(Redirected from Curacao)
'Curaçao' (
IPA: ) is an
island in the southern part of the
Caribbean Sea off the west coast of
Venezuela. The island is the largest and most populous of the three so-called
ABC islands (for
Aruba,
Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the
Lesser Antilles – specifically the
Leeward Antilles – and belongs to the
Netherlands Antilles, a self-governing part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Curaçao's capital is
Willemstad.
Curaçao has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population was 130,627 inhabitants, which means a population density of 294 inhabitants per square kilometre. In 2004 the population was estimated at 133,644 inhabitants. It lies outside the
hurricane belt.
History
The original inhabitants of Curaçao were
Arawak Amerindians. The first
Europeans to see the island were members of a Spanish expedition under the leadership of
Alonso de Ojeda in
1499. The
Spaniards decimated the Arawak with diseases such as smallpox and measles. The island was occupied by the
Dutch in
1634. The
Dutch West India Company founded the capital of Willemstad on the banks of an inlet called the 'Schottegat'. Curaçao had been previously ignored by colonists because it lacked many things that colonists were interested in, such as
gold deposits. However, the
natural harbour of Willemstad proved quickly to be an ideal spot for trade.
Commerce and
shipping -- but also
piracy-- became Curaçao's most important economic activities. In addition, Curaçao came to play a pivotal role in one of the most intricate international trade networks in history: the
Atlantic slave trade. The
Dutch West India Company made Curaçao a center for slave trade in
1662. Dutch merchants brought
slaves from
Africa to the trading area called
Asiento. From there, slaves were sold and shipped to various destinations in South America and the Caribbean. At the height of the trade large numbers of slaves were traded here.
The slave trade made the island affluent, and led to the erection of the impressive colonial buildings that still stand today. Curaçao features architecture that blends various Dutch and Spanish colonial styles. The wide range of other historic buildings in and around Willemstad earned the capital a place on
UNESCO's
world heritage list. Landhouses (former plantation estates) and West African style 'kas di pal'i maishi' (former slave dwellings) are scattered all over the island and some of them have been restored and can be visited.
The building 'Groot Davelaar', one of app. 100 plantation houses on the island'
Curaçao's proximity to
South America translated into a long-standing
Latin American influence on the island. This is reflected in the architectural similarities between the 19th century parts of
Willemstad and nearby
Venezuelan city of
Coro in
Falcón State, the latter also being a
UNESCO world heritage site. In the 19th century, Curaçaoans such as
Manuel Piar and
Luis Brión were actively engaged in the political affairs of the region, such as the wars of independence of
Venezuela and
Colombia.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the island changed hands among the
English, the
French, and the
Dutch several times. Stable Dutch rule returned in
1815, at the end of the
Napoleonic wars. The Dutch abolished
slavery in
1863. The end of
slavery caused economic hardship, prompting many inhabitants of Curaçao to emigrate to other islands, such as to
Cuba to work in sugarcane plantations.
When in
1914 oil was discovered in the
Maracaibo Basin town of
Mene Grande, the fortunes of the island were dramatically altered.
Royal Dutch Shell and the Dutch Government had built an extensive oil refinery installation on the former site of the slave-trade market at Asiento, thereby establishing an abundant source of employment for the local population and fueling a wave of immigration from surrounding nations. Curaçao was an ideal site for the refinery as it was away from the social and civil unrest of the South American mainland, but near enough to the
Maracaibo Basin oil fields. It also had an excellent natural harbor that could accommodate large oil
tankers. The company brought a degree of affluence to the island. Large housing was provided and Willemstad developed an extensive infrastructure. However, discrepancies started to appear amongst the social groups of Curaçao. The discontent and the antagonisms between Curaçao social groups culminated in large scale rioting and protest on
May 30,
1969. The civil unrest fueled a
social movement that resulted in the local Afro-Caribbean population attaining more influence over the political process (Anderson and Dynes 1975). The island also developed a tourist industry and offered low corporate taxes to encourage many companies to set up holdings in order to avoid rigorous schemes elsewhere. In the mid 1980s Royal Shell sold the refinery for a symbolic amount to a local government consortium. Since then discussions have centered on changing the constitutional situation as well as finding new sources of income. The government consortium currently leases the refinery to the Venezuelan state oil company
PDVSA. In recent years, the island had attempted to capitalize on its peculiar history and heritage to expand its tourism industry.
In
1984 the Island Council of Curacao inaugurated the National Flag and the official anthem of the island. This was conferred on July 2, which was the date which the first elected island council formalized itself.
