the region. Off the southeast coast lies the small, flat island of
Klein Curaçao
Klein Curaçao (English: ''Little Curaçao'') is a uninhabited island belonging to, and lying 10 km south-east of, Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Dutch Caribbean.
Description
Klein Curaçao has a ...
.
Flora
Curaçao's flora differ from typical tropical island vegetation.
Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub is the most notable, with various forms of
cacti
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
, thorny shrubs,
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
, and
watapana
''Libidibia coriaria'', synonym ''Caesalpinia coriaria'', is a leguminous tree or large shrub native to the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and northern and western South America. Common names include divi-divi, cascalote, guaracabuya, gu ...
trees (''Libidibia coriaria''; called ''divi-divi'' on Aruba), which are characteristic of the ABC islands and the national symbol of Aruba. ''
Brassavola nodosa
''Brassavola nodosa'' is a small, tough species of orchid native to Mexico (from Tamaulipas south to Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula), Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Guyana and French Guian ...
'' is a
drought-tolerant
Drought tolerance is the ability to which a plant maintains its biomass production during arid or drought conditions. Some plants are naturally adapted to dry conditions'','' surviving with protection mechanisms such as desiccation tolerance, detox ...
species of ''
Brassavola
''Brassavola'' is a genus of 21 orchids (family Orchidaceae). They were named in 1813 by the Scottish botanist Robert Brown. The name comes from the Italian nobleman and physician Antonio Musa Brassavola. This genus is abbreviated B. in trade jou ...
,'' one of the few
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
s present in the ABC islands. Cacti include ''
Melocactus
''Melocactus'' (melon cactus), also known as the Turk's cap cactus, is a genus of cactus with about 30–40 species. They are native to the Caribbean, western Mexico through Central America to northern South America, with some species along the A ...
'' and ''
Opuntia
''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...
'' species such as ''
Opuntia stricta
''Opuntia stricta'' is a species of large cactus that is endemic to the subtropical and tropical coastal areas of the Americas, especially around the Caribbean. Common names include erect prickly pear and nopal estricto (Spanish). The first desc ...
''.
Fauna
Curaçao is
semi-arid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
, and as such has not supported the numerous tropical species of mammals, birds, and lizards most associated with
rainforests
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...
. Dozens of species of
hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics arou ...
,
bananaquits
The bananaquit (''Coereba flaveola'') is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. Before the development of molecular genetics in the 21st century, its relationship to other species was uncertain and it was either placed with ...
,
orioles
Oriole or Orioles may refer to:
Animals
* Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae
* New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae
Music
* The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and early ...
, and the larger
terns
Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...
,
herons
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...
,
egrets
Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same buil ...
, and even
flamingos
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean) ...
make their homes near ponds or in coastal areas. The trupial, a black bird with a bright orange underbelly and white swatches on its wings, is common to Curaçao. The
mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. ...
, called ''chuchubi'' in Papiamentu, resembles the North American mockingbird, with a long white-grey tail and a grey back. Near shorelines, big-billed
brown pelicans
The brown pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mou ...
feed on fish. Other seabirds include several types of
gulls
Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...
and large
cormorants
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...
.
Other than field mice, small rabbits, and cave bats, Curaçao's most notable animal is the
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
. This deer is related to the American white-tailed deer, or Virginia deer, found in areas from North America through Central America and the Caribbean, and as far south as Bolivia. It can be a large deer, some reaching in length and in height, and weighing as much as . It has a long tail with a white underside, and is the only type of deer on the island. It has been a
protected species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invas ...
since 1926, and an estimated 200 live on Curaçao. They are found in many parts of the island, but most notably at the west end's Christoffel Park, where about 70% of the herd resides.
Archaeologists
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
believe the deer were brought from South America to Curaçao by its original inhabitants, the Arawaks.
There are several species of
iguana
''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...
, light green in colour with shimmering shades of aqua along the belly and sides, found lounging in the sun across the island. The iguanas found on Curaçao serve not only as a scenic attraction but, unlike many islands that gave up the practice years ago, remain hunted for food. Along the west end of the island's north shore are several inlets that have become home to breeding
sea turtles
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...
. These turtles are protected by the park system in Shete Boka Park, and can be visited accompanied by park rangers.
Climate
Curaçao has a
hot, semi-arid climate (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''BSh'') with a
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
from January to September and a
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...
from October to December. Rainfall is scarce, only 450 millimeters (12 inches) per year; in particular, the rainy season is drier than it normally is in tropical climates; during the dry season, it almost never rains. Owing to the scarcity of rainfall, the landscape of Curaçao is arid; especially on the north coast of the island. Temperatures are relatively constant, with small differences measured throughout the year. The
trade winds
The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...
cool the island during the day and warm it at night. The coolest month is January with an average temperature of ; the hottest is September with an average temperature of . The year's average maximum temperature is . The year's average temperature is . The seawater around Curaçao averages around and is coolest (avg. ) from February to March, and hottest (avg. ) from September to October.
Because Curaçao lies North of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the thermal e ...
and in an area of low-level divergence where winds flow parallel to the coast, its climate is much drier than expected for the northeastern side of a continent at its latitude. Rainfall is also extremely variable from year to year, being strongly linked to the
El Niño Southern Oscillation
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
. As little as may fall in a strong El Niño year, but as much as is not unknown in powerful
La Niña
La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
years.
Curaçao lies outside the Atlantic's
Hurricane Alley
Hurricane Alley is an area of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from the west coast of northern Africa to the east coast of Central America and Gulf Coast of the Southern United States. Many hurricanes form within this area. The sea su ...
but is still occasionally affected by
hurricanes
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
, as with Hurricane
Hazel
The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
in 1954,
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221)
...
in 1961,
Felix
Felix may refer to:
* Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name
Places
* Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen
* Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
in 2007, and
Omar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
in 2008. No hurricane has made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
in Curaçao since the US
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 3 ...
started tracking hurricanes. Curaçao has, however, been directly affected by pre-hurricane tropical storms several times; the latest being Hurricane
Tomas Tomas may refer to:
People
* Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name
* Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name
* Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name
* Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...
in 2010,
Cesar in 1996,
Joan Joan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters
*:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine
* Joan (surname)
Weather events
*Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...
in 1988,
Cora and
Greta Greta may refer to:
*Greta (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Places
* Greta Bridge, village in County Durham, England
* Greta, New South Wales, town in Australia
** Greta railway station
** Greta Army Camp, form ...
in 1978,
Edith
Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and vari ...
and
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
in 1971, and
Francelia in 1969. Tomas brushed past Curaçao as a tropical storm, dropping as much as of rain on the island, nearly half its annual precipitation in a single day. This made Tomas one of the wettest events in the island's history, as well as one of the most devastating; its flooding killed two people and caused over NAƒ50 million (US$28 million) in damage.
