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Where is Curacao?
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. The island is part of the Netherlands Antilles, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The capital of Curacao is the port city of Willemstad, which is also the capital of the Netherlands Antilles.
Curacao and its neighbours, Aruba and Bonaire, which are both Dutch territories, are often collectively referred to as the “ABC Islands”. With an area of 444 square kilometers, Curacao is the largest island in the Netherlands Antilles. The total population in 2016 was 159,999, and the population density was 360.4 people per square kilometer.
Origin of name
The origin of the name Curacao is still debated. One explanation is that the name originated from the Portuguese word for “heart”. Another explanation is that Curaçao is the name that the locals on the island used to call their ethnic group. Some support this second claim on the grounds of early Spanish usage, where “Indios Curaçaos” (Indios is the Spanish term for the colonial natives) was used to refer to the local population.
Curacao is written as “Kòrsou” in Papiamento. The word “curacao” (written Coração in modern Portuguese) has become an adjective that sometimes specifically describes the shade of blue, thanks to a dark blue liqueur called “Blue Curacao”.
History
The earliest inhabitants of Curaçao were the Arawak Indians. The first Europeans to visit the island were expeditions led by Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. The Spaniards massacred the Arawaks. In 1634, the island was occupied by the Dutch. The Dutch West India Company established the island’s capital, Willemstad, on the banks of a small bay called “Shortgate”.
Curacao was apparently neglected by the colonists because the island lacked gold and other things of interest to the colonists. However, the capital’s natural seaport quickly became an ideal place for trade. Commerce and shipping became the most important economic activities in Curaçao, and Curaçao began to play a key role in the most complex international trade network in history, the Atlantic slave trade. In 1662, the Dutch West India Company turned Curaçao into a center for the slave trade.
Dutch merchants bought slaves from Africa and brought them to a trading area called asiento. From there, slaves were sold and shipped to numerous destinations in South America and the Caribbean. A surprising number of slaves were traded here.
The slave trade enriched Curaçao, and many colonial buildings were erected on the island, which still stand today.
Geographical environment
Curacao has a semi-arid steppe climate and is located outside the hurricane zone. The vegetation type of Curaçao differs from that of a typical tropical island nation, and is similar to that of the American Southwest. Various cacti, thorny shrubs and evergreens are common here.
The highest point of Curacao is the Crissfield Castle in the Crissfield Wildlife Conservation Park in the northwest of the island, at an altitude of 375 meters above sea level. There are several trails that people can visit by car, horseback or on foot. Curaçao has many locations for hiking. There are also lagoons where flamingos often rest and feed. 15 miles off the southwest coast of Curacao lies an uninhabited island – “Little Curacao”.
Nationality
Due to its history, the inhabitants of this island have different ethnic backgrounds. Contemporary Curacao seems to be a model of multiculturalism. The inhabitants of Curacao are of different or mixed ancestry. Most of them are Afro-Caribbean, and this includes many different ethnic groups. There is also a considerable minority population here, such as Dutch, East Asian, Portuguese and Levant.
Of course, many residents of neighbouring countries have also visited the island recently, especially from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, some English-speaking Caribbean islands and Colombia. There has also been a marked increase in the inflow of some Dutch elderly people in recent years, a phenomenon known locally as “pensionados”.