Due to an economic slump in recent years, emigration to the Netherlands has been high. Attempts by
Rita Verdonk to stem this flow of emigration have exacerbated already tense Dutch-Curaçao relations. In turn, a lot of immigration from surrounding Caribbean islands and Latin American countries has also taken place. This means that the population base is changing, and a local discourse of island identity and citizenship has become prominent.
Geography
Like
Aruba and
Bonaire, Curaçao is a
transcontinental island that is geographically part of
South America but is also considered to be part of
West Indies and one of the
Leeward Antilles. Curaçao and the other
ABC Islands are in terms of climate, geology, flora and fauna more akin to nearby
Paraguaná Peninsula,
Isla Margarita and the nearby Venezuelan areas of the
Coro region and
Falcón State. Curaçao has a semi-arid
savanna-like climate and lies outside the
hurricane belt with only a 0-3% chance of getting hit by a hurricane. The flora of Curaçao differs from the typical tropical island vegetation. Xeric
scrublands are common, with various forms of
cacti, thorny shrubs, and
evergreens. Curaçao's highest point is the 375 metre (1,230 ft)
Mount Christoffel in the northwestern part of the island. This lies in the reserved wildlife park, Curaçao Christoffelpark, and can be explored by car, bike or horse or on foot. Several trails have been laid out. Curaçao has many places where one can hike. There are Saliñas, salt
marshes where
flamingos fly out to rest and feed. 15 miles off the coast of Curaçao, to the southeast, lies the small, uninhabited island of
Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").
Sea Aquarium beach
Curaçao is renowned for its
coral reefs which make it an excellent spot for
scuba diving. The beaches on the south side contain many popular diving spots. An unusual feature of Curaçao diving is that the sea floor drops off steeply within a few hundred feet of the shore, and the reef can easily be reached without a boat. This drop-off is locally known as the "blue edge." Strong currents and lack of beaches make the rocky northern coast dangerous for swimming and diving, but experienced divers sometimes dive there from boats when conditions permit. The southern coast is very different and offers remarkably calm waters. The coastline of Curaçao features many bays and inlets, many of them suitable for mooring.
Some of the coral reefs have been affected by tourism. Porto Marie beach is experimenting with artificial coral reefs in
order to improve the reef's condition. Hundreds of artificial coral blocks that have been placed are now home to a large
array of tropical fish.
People
Because of its history, the island's population comes from many ethnic backgrounds. There is an
Afro-Caribbean majority, and also sizeable minorities of
Dutch,
East Asian,
Portuguese and
Levantine people. The
Sephardic Jews that arrived from
the Netherlands and then-
Dutch Brazil since the 17th century have had a significant influence on the culture and economy of the island. The years before and after World War II also saw an influx of
Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. Many Portuguese and Lebanese also migrated to Curacao in the early 19th century due to the financial possibilities of the island. There are also many recent immigrants from neighbouring countries, most notably the
Dominican Republic,
Haiti, the
Anglophone Caribbean and
Colombia. In recent years the influx of Dutch
pensioners has increased significantly, dubbed locally as ''pensionados''.
Politics
Curaçao gained limited self-government on
January 1,
1954 as an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles. Despite this, the islanders did not fully participate in the political process until after the social movements of the late '60s. In the
2000s the political status of the island has been under discussion again, as for the other islands of the Netherlands Antilles, regarding the relationship with the Netherlands and between the islands of the Antilles.
In a referendum held on
April 8 2005, together with
Sint Maarten, the residents voted for a separate status outside the Netherlands Antilles, like
Aruba, rejecting the options for full independence, becoming part of the Netherlands, or retaining the status quo. In 2006, Emily de Jongh-Elhage - a resident of Curaçao - was elected as the new prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles.
On
July 1 2007, the island of Curaçao was due to become an autonomous
associated state, under the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, on
28 November 2006, the island council rejected a clarificatory memorandum on the process, thereby postponing this process to December 28th 2008 according to recent reports.
Economy
Although a few plantations were established on the island by the Dutch, the first profitable industry established on Curaçao was
salt mining. The mineral was an extremely lucrative export at the time and became one of the major factors responsible for drawing the island into international commerce. Curaçao also became a center for
slave trade during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the 19th century,
phosphate mining also became significant. All the while, Curaçao's fine deep water ports and ideal location in the Caribbean were crucial in making it a significant center of
commerce.
Today, the main industries of the island include
oil refining,
tourism and
financial services. Shipping and other activity related to the port of Willemstad also makes a considerable contribution to the economy.