According to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, average
carbon dioxide emissions per person on the island were 52 tonnes in 2018, the second highest in the world.
Meteo, the Curaçao weather department, provides up-to-date information about weather conditions via its
website
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
and
mobile apps
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on de ...
for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and
Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
.
Climate change
Average temperatures have risen sharply in the past 40 years in the Caribbean Netherlands and Curaçao has experienced more warm days and fewer cooler nights.
The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) a ...
predicts that should air temperatures increase by 1.4 degrees, there will be a 5% to 6% decrease in rainfall, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (including a 66% increase in hurricane intensity), and a 0.5- to 0.6-meter sea-level rise in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Geology
The northern
seabed
The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'.
The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...
drops steeply within of the Curaçaoan shore. This drop-off is known as the "blue edge".
On Curaçao, four major
geological formations
A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...
can be found: the lava formation, the Knip formation, the Mid-Curaçao formation and limestone formations.
Curaçao lies within the
Caribbean large igneous province
The Caribbean large igneous province (CLIP) consists of a major flood basalt, which created this large igneous province (LIP). It is the source of the current large eastern Pacific oceanic plateau, of which the Caribbean-Colombian oceanic plateau i ...
(CLIP) with key exposures of those lavas existing on the island consisting of the Curaçao Lava Formation (CLF). The CLF consists of 5 km of
pillow lava
Pillow lavas are lavas that contain characteristic pillow-shaped structures that are attributed to the extrusion of the lava underwater, or ''subaqueous extrusion''. Pillow lavas in volcanic rock are characterized by thick sequences of disconti ...
s with some
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
intrusion
In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...
s. The ages of these rocks include 89
Ma for the lavas and 75 Ma for the
poikilitic
Poikilitic texture refers to igneous rocks where large later-formed less perfect crystals ('oikocrysts') surround smaller early-formed idiomorphic crystals ('chadacrysts') of other minerals. A poikilitic texture is most easily observed in petrog ...
sills, though some sequences may have erupted as late as 62–66 Ma, placing them in the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...
period. Their composition includes
picrite
Picrite basalt or picrobasalt is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine. It is dark with yellow-green olivine phenocrysts (20-50%) and black to dark brown pyroxene, mostly augite.
The olivine-rich p ...
pillows at the base, followed by
tholeiitic
The tholeiitic magma series is one of two main magma series in subalkaline igneous rocks, the other being the calc-alkaline series. A magma series is a chemically distinct range of magma compositions that describes the evolution of a mafic magma i ...
lavas, then
hyaloclastite
Hyaloclastite is a volcanoclastic accumulation or breccia consisting of glass (from the Greek ''hyalus'') fragments (clasts) formed by quench fragmentation of lava flow surfaces during submarine or subglacial extrusion. It occurs as thin margin ...
s, then the poikilitic sills. The CLF was gradually
uplifted
''Uplifted'' is the second studio album by Nigerian singer Flavour N'abania. It was released on July 20, 2010, by Obaino Music and 2nite Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Jay Dey, Oloye, Stormrex, Waga Gee, Asemstone, M-Jay, ...
until
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
-
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
limestone caps formed, before final exposure above sea level.
Christoffelberg
The Christoffelberg, also known as Mt Christoffel or Mt St Christoffel, named after Saint Christopher, is the highest point on Curaçao. The Christoffelberg is high and lies in the reserved wildlife park, Curaçao Christoffelpark, which can be ...
and the Zevenbergen (Seven Hills) portion of the island have exposures of the Knip
Formation
Formation may refer to:
Linguistics
* Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes
* Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes
Mathematics and science
* Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...
. This formation includes deepwater deposits of
calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
s and fine
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
s, capped by
siliceous
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...
chert
Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a prec ...
containing
radiolarian
The Radiolaria, also called Radiozoa, are protozoa of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and ectoplasm. The elab ...
s. Middle Curaçao contains
alluvial
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
soils from eroded CLF and limestone.
Beaches
![Grote Knip Kenepa Grandi Curacao (36561697451)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Grote_Knip_Kenepa_Grandi_Curacao_%2836561697451%29.jpg)
Curaçao has a large number of beaches. Most are on the south side of the island. The best known are:
*
Baya Beach
Baya Beach is one of 38 official beaches on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, situated on a peninsula in the south-east of Caracas Bay next to Fort Beekenburg. It used to be a bunker port of Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multina ...
*
Blue Bay
*
Boca Sami
Sint Michiel (also Boca Samí) is a former fishing village in Willemstad lying at the south end of Bullenbaai bay on the west coast of Curaçao. It is located to the northwest of the island's city centre.
Overview
The St. Michiel Bay is locally ...
*
Daaibooi
Daaibooi is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located close to the village of Sint Willibrordus, a 30 minutes drive to the north-west of Willemstad. The beach is in a secluded bay, surrounded by cliffs. The loggerhead sea turtle
Th ...
*
Grote Knip
Grote Knip (also called Playa Abou in Papiamento, translation: "Beach in a valley") is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located at the western side of the island, between the villages of Westpunt
Westpunt is the name of the westernmos ...
(Kenepa Grandi)
*
Kleine Knip
Kleine Knip (Papiamento: Playa Kenepa Chiki) is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. It is located at the western side of the island, between the villages of Westpunt and Lagún, at 50 mins drive from Willemstad. It is a small beach, locate ...
(Kenepa Chiki)
* Kokomo Beach
* Mambo Beach
* Piscaderabaai
*
Playa Forti
Playa Forti is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located near the village of Westpunt in the north-west of the Island. It is a sandy beach with small pebbles. There are a snack bar and a restaurant. Close to the restaurant, there is a sp ...
*
Playa Jeremi
Playa Jeremi is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located close to the village of Lagun in the north-west of the island. The beach is made up partly of sand, partly of volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-ma ...
* Playa Kas Abao
*
Playa Kalki
Playa Kalki is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, also known as Alice in Wonderland due to mushroom-shaped coral formations. The name ''Kalki'' is unrelated to the Avatar Kalki, but comes from the local Papiamentu word for the white coral ...
*
Playa Kanoa
Playa Kanoa is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located to the north of Willemstad. It is one of the few beaches on the northern side of the island. Surfing
Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or tw ...
*
Playa Lagun
Playa Lagun is a beach on Curaçao, located near the village of Lagún.
Play Lagun is located in a small bay. Surrounding the bay, an apartment complex has been built. The beach is used as a starting point for snorkeling. There is a snack bar and ...
