Curaçao
Curaçao (/ˈkjʊərəsoʊ, -saʊ, ˌkjʊərəˈsoʊ, -ˈsaʊ/ KURE-ə-soh, KURE-ə-sow, kure-ə-SOH, or kure-ə-SOW,[8][9] Dutch: [kyːraːˈsʌu] ⓘ or [kuːr-],[10] Papiamentu: [ˈkɔrsɔu̯]), officially the Country of Curaçao (Dutch: Land Curaçao;[11] Papiamentu: Pais Kòrsou),[12][13] is a Lesser Antilles island in the southern Caribbean Sea and Dutch Caribbean region, about 65 km (40 mi) north of Venezuela. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[14]
This article is about the island country. For the former colony/territory comprising Curaçao and five other islands, see Curaçao and Dependencies. For the liqueur, see Curaçao (liqueur). For the Los Angeles based retail store chain, see Curacao (retail store).
CuraçaoKòrsou (Papiamentu)
10 October 2010
75.4% Curaçaoans
9% Dutch
3.6% Dominican
3% Colombian
1.2% Haitian
1.2% Surinamese
1.1% Venezuelan
1.1% Aruban
0.9% unspecified
6% other[2]
- 90% Christianity
- 73% Roman Catholic
- 18.5% total Protestant
- 6.6% Pentecostal
- 3.2% Protestant
- 3% Seventh-day Adventist
- 3.2% Evangelical
- 0.8% Jehovah's Witnesses
- 1.7% Other Christian
- 6% No religion
- 2% Hinduism
- 0.5% Islam
- 0.2% Judaism
- 0.8% Other
- 0.6% Not stated
Curaçaoan
Parliamentary representative democracy within a constitutional monarchy
372 m (1,220 ft)
349.13/km2 (904.2/sq mi)
2021[5] estimate
$5.5 billion (184th)
$35,484 (45th)
2021 estimate
$22,581 (40th)
0.811[7]
very high
right
Curaçao includes the main island of Curaçao and much smaller, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").[13] Curaçao has a population of 158,665 (January 2019 est.),[3] with an area of 444 km2 (171 sq mi); its capital is Willemstad.[13] Together with Aruba and Bonaire, Curaçao forms the ABC islands. Collectively, Curaçao, Aruba, and other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean. It is the largest of the ABC islands in area and population, and the largest of the Dutch Caribbean.[15]
The name "Curaçao" may originate from the indigenous autonym of its people, supported by early Spanish accounts referring to the inhabitants as "Indios Curaçaos". Curaçao's history begins with the Arawak and Caquetio Amerindians, with the island becoming a Spanish colony after Alonso de Ojeda's 1499 expedition. Despite being deemed "the useless island" due to poor agricultural yield and lack of precious metals, it became a strategic cattle ranching area. Dutch colonization in 1634 shifted the island's focus to trade, shipping, and later, a hub for the Atlantic slave trade. The Jewish community, fleeing persecution in Europe, settled here and significantly influenced the economy and culture.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw Curaçao under attack by the British but remained predominantly Dutch. Post-abolition of slavery in 1863 led to economic shifts and migrations. Dutch remains the official language, though Papiamentu, English, and Spanish are widely spoken, reflecting the island's diverse cultural influences. Curaçao was formerly part of the Curaçao and Dependencies colony from 1815 to 1954 and later the Netherlands Antilles from 1954 to 2010, as Island Territory of Curaçao.[16][17][13]
The discovery of oil in the Maracaibo Basin in 1914 transformed Curaçao into a critical refinery location, altering its economic landscape. There were efforts towards becoming a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, achieving autonomy in 2010. Despite facing challenges like economic stagnation and COVID, Curaçao continues to navigate its path within the Caribbean and broader world stage.
Etymology[edit]
One explanation for the island's name is that Curaçao was the autonym by which its indigenous peoples identified themselves.[18] Early Spanish accounts support this theory, referring to the indigenous peoples as Indios Curaçaos.[19]
From 1525, the island was featured on Spanish maps as Curaçote, Curasaote, Curasaore, and even Curacaute.[20] By the 17th century, it appeared on most maps as Curaçao or Curazao.[19] On a map created by Hieronymus Cock in 1562 in Antwerp, the island was called Qúracao.[21]
A persistent but undocumented story claims the following: in the 16th and 17th centuries—the early years of European exploration—when sailors on long voyages got scurvy from lack of vitamin C, 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.[13]
Infrastructure[edit]
Airport[edit]
Curaçao International Airport (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.
Railways[edit]
In 1887 a horse drawn street tramway opened in Punda, the part of the capital Willemstad on the eastern side of Sint Annabaai. It had a U-shaped route about 2 km in length. In 1896, a tramway opened in Otrabanda on the opposite side of the bay, but it ceased operations within a few months. The Punda line was rebuilt in 1911, regauged to metre gauge, and the horse-drawn trams replaced by petrol engined ones. The line closed in 1920.[135]