Name origin
The origin of the name Curaçao is still under debate. One explanation is that it is derived from the
Portuguese word for 'heart' (''coração''), referring to the island as a centre in trade. Spanish traders took the name over as ''Curaçao'', which was followed by the Dutch. Another explanation is that Curaçao was the name the indigenous peoples of Curaçao had used to label themselves (Joubert and Baart, 1994). This theory is supported by early Spanish accounts, which refer to the indigenous peoples as "Indios Curaçaos". The
Papiamento word for Curaçao is Kòrsou. The name "Curaçao" has become associated with a particular shade of blue, and is sometimes used as an adjective, because of the deep-blue
liqueur named "
Blue Curaçao".
Language
Curaçao has a polyglot society. The languages widely spoken on
Curaçao are
Papiamentu,
Dutch,
Spanish and
English. Many people can speak all four of these languages to varying degrees of fluency. Spanish is more commonly spoken than Dutch, though the latter was long the sole official language of the island. Since the early 1990s, steps have been taken to make English and Papiamentu - but not Spanish - official languages of the Netherlands Antilles as well. This was achieved in March 2007. English is the primary language of the Windward Islands (
St. Eustatius,
Saba and
Sint Maarten), which are also part of the Netherlands Antilles - whose capital is located on Curaçao. Dutch was made the sole language of instruction in the educational system in the early
20th century to facilitate education for the offspring of
expatriate employees of
Royal Dutch Shell(Romer, 1999). Prior to 1914, schooling in Spanish and even Papiamentu was more prominent. There was even a
Sivah on the island throughout the
18th century (Hoetink, 1987). Papiamentu was tentatively re-introduced in the school curriculum during the mid-1980s. Instruction in the language has been increasing since then. Recent political debate has centered on the issue of Papiamentu becoming the sole language of instruction. Proponents of making Papiamentu the sole language of instruction argue that it will help to preserve the language and culture. Proponents of Dutch-language instruction argue that students who study in Dutch will be better prepared for the free university education offered to Curacao residents in the Netherlands.
Religion
According to the 2001 census, the majority of the inhabitants of Curaçao are
Roman Catholic (85%). This includes a shift towards the Charismatic Renewal or
Charismatic movement since the mid-seventies. Other major denominations are the
Seventh-day Adventist Church and the
Methodist Church. Alongside these
Christian denominations, some inhabitants practice ''Montamentu'', an African religious practice similar to
Voodoo,
Santeria, and other diasporic African religions. Like elsewhere in Latin America,
Pentecostalism is on the rise. There are practicing
Muslims as well as
Hindus.
Though small in size, Curaçao's
Jewish community has had a significant impact on history. Curaçao boasts the oldest active Jewish congregation in the
Americas - dating to
1651 - and the oldest
synagogue of the Americas, in continuous use since its completion in 1732 on the site of a previous synagogue. The Jewish Community of Curacao also played a key role in supporting early Jewish congregations in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, including in New York City and the
Touro Synagogue of Newport, Rhode Island. Also see
List of Caribbean Jews
Literature
Despite the island's relatively small population, the diversity of languages and cultural influences on Curaçao have generated a remarkable literary tradition, primarily in
Dutch and
Papiamentu. The oral traditions of the
Arawak indigenous peoples are lost. West African slaves brought the tales of
Anansi, thus forming the basis of Papiamentu literature. The first published work in Papiamentu was a poem by
Joesph Sickman Corsen entitled ''Atardi'', published in the ''La Cruz'' newspaper in
1905. Throughout Curaçaoan literature,
narrative techniques and metaphors best characterized as
magic realism tend to predominate. Novelists and poets from Curaçao have made an impressive contribution to
Caribbean and
Dutch literature. Best known are
Cola Debrot,
Frank Martinus Arion, Pierre Lauffer, Elis Juliana, Boeli van Leeuwen and
Tip Marugg.
Cuisine
Local food is called ''Krioyo'' (pronounced the same as ''criollo'', the Spanish word for "Creole") and boasts a blend of flavours and techniques best compared to Caribbean cuisine and Latin American cuisine. Dishes common in Curaçao are found in
Aruba and
Bonaire as well. Popular dishes include: stobá (a stew made with various ingredients such as
papaya,
beef or
goat) , Guiambo (soup made from
okra and
seafood), kadushi (cactus soup), sopi mondongo (intestine soup), funchi (cornmeal paste similar to
fufu,
ugali and
polenta) and a lot of fish and other seafood. The ubiquitous side dish is fried
plantain. Local bread rolls are made according to a
Portuguese recipe.