*
Playa Porto Marie
Playa Porto Marie (Playa Porto Maria in Papiamento) is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located near the village of Sint Willibrordus, at the Porto Marie Bay
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of ...
*
Playa Santa Cruz
Playa Santa Cruz is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located to the south of the village of Lagun. It is a wide, sandy beach. There are beach cabins and a snack bar that opens irregularly during weekends.
ReferencesCuraçao Beaches ...
*
Playa Santa Barbara
*
Seaquarium Beach
Seaquarium Beach (also called Sea Aquarium Beach) is a beach on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, located to the south of Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the souther ...
* Sint Michielsbaai
* Vaersenbaai
*
Westpunt
Westpunt is the name of the westernmost point of the island of Curaçao, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. A flag marks the most westerly point of the island off Cliff Villa Peninsula one kilometre north of the town ...
Curaçao has a total of 37 beaches.
Architecture
The island has diverse architectural styles reflecting the influence of the various historical rulers over the region, including Spain, the Netherlands, with more modern elements under Western influence primarily including the United States and other European countries. This ranges from
ruins
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
and colonial buildings to modern infrastructure.
Forts
![Curacao Fort Beekenburg Luftbild (34873603326)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Curacao_Fort_Beekenburg_Luftbild_%2834873603326%29.jpg)
When the Dutch arrived in 1634, they built forts at key points around the island to protect themselves from foreign powers, privateers, and pirates. Six of the best-preserved forts can still be seen today:
*
Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers. It was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then English/British rule of the colony of New Netherland and subsequently the ...
(1635)
*
Fort Beekenburg
Spaanse Water is a town on the island of Curaçao. It contains the tourist resort ''Nieuwpoort'', the village of ''Santa Barbara'', and the Tafelberg. Spaanse Water is a natural harbour and lagoon located to the east of Willemstad. The lagoon con ...
(1703)
*
Fort Nassau (1797)
*
Waterfort
Waterfort is a fort in Willemstad, Curaçao located on the eastern side of the Sint Anna Bay. It was built in 1827 to protect Willemstad against attack. In 1858, marines were stationed in the fort. During World War II, the fort was put into operati ...
(1826)
*
Rif Fort
Otrobanda is one of the historic quarters of Willemstad, located at the southwest side of the city, in Curaçao. Otrobanda was founded in 1707, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History
Otrobanda was founded in 1707 as a subur ...
(1828)
*
Fort Piscadera
Piscadera Bay (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Piscaderabaai'') is a waterway and a neighbourhood in the Netherlands Antilles. It is situated at the western side of Otrobanda, in the southern part of Willemstad, the capital of the southern Caribbean islan ...
(built between 1701 and 1704)
In 1957, the hotel
Van der Valk Plaza Curaçao
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...
was built on top of the Waterfort.
The Rif Fort is located opposite of the Waterfort, across the
Otrobanda
Otrobanda is one of the historic quarters of Willemstad, located at the southwest side of the city, in Curaçao. Otrobanda was founded in 1707, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History
Otrobanda was founded in 1707 as a subur ...
harbour entrance. It contains restaurants and shops, and in 2009, the Renaissance Curaçao Resort and Casino opened next to it.
Government
Curaçao is a
constituent country of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
.
Its governance takes place in a framework of a
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...
representative democracy
Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represen ...
. The
King of the Netherlands
King of The Netherlands (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Koning der Nederlanden'') is the title of the Dutch head of state. The king serves as the Head of state, head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which includes the constituent nations of ...
is the
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
, represented locally by a
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, with the
Prime Minister of Curaçao
The Prime Minister of Curaçao is the head of government of Curaçao. The post was created after the Netherlands Antilles had been dissolved on 10 October 2010 and Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Prime Minister ...
serving as
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...
.
Executive power
The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state.
In political systems ba ...
is exercised by the government.
Legislative power
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
is vested in both the government and
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
.
The
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
is
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
of the executive and the legislature. Convicted
felons
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resul ...
are held at the
Curaçao Centre for Detention and Correction.
Curaçao has full autonomy over most matters; the exceptions are outlined in the
Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (in Dutch: ''Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden''; in Papiamentu: ''Statuut di Reino Hulandes'') is a legal instrument that sets out the political relationship between the four countries tha ...
under the title "
Kingdom affairs".
Military
![Luchtfoto van de marinebasis Parera op Curaçao](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Luchtfoto_van_de_marinebasis_Parera_op_Cura%C3%A7ao.jpg)
Defence of the island is the responsibility of the Netherlands.
The
Netherlands Armed Forces
The Netherlands Armed Forces ( nl, Nederlandse krijgsmacht) are the military services of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The core of the armed forces consists of the four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy (), the Royal Netherlands ...
deploy both ground and naval units in the Caribbean with some of these forces based on Curacao. These forces include:
* a company of the
Royal Netherlands Army
The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...
on Curaçao on a rotational basis;
* a Fast Raiding Interception and Special Forces Craft (FRISC) troop (fast boats);
* a guardship, normally a
Holland-class offshore patrol vessel
The ''Holland''-class ocean-going patrol vessels are a class of four ocean-going patrol vessels constructed for the Royal Netherlands Navy. They are designed to fulfill patrol and intervention tasks against lightly armed opponents, such as pira ...
, from the
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
on station in the Caribbean on a rotational basis;
* the Royal Netherlands Navy support vessel
HNLMS Pelikaan;
* Curmil (Curaçaoan) militia elements;
* Elements of a
Royal Marechaussee
The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee ( nl, Koninklijke Marechaussee, abbreviated to KMar) is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national pol ...
brigade of the Armed Forces.
Two
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
naval bases, Parera and
Suffisant, are located on the island of Curaçao. Officers of the
Arubaanse Militie complete additional training on Curaçao.
On the west side of
Curaçao International Airport
Curaçao International Airport , ( pap, Aeropuerto Internashonal Hato, nl, Hato Internationale Luchthaven) also known as Hato International Airport (formerly Dr. Albert Plesman International Airport), is the only airport for the island of Cura ...
are hangars for the two
Bombardier Dash 8
The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...
Maritime Patrol Aircraft and two
AgustaWestland AW139
The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...
helicopters of the
Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard
The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) ( nl, Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (''KWCARIB'')) is the coast guard of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Dutch Caribbean. The unit is a joint effort between all constituent countries within the Kingdom. ...
. Until 2007, the site was a
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
air base
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...
which operated for 55 years with a wide variety of aircraft, including
Fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family (biology), family of Elateroidea, elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are bioluminescence, light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, ...
,
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
,
Trackers,
Neptunes
The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, ...
,
Fokker F-27s,
P-3C Orions,
Fokker F-60s and several helicopter types. After the political decision to sell off all Orions, the air base wasn't needed anymore.
