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Curacao
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Curaçao (pronounced [kura'são]) is an
island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea
off the coast of Venezuela. The isle is the
largest and most populous of the three so-called
ABC islands (for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao)
and belongs to the Netherlands Antilles, a
self-governing part of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. Curaçao's capital is Willemstad.
Curaçao has a land area of 444 square kilometres
(171 mi²). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles
census, the population was 130,627 inhabitants,
which means a population density of 294
inhabitants per square kilometre. In 2004 the
population was estimated at 133,644 inhabitants.
Geography
Curaçao is renowned for its coral reefs which
make it an excellent spot for scuba diving. The
beaches on the south side contain many popular
diving spots. An unusual feature of Curaçao
diving is that the sea floor drops off steeply
within a few hundred feet of the shore, and the
reef can easily be reached without a boat. This
drop-off is locally known as the "blue edge."
Strong currents and lack of beaches make the
rocky northern coast dangerous for swimming and
diving, but experienced divers sometimes dive
there from boats when conditions permit. The
southern coast is very different and offers
remarkably calm waters. The coastline of Curaçao
features many bays and inlets, many of them
suitable for mooring. Curaçao lies outside of
the hurricane belt and has a semi-arid
savanna-like climate. Curaçao flora is unlike
the typical tropical island vegetation and is
more akin to the Southwestern United States.
Various forms of cactus, thorny shrubs and
evergreens are prevalent. Curaçao's highest
point is the 375-metre (1,230-ft)
Christoffelberg in the northwestern part of the
island. This lies in the reserved wildlife park,
Curaçao Christoffelpark, and can be explored by
car, bike or horse or on foot. Several trails
have been laid out. Curaçao has a lot of places
where one can hike. There are Saliñas, salt
water lakes where flamingos fly out to rest and
feed. South-east of the coast of Curaçao lies
the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao
('Little Curaçao')
History
The building 'Groot Davelaar'The original
inhabitants of Curaçao were Arawak Amerindians.
The first Europeans to sight the island were the
members of a Spanish expedition under the
leadership of Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. The
Spaniards decimated the Arawak. The island was
occupied by the Dutch in 1634. The Dutch West
India Company founded the capital of Willemstad
on the banks of an inlet called the 'Schottegat'.
Curaçao had been previous ignored by colonists
because it lacked many things that colonists
were interested in, such as gold deposits.
However, the natural harbour of Willemstad
proved quickly to be an ideal spot for trade.
Commerce and shipping became Curaçao's most
important economic activities, and Curaçao came
to play a pivotal role in one of the most
intricate international trade networks in
history: the Atlantic slave trade. The Dutch
West India Company made Curaçao a center for
slave trade in 1662. Dutch merchants brough
slaves from Africa to the trading area called
Asiento. From there, slaves were sold and
shipped to various destinations in South
Americia and the Caribbean. At the height of the
trade large numbers of slaves were traded here.
Later both the English and the French briefly
occupied the island, adding to the mix of
languages spoken on the island. The Dutch
abolished slavery in 1863. Curaçao features
colonial architecture that blends various Dutch
and Spanish colonial styles. The wide range of
other historic buildings in and around
Willemstad earned the capital a place on
UNESCO's world heritage list. Landhouses (former
plantation estates) and West African style 'kas
di pal'i maishi' (former slave dwellings) are
scattered all over the island and some of them
have been restored and can be visited.The end of
slavery caused economic hardships, causing many
Curaçao people to emigrate to other islands,
such as to Cuba to work in sugarcane
plantations.
When in 1914 oil was discovered in the Maracaibo
Basin town of Mene Grande, the fortunes of the
island changed drastically. The Royal Dutch
Shell and the Dutch Government had built an
extensive oil refinery installation on the
former site of the slave-trade market at Asiento
and thereby built a large employment scheme that
provided work for most of the local population
and fueled a wave of immigration from the
surrounding nations. Curaçao was an ideal site
for the refinery as it was away from the social
and civil unrest in most of South America, but
near enough to the Maracaibo Basin oil fields.
It also had an excellent natural harbour that
could accommodate large oil tankers. The company
brought a degree of affluence to the island.