All around the island, there are "snèk" which serve local dishes as well as alcoholic drinks in a manner akin to the English
pub.
Around the holiday season special dishes are consumed, such as the
hallaca and pekelé, made out of
salt cod. At weddings and other special occasions a variety of ""kos dushi"" are served: ""kokada"" (coconut sweets), ""ko'i lechi"" (condensed milk and sugar sweet) and ""tentalaria"" (peanut sweets).
The Curaçao liqueur was developed here, when a local experimented with the rinds of a locally grown variety of
valencia oranges.
Asian and Dutch influences also abound. The island also has a lot of Chinese restaurants that serve mainly
satay and
lumpia. The Dutch kitchen is served at homes and restaurants.
Prostitution
As in
the Netherlands,
prostitution is legal. A large open-air brothel called "The Mirage" or "Campo Alegre" has operated near the main Curacao airport since the 1940s. It is located just off Franklin D Roosevelt Weg.
Education
Public education is based on the Dutch educational system, with most instruction provided in Dutch. Private and parochial schools also exist on the island.
The International School Of Curacao provides education for English-speaking immigrants.
Higher education in Curaçao, as in the rest of the Netherlands Antilles, is good relative to regional standards.
The main institutions of higher learning are:
★ UNA (The
University of the Netherlands Antilles)
★ UDC (The
University of the Dutch Caribbean)
Little League World Series
For the seven past years the team from Willemstad, Curacao has made it all the way to the
Little League World Series in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The team features players from ages 11 and 12 who get a chance to represent the
Caribbean region. In
2004 the team from Willemstad, Curacao won the title game against the
United States champion from
Thousand Oaks, California. The following year the team from Curacao made it right back to the championship game but were defeated by
Ewa Beach, Hawaii after Michael Memea hit a walk-off home run to win the title game for
Hawaii. In 2007 the team lost to Japan in the International Championship game.
Natives of Curaçao
Famous people from Curaçao include:
★
Andruw Jones,
Major League Baseball outfielder currently playing for the
Atlanta Braves.
★
Izaline Calister, a
singer of
jazz,
ethno-jazz, and Curaçao ''
krioyo'' music
★
Randal Corsen,
jazz and
fusion pianist
★
Tania Kross,
mezzo-soprano singer
★
Tula, leader of the
1795 slave revolt
★
Daniel De Leon, a
socialist leader
★
Kizzy Getrouw, a
singer songwriter and
television personality based in the United States
★
Willem Gerard Statius Muller, a pianist and composer
★
George Maduro, a war hero and namesake of
Madurodam in
The Hague
★
Luis Brión, war hero of the
Venezuelan War of Independence
★
Manuel Carlos Piar, an important figure during the
Venezuelan War of Independence
★
Hensley Meulens, former
Major League Baseball player
★
Randall Simon, a
Major League Baseball player
★
Churandy Martina, gold medallist 100m at the Pan American Games 2007
★
Jair Jurrjens, Major League Baseball pitcher currently playing for the
Detroit Tigers
References
★ Habitantenan di Kòrsou, sinku siglo di pena i gloria: 1499-1999. Römer-Kenepa, NC, Gibbes, FE, Skriwanek, MA. - 1999 - Curaçao: Fundashon Curaçao 500.
★ Social movements, violence, and change: the May Movement in Curacao. WA Anderson, RR Dynes - 1975 - Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
★ Stemmen uit het Verleden. Buurt, G., Joubert, S. - 1994 - Curaçao: Curaçaose Courant.
★ Het Patroon van de Oude Curaçaose Samenleving. Hoetink, H. - 1987 - Amsterdam: Emmering.
External links
★
Official Curaçao Homepage
★
www.gov.an - official governmental portal of the Netherlands Antilles
★
Curacao-gov.an - official website of the government of Curaçao
★
Curacao Tourism Board Curaçao visitor statistics
★
Curaçao Hospitality And Tourism Association - Information on the Curacao hospitality and tourism industry
★
www.investcuracao.com - Curacao Investors Guide
★
UNA - The University of the Netherlands Antilles on Curaçao
★
UDC - The University of the Dutch Caribbean (landhuis Groot Davelaar)
★
Mikvé Israel-Emanuel - the website of the Mikve Israel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue of the Americas
★
Rinkes Curacao - Rinkes website about (the architecture of) Curaçao
Mapquest zoom level 7 only has the Willemstad region; this region is also available in zoom level 8, 9, and 10.
★
Map of Curaçao
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