The west end of the airport is a
USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
Forward Operating Location (FOL).
The base hosts
Airborne Warning And Control System
Airborne or Airborn may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis
* ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film
* ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
(AWACS),
cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of air cargo, cargo rather than passenger aircraft, passengers. Such aircraft usually ...
,
aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
planes, and
reconnaissance aircraft
A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as ...
.
Until 1999, the USAF operated a small fleet of
F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
fighters from the FOL. The
PAE corporation runs base operations at the FOL.
Conscription
Suffisant Naval Base has facilities used for
conscription
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
in the Caribbean. There has been no military conscription since 1997, but a form of
civil conscription
Civil conscription is the obligation of civilians to perform mandatory labour for the government. This kind of work has to correspond with the exceptions in international agreements, otherwise it could fall under the category of unfree labour. Th ...
has replaced it, compelling underprivileged young Antilleans to undertake professional training.
Politics
After being part of the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
, Curaçao became autonomous, along with
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...
island, while the less-populated islands of
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...
,
Sint Eustatius
Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially " public body") of the Netherlands.
The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, so ...
and
Saba Saba may refer to:
Places
* Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea
* Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
* Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras
* Saba (river), L ...
remained
special municipalities governed by the Netherlands.
Economy
![Bohrinsel Curacao (34800864151)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Bohrinsel_Curacao_%2834800864151%29.jpg)
Curaçao has an
open economy
An open economy is a type of economy where not only domestic factors but also entities in other countries engage in trade of products (goods and services). Trade can take the form of managerial exchange, technology transfers, and all kinds of goo ...
; its most important sectors are
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
,
international trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy)
In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...
,
shipping services,
oil refining
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...
,
oil storage and
bunkering
Bunkering is the supplying of fuel for use by ships (such fuel is referred to as bunker), including the logistics of loading and distributing the fuel among available shipboard tanks. A person dealing in trade of bunker (fuel) is called a bunk ...
, and international
financial services
Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...
.
Venezuelan state oil company
PDVSA
Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA, ) (English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as exploration and production ...
's lease on the island's oil refinery expired in 2019; the facility employs 1,000 people, refining oil from
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
for export to the US and Asia.
Schlumberger
Schlumberger Limited (), doing business as SLB, is an oilfield services company. Schlumberger has four principal executive offices located in Paris, Houston, London, and The Hague.
Schlumberger is the world's largest offshore drilling compa ...
, the world's largest oil field services company, is incorporated in Curaçao. The is said to be responsible for Curaçao's position as one of the world's top five highest per capita CO
2 emission-producing countries.
Along with
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...
, Curaçao uses the
Netherlands Antillean guilder
The Netherlands Antillean guilder ( nl, gulden) is the currency of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, which until 2010 formed the Netherlands Antilles along with Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius. It is subdivided into 100 ''cents'' (Dutch plural form: ...
as its currency.
Its economy is well-developed, supporting a high standard of living, ranking 46th in the world in terms of
GDP (PPP) per capita
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a money, monetary Measurement in economics, measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjec ...
and 27th in the world in terms of
nominal GDP per capita
The figures presented here do not take into account differences in the cost of living in different countries, and the results vary greatly from one year to another based on fluctuations in the exchange rates of the country's currency. Such fluc ...
. Curaçao possesses a
high-income economy
A high-income economy is defined by the World Bank as a nation with a gross national income per capita of US$12,696 or more in 2020, calculated using the Atlas method. While the term "high-income" is often used interchangeably with "First World" a ...
as defined by the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
.
Activities related to the port of Willemstad, such as the
Free Trade Zone
A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cus ...
, make significant contributions to the economy.
To achieve greater
economic diversification
Economic diversity or economic diversification refers to variations in the economic status or the use of a broad range of economic activities in a region or country. Diversification is used as a strategy to encourage positive economic growth and d ...
, the Curaçaoan government is increasing its efforts to attract more foreign investment.
This policy, called the "Open Arms" policy, features a heavy focus on attracting
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
companies.
Since 2016, reduced foreign demand for goods due to the ongoing
unrest
Unrest, also called disaffection, is a sociological phenomenon, including:
* Civil unrest
* Civil disorder
* Domestic terrorism
* Industrial unrest
* Labor unrest
* Rebellion
* Riot
* Strike action
* State of emergency
Notable historical instance ...
and
political uncertainty in Venezuela has led to decreased exports and increased domestic demand for goods and services, resulting in
economic stagnation
Economic stagnation is a prolonged period of slow economic growth (traditionally measured in terms of the GDP growth), usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as es ...
. While many economic sectors contracted, expansion took place in the
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...
,
financial intermediation
A financial intermediary is an institution or individual that serves as a middleman among diverse parties in order to facilitate financial transactions. Common types include commercial banks, investment banks, stockbrokers, pooled investment funds ...
, and
utilities
A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...
sectors.
Tourism
![Curacao Jan Thiel (34526956140)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Curacao_Jan_Thiel_%2834526956140%29.jpg)
While tourism plays a major role in Curaçao's economy, the island is less reliant on tourism than many other Caribbean countries. Most tourists come to Curaçao from the Netherlands, the eastern United States, South America and other Caribbean islands. Curaçao was a Caribbean leader in
cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...
tourism growth, with 610,186 cruise passengers in 2013, a 41.4% increase over the previous year.
Hato International Airport
Hato or HATO may refer to:
Places
* Hato International Airport, Willemstad, Curaçao
* Hato, Curaçao, a village and former plantation in Curaçao
* Hato, Santander, a town in Santander Department, Colombia
* Hato, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, a barr ...
received 1,772,501 passengers in 2013 and announced capital investments totaling US$48 million aimed at transforming the airport into a
regional hub by 2018.
The Curaçaoan
insular shelf's sharp drop-off known as the "Blue Edge" is often visited by
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
tourists. Coral reefs for
snorkeling
Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a ...
and scuba diving can be reached without a boat. The southern coast has calm waters as well as many small beaches, such as Jan Thiel and Cas Abou. At the westernmost point of the island is
Watamula
Watamula is located at the westernmost point, Westpunt of the Caribbean island of Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles
The name Watamula comes from the Dutch word ''Watermolen'' which means “water mill.” The name refers to the two currents whi ...
and the
Cliff Villa Peninsula
The Cliff Villa Peninsula (Klif Villa Schiereiland) is a promontory where two currents meet on the north-westerly point of the island of Curaçao (a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean)
Cliff Villa Peninsula is know ...
which are good locations for drift diving. The coastline of Curaçao features numerous bays and inlets which serve as popular mooring locations for boats.