Large housing was provided and Willemstad
provided with an extensive infrastructure.
However, discrepancies started to appear amongst
the social groups of Curaçao. The discontent and
the antagonisms between Curaçao social groups
culminated in large scale rioting and protest on
May 30th, 1969. The civil unrest fueled a social
movement that resulted in the local
Afro-Caribbean population attaining more
influence over the political process (Anderson
and Dynes 1975). The island also developed a
tourist industry and low corporate taxes meant
many companies set up holdings to avoid rigorous
schemes elsewhere. In the mid 1980s Royal Shell
sold the refinery for a symbolic amount to a
local government consortium. Since then
discussions have centered on changing the
constitutional situation as well as finding new
sources of income. The government consortium
currently leases the refinery to the Venezuelan
state oil company PDVSA.
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The Netherlands Antilles (Dutch:
Nederlandse Antillen), previously known as the
Netherlands West Indies, are part of the Lesser
Antilles and consist of two groups of islands in
the Caribbean Sea that form an autonomous part
of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (none of the
other Antilles use this term in their name). The
islands' economy is dependent mostly upon
tourism and petroleum.
History
Main articles: History of the Netherlands
Antilles,
Both the lewards(Alonso de Ojeda, 1499) and
Windward (Christopher Columbus, 1493) island
groups were discovered and initially settled by
the Spanish. In the 17th century, the islands
were conquered by the Dutch West India Company
and were used as bases for slave trade. Only in
1863 was slavery abolished.
In 1954, the islands were promoted from colony
to a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The
island of Aruba was part of the Netherlands
Antilles until 1986, when it was granted a
"status apart", and became a separate part of
the kingdom. Some of the other islands have
indicated that they wish to obtain the same
status, but no agreements on this have yet been
reached. Other options sometimes considered are
independence or together becoming a province of
the Netherlands. (see: Dutch colonial empire)
Future status
Beatrix
Queen of the NetherlandsIn 2004 a commission of
the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and
the Netherlands reported on a future status for
the Netherlands Antilles. The commission advised
to revise the Statute of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands in order to dissolve the Netherlands
Antilles. Two new countries inside the Kingdom
of the Netherlands would be formed, Curaçao and
Sint Maarten. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius
would become directly part of the Netherlands as
Kingdom Islands. On November 28, 2005, an
agreement was signed between the Dutch
government and the governments of each island
that would put into effect the commission's
findings by July 2007. [1]
Islands
Main articles: Islands of the Netherlands
Antilles,
The Netherland Antilles have no major
administrative divisions, although each island
has its own local government.
The two island groups of which the Netherlands
Antilles consists are:
the "Leeward Islands" (Benedenwindse Eilanden)
off the Venezuelan coast (with also Aruba
nearby):
Bonaire, including an islet called Klein Bonaire
("Little Bonaire")
Curaçao, including an islet called Klein Curaçao
("Little Curaçao")
the "Windward Islands" (Bovenwindse Eilanden)
east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
These are part of what are in English called the
Leeward Islands, but in e.g. French, Spanish,
German, Dutch and the English spoken locally
these are considered part of the Windward
Islands.
Saba
Sint Eustatius
Sint Maarten, the southern half of the island
Saint Martin (the northern half, Saint-Martin,
is French and part of the overseas department of
Guadeloupe). |
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Background:
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Once
the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island
of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery
in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring
Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with
the construction of oil refineries to service the
newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island
of Saint Martin is shared with France; its northern
portion is named Saint-Martin and is part of
Guadeloupe, and its southern portion is named Sint
Maarten and is part of the Curacao.
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 960 sq km
note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint
Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the
island of Saint Martin)
water: 0 sq km
land: 960 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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more
than five times the size of Washington, DC |
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Climate:
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tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds |
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Terrain:
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generally hilly, volcanic interiors |
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Ethnic groups:
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mixed
black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
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Languages:
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Dutch
(official), Papiamento (a
Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect)
predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish |
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Currency:
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Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) |
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Currency code:
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ANG
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Exchange rates:
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Netherlands Antillean guilders per US dollar - 1.790
(fixed rate since 1989) |
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Internet country code:
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.an
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