Category: Curacao

Curacao is situated in Caribbean Sea and this island consists of a main island and a small uninhabited island. The capital of Curacao is Willemstad and the country is the most populous among the three ABC islands. ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Curacao is the island territory of Kingdom of Netherlands. Arawak Amerindians are the first inhabitants of the island country. First Europeans landed in this island is the Spanish people and they exported people from Curacao to other Spanish colonies for work. Dutch occupied the island in 1634 and the island was exchanged between British, French and Dutch many times during 18th and 19th centuries.

Dutch established a stabilized rule in the year 1815 and they abolished slavery of Africans in 1863. Curacao gained the freedom to have self-government in the year 1954 and became the island territory of Dutch kingdom. This island territory is a constitutional monarchy in which Queen Beatrix is the head of the state and she is represented by a Governor. Prime Minister is the head of the government. In the Caribbean region, Curacao is one among the countries which have high standards of living. The major industries of Curacao are tourism, financial services and oil refining. The economy of the country is also contributed by international trade, shipping and other such activities.

The population of this island territory is 160,014 of which Afro-Caribbean are the majority and other ethnic groups of the country are Latin American, Dutch, South Asian, French, East Asian, Levantine and Portuguese. About 85% of the population is Roman Catholic and other religions are Hinduism, Methodist Church, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pentecostalism, Jewish and Islam. The official languages of the country are Papiamentu and Dutch. About 81% of the people are speaking Papiamentu. Other languages spoken are Spanish and English. Most of the people can speak all the four languages.

Curacao has several destinations and the island is the hidden treasure of the Caribbean with its beaches, exuberant culture and world-class diving destinations. The capital Willemstad is an excellent tourist spot as the place offers Dutch heritage with narrow townhouses with gables facades and roofs of red tiles. Houses of Parliament, Dutch Reformed Church, Governor’s Palace, Maritime Museum and the ancient synagogue Mikver Israel-Emanuel are the other tourist attractions in the capital city. Floating Market should be seen by the tourist as the Venezuelan fisherman are selling vegetables and fruits, meat and fish directly from the brightly decorated boats.

Christoffel National Park is another must see attraction as it consists of Mount Christoffel and several animal and bird species. Hatto Caves are a major attraction where you can find impressive caverns of limestone, pool, water fall and several stalagmites and stalactites that spark your imagination. The Underwater Park of Curacao is famous for the coral formations, artificial reef formed from old car wrecks and tame fish. Exciting nightlife is offered by the island and some of the famous night clubs are Baya Beach Club, Club Xclusive and TMF Café. The Dolphin Academy will definitely provides you an entertaining day with Bottlenose Dolphins.