In June 2017, the island was named the Top Cruise Destination in the Southern Caribbean by
Cruise Critic
Cruise Critic is a cruise ship review site. Annually in December, it publishes the Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards, which recognize the best cruise lines of the year in various categories.
History
The site was co-founded in 1995 by Anne Camp ...
, a major online forum. The winners of the Destination Awards were selected based on comments from cruise passengers who rated the downtown area of Willemstad as "amazing" and the food and shopping as "excellent". The historic centre of Willemstad is a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. Another attraction is the towns colourful street art. the
Blue Bay Sculpture Garden
The Blue Bay Sculpture Garden is a sculpture park situated at the Blue Bay Golf & Beach Resort in Boca Samí, Curaçao, on an area of approximately 2000 square metres in front of and next to Landhuis Blauw.
The Blue Bay Sculpture Garden Foundation ...
with works from known Curaçao artists is situated in a nearby resort.
Landhuis Bloemhof
Landhuis Bloemhof is a plantation house, art gallery and museum in Willemstad, Curaçao. The house was built in 1735 as ''Landhuis Nooitgedacht''. During the 20th century, the house was owned by May Henriquez, a sculptress and writer, and became a ...
is an art museum and gallery located in Willemstad.
Some of the coral reefs are 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. It is now under investigation to see if the sewer waste of hotels is a partial cause of the dying of the coral reef.
Labour
In 2016, a Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicated that the unemployment rate was 13.3%. For residents ages 15–64, the employment rate was 70.4%.
Financial services
Curaçao's history in
financial services
Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...
dates back to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Prior to this period, the financial arms of local merchant houses functioned as informal lenders to the community. However, at the turn of the 20th century, Curaçao underwent industrialization, and a number of merchant houses established private
commercial bank
A commercial bank is a financial institution which accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make profit.
It can also refer to a bank, or a division of a large bank, which deals with cor ...
s. As the economy grew, these banks began assuming additional functions eventually becoming full-fledged financial institutions.
The
Dutch Caribbean Securities Exchange
The Dutch Caribbean Securities Exchange (DCSX) is a self-regulatory international Exchange for the listing and trading in domestic and international securities. It is a platform where companies can register for funding and investors can choose com ...
is located in the capital of Willemstad, as is the
Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten
The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten ( nl, Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten, previously the ''Bank of the Netherlands Antilles'') is the central bank for the Netherlands Antillean guilder and administers the monetary policy of ...
; the latter of which dates to 1828. It is the oldest
central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union,
and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...
in the Western Hemisphere. The island's legal system supports a variety of corporate structures and is a
corporate haven
Corporate haven, corporate tax haven, or multinational tax haven is used to describe a jurisdiction that multinational corporations find attractive for establishing subsidiaries or incorporation of regional or main company headquarters, mostly du ...
. Though Curaçao is considered a
tax haven
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
, it adheres to the EU Code of Conduct against harmful tax practices. It holds a qualified intermediary status from the
United States Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
. It is an accepted jurisdiction of the
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...
and Caribbean
Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering
The Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF), also known by its French name, ''Groupe d'action financière'' (GAFI), is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat m ...
. The country enforces Anti-
Money Laundering
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdictions ...
and
Counter-Terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
funding compliance.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
On 30 June 2014, Curaçao was deemed to have an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the United States of America with respect to the "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" of the United States of America. The Tax Information Exchange Agreement signed in Washington, D.C. on 17 April 2002 between the U.S. and the Kingdom of the Netherlands includes Curaçao, and was updated with respect to Curaçao in 2014, taking effect in 2016.
Trade
Curaçao trades mainly with the United States, Venezuela, and the European Union. It has an Association Agreement with the European Union which allows companies which do business in and via Curaçao to export products to European markets, free of import duties and quotas. It is also a participant in the US
Caribbean Basin Initiative The Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), a trade initiative initiated by the 1983 Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), is a United States program. The CBI came into effect on January 1, 1984, and aimed to provide several tariff and trade ben ...
allowing it to have preferential access to the US market.
Prostitution
Prostitution in Curaçao is legal only for foreign women who get a temporary permit to work in the large open-air brothel called "Le Mirage" or "
Campo Alegre". Using prostitution services is legal for men (locals included). The brothel has operated near the airport since the 1940s.
Curaçao monitors, contains and regulates the industry. The government states that the workers in these establishments are thereby given a safe environment and access to medical practitioners. However this approach does exclude local women (or men) to legally make a living from prostitution and does lead to loss of local income, as the foreign prostitutes send or take most of their earnings home.
The
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
has cited anecdotal evidence claiming that, "Curaçao...
s a
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
History ...
destination island... for women trafficked for the sex trade from Peru, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, according to local observers. At least 500 foreign women reportedly are in prostitution throughout the five islands of the Antilles, some of whom have been trafficked."
The US Department of State has said that the government of Curaçao frequently underestimates the extent of
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...
problems.
Demographics
![Curaçao synagogue1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Cura%C3%A7ao_synagogue1.jpg)
Owing to the island's history of colonial times, the majority of the Curaçaoans are of
African
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
, or partial African descent.
There are also many people of
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
, French,
Latin American
Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...
, South Asian, East Asian, and
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
ine descent.
Religion
The religious breakdown of the population of Curaçao, according to a 2011 estimate:
*
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
;
69.8%
*
Adventist
Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...
;
9%
*
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
;
8.9%
*
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement ;
7.6%
*Other
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
;
3.2%
*
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
;
2%
*Other;
3.8%
*None;
10%
*Unspecified;
0.6%
There has been a shift towards the Charismatic movement in recent decades. Other denominations include the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
and the
Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
. Alongside these Christian denominations, some inhabitants practise
Montamentu
Montamentu is an African Caribbean ecstatic religion found in Curaçao. Precursors or earlier forms may be seen in ancestor veneration in the 18th century and a 1788 court case in which religionists were condemned by the colonial court for practic ...
and other diaspora African religions. As elsewhere in Latin America,
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement is on the rise. There are also practising Muslims and Hindus.
The
Roman Catholic Diocese of Willemstad
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Willemstad ( la, Dioecesis Gulielmopolitana; nl, Bisdom Willemstad; pap, Diosesano (di Obispado) di Willemstad) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese encompasses t ...
encompasses all the territory of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
, national_anthem = )
, image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg
, map_width = 250px
, image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png
, map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale
, capital = ...
in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
which includes
Aruba
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
, Curaçao,
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...
, and the islands of
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...
,
St. Eustatius
Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially " public body") of the Netherlands.
The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, s ...
and
Saba Saba may refer to:
Places
* Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea
* Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine
* Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras
* Saba (river), L ...
. The diocese is also a member of the
Antilles Episcopal Conference The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) is a Roman Catholic episcopal conference. Its members are bishops and archbishops from current and former British, Dutch, and French colonies and dependencies in the Caribbean (excluding Haiti), Central Ameri ...
.
While small, Curaçao's
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
community has had a significant impact on the island's history.
Curaçao has the oldest active Jewish congregation in the Americas, dating to 1651. The
Curaçao synagogue
The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue ( he, בית הכנסת מקווה ישראל-עמנואל; en, The Hope of Israel-Emanuel Synagogue), in Willemstad, Curaçao, is the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. It is commonly known as the '' ...
is the oldest synagogue of the Americas in continuous use, since its completion in 1732 on the site of a previous synagogue. Additionally, there are both
Sephardic
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
and
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
Jewish communities.
As of the year 2000 there were approximately 300 Jewish people living on the island.
Languages
Curaçao is a
polyglot
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingualism, monolingual speakers in the World population, world's pop ...
society. The official languages are
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
,
Papiamentu
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...
and English.
However, Dutch is the sole language for all administration and legal matters. Most of Curaçao's population is able to converse in at least two of the languages of Papiamentu, Dutch, English, and Spanish.
The most widely spoken language is Papiamentu, a
Portuguese creole
Portuguese creoles are creole languages which have Portuguese as their substantial lexifier. The most widely-spoken creoles influenced by Portuguese are Cape Verdean Creole, Guinea-Bissau Creole and Papiamento.
Origins
Portuguese overseas exp ...
with African, Dutch and Spanish influences, spoken in all levels of society.
Papiamentu was introduced as a language of primary school education in 1993, making Curaçao one of a handful of places where a creole language is used as a medium to acquire basic literacy.
Spanish and English also have a long historical presence in Curaçao. Spanish became an important language in the 18th century due to the close economic ties with Spanish territories in what are now Venezuela and Colombia
and several Venezuelan TV networks are received. Use of English dates to the early 19th century, when the British took Curaçao, Aruba and
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...
. When Dutch rule resumed in 1815, officials already noted wide use of the language.
According to the 2001 census, Papiamentu is the
first language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
of 81.2% of the population. Dutch is the first language of 8%, Spanish of 4%, and English of 2.9%.
However, these numbers divide the population in terms of first language and do not account for the high rate of
bilingualism
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
in the population of Curaçao.
Localities
Curaçao was divided into five districts from 1863 to 1925, after which it was reduced to the two outer districts of
Bandabou
Bandabou (also: Band'abou) is a district of the island of Curaçao. It is one of the three districts, and encompasses the north-western part of the island. The district stretches from Grote Berg to Westpunt. Bandabou is Papiamentu and translates ...
and
Bandariba
Bandariba (also: Banda'riba) is a district of the island of Curaçao. It is one of the three districts, and encompasses the south-eastern part of the island. The name is Papiamentu and translates to "up side". The district contains the towns and vi ...
and the city district of Willemstad. Over the years, the capital, Willemstad, encompassed the entire area surrounding the large natural harbour, the Schottegat. As a result, many formerly isolated villages have grown together to form a large urbanised area. The city covers approximately one third of the entire island in the east. Willemstad's most famous neighbourhoods are:
*
Punda
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior ...
, the historic city centre with the Handelskade on St. Anna Bay.
*
Otrobanda
Otrobanda is one of the historic quarters of Willemstad, located at the southwest side of the city, in Curaçao. Otrobanda was founded in 1707, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History
Otrobanda was founded in 1707 as a subur ...
, on the other side of St. Anna Bay
*
Pietermaai
Pietermaai is a neighbourhood and former suburb of Willemstad, Curaçao. Pietermaai was founded in 1675, and has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History
Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao was constructed as a walled city. It soon de ...
, east of Punda
*
Scharloo
Scharloo ( pap, Skálo) is a neighbourhood and former suburb of Willemstad, Curaçao. Scharloo started as a plantation, but became a wealthy neighbourhood of Willemstad. Scharloo has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
Scharloo s ...
, north of Punda and Pietermaai, across the Waaigat
*
Julianadorp
Julianadorp, is a town in North Holland, Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Den Helder. It lies about 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) south of the town of Den Helder, north of the municipality of Schagen and west of Hollands Kroon.
...
, a suburb on the west side of the city, built around 1928 on behalf of Shell for its personnel
*
Emmastad
Groot Kwartier is a neighbourhood of Willemstad, Curaçao. It is better known as Emmastad, a villa ward built by Royal Dutch Shell for its employees. Emmastad is officially part of Groot Kwartier.
History
Groot Kwartier started as a plantation i ...
, built for Shell in the 1950s, after Julianadorp was full.
*
Saliña is situated next to Punda and has many shops and restaurants.
*
Brievengat
Brievengat () is a neighbourhood of Willemstad in Curaçao. It is located to the north of the centre of the capital, Willemstad, and to the east of the Hato International Airport.
Overview
The origin of the name Brievengat (English: Letter hole) ...
, a suburb in the north of the city.
Statistics
Education
![Hoofdingang van de University of Curacao-Mei 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Hoofdingang_van_de_University_of_Curacao-Mei_2018.jpg)
Public education is based on the Dutch educational system and besides the public schools, private and parochial schools are also available. Since the introduction of a new public education law in 1992, compulsory primary education starts at age six and continues for six years; secondary lasts for another four.
The main institute of higher learning is the
University of Curaçao
The Dr. Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez University of Curaçao, formerly University of The Netherlands Antilles (UNA; nl, Universiteit van de Nederlandse Antillen), is the state university of Curaçao. It is a public university, graduating appro ...
(formerly University of The Netherlands Antilles), enrolling 2,100 students.
The comprehensive model of education is influenced by both the Dutch and American education systems. Other higher education offerings on the island include
offshore medical schools, language schools and academies for fine art, music, police, teacher and nurse-training.
Culture
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
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
and
Papiamentu
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...
. The oral traditions of the
Arawak
The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
are lost. West African slaves brought the tales of
Anansi
Anansi ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is an Akan folktale character and the Akan God of Stories, Wisdom, Knowledge, and possibly creation. The form of a spider is the most common depiction of Anansi. He is also, sometimes considered to ...
, thus forming the basis of Papiamentu literature. The first published work in Papiamentu was a poem by Joseph 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 contributed to
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and
Dutch literature
Dutch language literature () comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers. Dutch-language literature is the product of the Netherlands, Be ...
. Best known are
Cola Debrot
Nicolaas (Cola) Debrot (4 May 1902 – 3 December 1981) was a writer, lawyer, medical doctor and politician.
Biography
Debrot was born in Kralendijk, the son of a plantation owner. In 1904 he moved from Bonaire to Curaçao, and then when he was 1 ...
,
Frank Martinus Arion
Frank Martinus Arion (born Frank Efraim Martinus; 17 December 1936 – 28 September 2015) was a Curaçaoan poet, novelist, and language advocate.
He moved to the Netherlands in 1955 and in 1981 returned to Curaçao, where he became head of the ...
,
Pierre Lauffer
Pierre Lauffer (22 August 1920 – 14 June 1981) was a Curaçaoan writer and poet who mainly wrote in Papiamentu. He is considered one of the greatest poets of Curaçao.
Biography
Lauffer was born on 22 August 1920 as Pierre Antoine Lauffer. He g ...
, , Guillermo Rosario, and
Tip Marugg Silvio Alberto (Tip) Marugg (16 December 1923 in Willemstad, Curaçao – 22 April 2006) was a Dutch-Curaçaoan writer and poet of Venezuelan/ Swiss heritage. His novel ''De morgen loeit weer aan'' (1988) was nominated for a major Dutch literat ...
.
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
Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...
and
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC i ...
as well. Popular dishes include: stobá (a stew made with various ingredients such as
papaya
The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...
, beef or goat), Guiambo (soup made from
okra
Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...
and seafood), kadushi (cactus soup), sopi mondongo (intestine soup), funchi (cornmeal paste similar to
fufu
Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou ) is a dough-like food found in West African cuisine. In addition to Ghana, it is also found in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ...
,
ugali
Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour. ...
and
polenta
Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...
) and a lot of fish and other seafood. The ubiquitous side dish is fried
plantain
Plantain may refer to:
Plants and fruits
* Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking
** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa''
* ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...
. Local bread rolls are made according to a Portuguese recipe. All around the island, there are snèks which serve local dishes as well as alcoholic drinks in a manner akin to the English
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
.
The ubiquitous breakfast dish is pastechi: fried pastry with fillings of cheese, tuna, ham, or ground meat. Around the holiday season special dishes are consumed, such as the
hallaca
Hallaca (, ; alt. spelling, ''hayaca'' and ''ayaca'') is a traditional dish from Venezuela that looks like a Tamale, tamal, though different in flavour, texture, ingredients and cultural significance. It consists of corn dough stuffed with a ste ...
and pekelé, made out of
salt cod
Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export o ...
. 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
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
was developed here, when a local experimented with the rinds of the local
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...
fruit known as
laraha
Laraha (''Citrus × aurantium'' subsp. ''currassuviencis''), or ''Curaçao orange'' (''Citrus aurantium'' var. ''currassuviencis''), is the name of a citrus tree that grows on the island of Curaçao, and also the fruit of this tree. The name is ...
.
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
se, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and Dutch culinary influences also abound. The island also has a number of Chinese restaurants that serve mainly Indonesian dishes such as
satay
Satay ( , in USA also , ), or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Southeast Asian dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. The earliest preparations of satay is believed to have originated in Javanese cuisine, but ha ...
,
nasi goreng
''Nasi goreng'' (English pronunciation: ) is a Southeast Asian fried rice dish, usually cooked with pieces of meat and vegetables. One of Indonesia's national dishes, it is also eaten in Malay-speaking communities in countries such as Malaysia ...
and
lumpia
''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an ap ...
(which are all Indonesian names for the dishes). Dutch specialties such as
croquette
A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide.
The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...
s and
oliebollen
An (, plural , fy, Oaljebol or Oaljekoek) is a traditional Belgian and Dutch beignet. They are called (literally: ''oil balls'') or (literally: ''lard balls'') in the Netherlands, (literally: ''lard balls'') in Flanders and (loosely: ''c ...
are widely served in homes and restaurants.
Sports
![Jurickson Profar (47569154041)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Jurickson_Profar_%2847569154041%29.jpg)
In 2004, the Little League Baseball team from Willemstad, Curaçao, won the world title in a game against the United States champion from Thousand Oaks, California. The Willemstad lineup included Jurickson Profar, the standout shortstop prospect who now plays for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball, and Jonathan Schoop.
Curaçaoan players Andruw Jones, Ozzie Albies, and Kenley Jansen have made multiple Major League Baseball All-Star Game appearances.
The 2010 documentary film ''Boys of Summer'' details Curaçao's Pabao Little League All-Stars winning their country's eighth straight championship at the 2008 Little League World Series, then going on to defeat other teams, including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and earning a spot in Williamsport.
The prevailing trade winds and warm water make Curaçao a location for windsurfing.
There is warm, clear water around the island. Scuba divers and snorkelers may have visibility up to at the Curaçao Underwater Marine Park, which stretches along of Curaçao's southern coastline.
Curaçao participated in the 2013 CARIFTA Games. Kevin Philbert stood third in the under-20 male Long Jump with a distance of . Vanessa Philbert stood second the under-17 female with a time of 4:47.97.
The Curaçao national football team won the 2017 Caribbean Cup by defeating Jamaica national football team, Jamaica in the final, qualifying for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They then traveled to Thailand and participated in the 2019 King's Cup for the first time, eventually winning the tournament by beating Vietnam in the final.
Infrastructure
Airport
Curaçao International Airport
Curaçao International Airport , ( pap, Aeropuerto Internashonal Hato, nl, Hato Internationale Luchthaven) also known as Hato International Airport (formerly Dr. Albert Plesman International Airport), is the only airport for the island of Cura ...
(also called Hato International Airport) is located on the northern coast of the island and offers connections to the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Europe. Curaçao Airport is a fairly large facility, with the third longest commercial runway in the Caribbean region after Rafael Hernández Airport in Puerto Rico and Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe. The airport served as a main base for Insel Air, and for Air ALM, the former national airlines of Curaçao.
Bridges
![Kon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Kon._Wilhelmina_brug_over_the_Waaigat.jpg)
The Queen Emma Bridge, a long pontoon bridge, connects pedestrians between the Punda and Otrobanda districts. This swings open to allow the passage of ships to and from the port.
The bridge was originally opened in 1888 and the current bridge was installed in 1939.
It is best known and, more often than not, referred to by the locals as "Our Swinging Old Lady".
The Queen Juliana Bridge connects mobile traffic between the same two districts. At above the sea, it is one of the highest bridges in the Caribbean.
Utilities and sanitation
Aqualectra, a government-owned company and full member of Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), CARILEC, delivers potable water and electricity to the island. Rates are controlled by the government. Water is produced by reverse osmosis or desalinization.
It services 69,000 households and companies using 130,000 water and electric meters.
The power generation company NuCuraçao opened wind farms in Tera Kora and Playa Kanoa in 2012, and expanded in Tera Kora in 2015. There is no natural gas distribution grid; gas is supplied to homes by pressurized containers.
Kerbside collection, Curbside trash pickup is provided by the Selikor company. There is no recycling pickup, but there are drop-off centers for certain recycled materials at the Malpais landfill, and various locations operated by Green Force; private haulers recycle construction waste, paper, and cardboard.
Notable residents
People from Curaçao include:
Arts and culture
*Izaline Calister, singer-songwriter
*Joceline Clemencia, writer
*Peter Hartman, past-CEO of KLM
*May Henriquez, writer and sculptor
*
Tip Marugg Silvio Alberto (Tip) Marugg (16 December 1923 in Willemstad, Curaçao – 22 April 2006) was a Dutch-Curaçaoan writer and poet of Venezuelan/ Swiss heritage. His novel ''De morgen loeit weer aan'' (1988) was nominated for a major Dutch literat ...
, writer
*Kizzy (entertainer), Kizzy, a singer songwriter and television personality based in the United States
*Ruënna Mercelina, model, actress, beauty queen
*Robby Müller, cinematographer, closely associated with Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch
*Wim Statius Muller, composer, pianist
*Pernell Saturnino, a graduated percussionist of Berklee College of Music
*Sherman Smith (musician), singer-songwriter
*Ellen Spijkstra, ceramist
*Siny van Iterson, children's writer
Politics and government
*
Luis Brión
Felipe Luis Brión Detrox (July 6, 1782, Curaçao – September 27, 1821, Curaçao) was a military officer who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence. He rose to the rank of admiral in the navies of Venezuela and the old Republic of C ...
, admiral in the Venezuelan War of Independence
*Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez, first Prime Minister of the
Netherlands Antilles
nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom"
, national_anthem =
, common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento
, demonym = Netherlands Antillean
, capital = Willemstad
, year_start = 1954
, year_end = 2010
, date_start = 15 December
, ...
*George Maduro, a war hero and namesake of Madurodam in The Hague
*Manuel Piar, Manuel Carlos Piar, general and competitor of Bolivar during the Venezuelan War of Independence
*Tula (Curaçao), Tula, leader of the 1795 slave rebellion, slave revolt
Sports
Baseball
Players in Minor League Baseball:
* Sharlon Schoop, professional infielder
Players in Major League Baseball:
*Ozzie Albies, professional second baseman
*Wladimir Balentien, professional outfielder
*Roger Bernadina, professional outfielder
*Didi Gregorius, professional shortstop
*Kenley Jansen, professional pitcher
*Andruw Jones, professional outfielder
*Jair Jurrjens, professional pitcher
*Shairon Martis, professional pitcher
*Hensley Meulens, professional baseball player and hitting coach
*Jurickson Profar, professional infielder
*Jonathan Schoop, professional infielder
*Andrelton Simmons, professional shortstop
*Randall Simon, first baseman
Football
*Vurnon Anita, a football player for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United in the English EFL Championship
*Juninho Bacuna, footballer playing for Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City in the English EFL Championship.
*Leandro Bacuna, footballer playing for Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City in the English EFL Championship.
*Roly Bonevacia, a footballer who plays for Al-Faisaly FC, Al-Faisaly in the Saudi Professional League
*Tahith Chong, a footballer playing for Birmingham City in the English EFL Championship.
*Jeremy Cijntje, footballer playing for Heracles Almelo, Heracles in the Dutch Eredivisie.
*Sontje Hansen, footballer playing for AFC Ajax, Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie.
*Rangelo Janga, a footballer who plays for FC Astana in the Kazakhstan Premier League.
*Jürgen Locadia, footballer playing for Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Premier League.
*Cuco Martina, footballer playing for Everton F.C., Everton in the English Premier League
*Bradley Martis, footballer playing for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch Eerste Divisie
*Quenten Martinus, Quentin Martinus, footballer playing for Urawa Red Diamonds in the Japan J1 League.
*Darryl Lachman, footballer who plays for Perth Glory in the Australian A-League.
*Eloy Room, footballer playing for Columbus Crew SC in the American Major League Soccer.
*Anthony van den Hurk, footballer playing for Helsingborgs IF, Helsingborg in the Swedish Superettan.
*Jetro Willems, footballer playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga.
Other sports
*Jemyma Betrian, professional mixed-martial-arts (MMA) fighter
*Liemarvin Bonevacia, professional sprinter
*Marc de Maar, professional cyclist
*Churandy Martina, gold medalist 100 metres at the Pan American Games 2007
*Jordann Pikeur, professional kickboxer
*Jean-Julien Rojer, professional tennis player
*Roelly Winklaar, IFBB pro Bodybuilding, bodybuilder
See also
*Leeward Antilles
*Telecommunications in Curaçao
Notes
References
*Habitantenan di Kòrsou, sinku siglo di pena i gloria: 1499–1999. Nolda Römer-Kenepa, Römer-Kenepa, NC, Gibbes, FE, Skriwanek, MA., 1999. Curaçao: Fundashon Curaçao 500.
*Social movements, violence, and change: the May Movement in Curaçao. WA Anderson, RR Dynes, 1975. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
*Stemmen uit het Verleden. Van Buurt, G., Joubert, S., 1994, Curaçao.
*Het Patroon van de Oude Curaçaose Samenleving. Hoetink, H., 1987. Amsterdam: Emmering.
*Dede pikiña ku su bisiña: Papiamentu-Nederlands en de onverwerkt verleden tijd. van Putte, Florimon., 1999. Zutphen: de Walburg Pers
Further reading
*Corcos, Joseph. A Synopsis of the History of the Jews of Curaçao. Curazao: Imprenta de la Librería, 1897.
*Emmanuel, Isaac S. and Suzanne A. ''History of the Jews of the Netherlands Antilles''. 2 vols. Cincinnati: American Jewish Archives, 1970.
*Rupert, Linda M. "Contraband Trade and the Shaping of Colonial Societies in Curaçao and Tierra Firme." ''Itinerario'' 30 (2006): 35–54.
External links
Curaçao ''The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency.
Government of CuraçaoGovernment of Curaçao Curaçao Tourism BoardCuraçao Official Instagram AccountDirectory and information guide for CuraçaoFirst Millennium Development Goals and Report. Curaçao and Sint Maarten. 2011*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curacao
Curaçao,
Caribbean countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Islands of the Netherlands Antilles
Island countries
Dutch-speaking countries and territories
English-speaking countries and territories
1954 establishments in the Netherlands Antilles
States and territories established in 1954
States and territories established in 2010
2010s establishments in the Caribbean
2010 establishments in North America
2010 establishments in the Netherlands