Eilandgebied Curaçao Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou Island area of Curaçao
Flag
Anthem: Himno di Kòrsou
Capital (and largest city)		Willemstad 12°7′N, 68°56′W
Official languages		Dutch, Papiamento, English
Government		See Politics of the Netherlands Antilles
-	Prime Minister of N. The Flag of Curaçao is a blue field with a horizontal yellow stripe slightly below the midline and two white five-pointed stars in the canton. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's Himno di Kòrsou is the National anthem of Curaçao. Himno di Kòrsou 1 Willemstad is the territorial Capital of the Netherlands Antilles. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Politics of the Netherlands Antilles, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic A.	Emily de Jongh-Elhage
-	Governor of N. Emily Saïdy de Jongh-Elhage (born December 7, 1946) has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles since 26 March A.	Frits Goedgedrag
Constitutional monarchy		part of the Netherlands Antilles, separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands as from December 15, 2008
Area
-	Total	444 km²  171. Frits Martinus de los Santos Goedgedrag (born 1 November 1951 in Aruba) is the current Governor of the Netherlands Antilles. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch:) previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different surface Areas here is a list of areas between 1 million km² and 10 million km² 4 sq mi
Population
-	2006 census	138,000
-	Density	391/km² (ranked as part of N. A.) 151/sq mi
Currency		Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Time zone		-4
Internet TLD		.an
Calling code		+599

Curaçao (pronounced [ˈkjuːrəsaʊ]; Dutch: Curaçao, Papiamento: Kòrsou) is an island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea off the north coast of Venezuela. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The guilder (gulden is the currency of the Netherlands Antilles. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the The island area of Curaçao (Dutch: Eilandgebied Curaçao, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Kòrsou), which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"), is one of five island areas of the Netherlands Antilles, and as such, is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Klein Curaçao ( Dutch for little Curaçao) is a small uninhabited island south-east of Curaçao. |||}The Netherlands Antilles is divided in five administrative divisions the Island Areas ( Eilandgebieden) Bonaire, including an islet called The Netherlands Antilles ( Dutch:) previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities Its capital is Willemstad. Willemstad is the territorial Capital of the Netherlands Antilles.

Curaçao 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. The ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. They are the three most western Islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees, are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the Leeward Antilles are a chain of Islands in the Caribbean – specifically the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and in turn the Antilles It has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population was 130,627 inhabitants; in 2004 the population was estimated at 133,644. Curaçao lies outside the hurricane belt, but can still occasionally be impacted by hurricanes, such as Hurricane Felix. The hurricane belt is an area in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, which is prone to Hurricanes during the Hurricane Felix was a destructive Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, that struck Central America in 2007

Contents 1 Origin of the name Curaçao 2 History 3 Geography 4 Politics 5 Education 6 Economy 7 Demographics 7.1 Ethnicities 7.2 Religion 8 Culture 8.1 Language 8.2 Literature 8.3 Cuisine 8.4 Sports 9 Notable people from Curaçao 10 Sources 11 Footnotes 12 External links

Origin of the name Curaçao

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. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. 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".

Whatever the origin of the name, after 1525 the island appeared on Spanish maps as "Curaçote," "Curasaote," and "Curasaore. " By the seventeenth century the island was generally known on all maps as "Curaçao" or "Curazao".

On a map created by Hieronymus Cock in 1562 in Antwerp, the island was referred to as Quracao.

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". A liqueur is a sweet Alcoholic beverage, often flavored with Fruits, Herbs Spices Flowers Seeds Roots Plants Curaçao is a Liqueur flavored with the dried peels of the Laraha Citrus fruit grown on the island of Curaçao.

History

Main article: History of Curaçao

The original inhabitants of Curaçao were Arawak Amerindians. The island of Curaçao was first settled by the Arawaks, an Amerindian people native to the area The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in The first Europeans to see the island were members of a Spanish expedition under the leadership of Alonso de Ojeda in 1499. Alonso de Ojeda (c 1465 &ndash 1515 was a Spanish explorer born of noble parentage in Cuenca. The Spaniards exported most of the indigenous population to other colonies where workers were needed. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The island was occupied by the Dutch in 1634. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Dutch West India Company founded the capital of Willemstad on the banks of an inlet called the 'Schottegat'. Dutch West India Company ( Dutch: Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie or GWC; English: Chartered West India Company was a company of Curaçao had been previously ignored by colonists because it lacked many things that colonists were interested in, such as gold deposits. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 However, the natural harbour of Willemstad proved quickly to be an ideal spot for trade. A harbor or harbour (see spelling differences) or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the Weather or are stored Commerce and shipping — but also piracy — became Curaçao's most important economic activities. Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Shipping is physical process of Transporting goods and Cargo. The great era of Piracy in the Caribbean began in the 1560s and died out in the 1720s as the Nation-states of Western Europe with colonies in 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 Atlantic Slave trade, also known as the transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African people supplied to the Colonies of the New World The Dutch West India Company made Curaçao a center for slave trade in 1662. Dutch West India Company ( Dutch: Geoctroyeerde Westindische Compagnie or GWC; English: Chartered West India Company was a company of Dutch merchants brought slaves from Africa under a trading agreement with Spain called Asiento. Slavery is a social-economic system under which certain persons — known as slaves — are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to perform labour or services In the History of Slavery, asiento (or assiento, meaning " Assent " refers to the permission given by the Spanish government Under this agreement, 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 construction of 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. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex 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.

Curaçao's proximity to South America translated into a long-standing influence from the nearby Latin American coast. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a This is reflected in the architectural similarities between the 19th century parts of Willemstad and the nearby Venezuelan city of Coro in Falcón State, the latter also being a UNESCO world heritage site. Willemstad is the territorial Capital of the Netherlands Antilles. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Coro is the capital of Falcón State and the oldest city in the west of Venezuela United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex In the 19th century, Curaçaoans such as Manuel Piar and Luis Brión were prominently engaged in the wars of independence of Venezuela and Colombia. Manuel Carlos Piar (April 28 1774 - October 16 1817 was General -in-Chief of the Army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence Pedro Luis Brión ( July 6, 1782, Curaçao &mdash September 27 1821, Curaçao) was a military officer who fought in Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Political refugees from the mainland (like Bolivar himself) regrouped in Curaçao and children from affluent Venezuelan families were educated in the island.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the island changed hands among the British, the French, and the Dutch several times. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Stable Dutch rule returned in 1815, at the end of the Napoleonic wars. Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions The Dutch abolished slavery in 1863. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la

When in 1914 oil was discovered in the Maracaibo Basin town of Mene Grande, the fortunes of the island were dramatically altered. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Maracaibo Basin in Western Venezuela is a prolific oil-producing sedimentary basin 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. Royal Dutch Shell plc, commonly known simply as Shell, is a multinational oil company of Dutch and British origins 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. The Maracaibo Basin in Western Venezuela is a prolific oil-producing sedimentary basin An oil field is a region with an abundance of Oil wells extracting Petroleum (crude oil from below ground It also had an excellent natural harbor that could accommodate large oil tankers. History The technology of oil transportation has evolved alongside the oil industry 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. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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). Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of Individuals and/or Organizations focused on specific 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. The government consortium currently leases the refinery to the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Petróleos de Venezuela SA ( PDVSA) is the Venezuelan state-owned Petroleum company 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 Curaçao inaugurated the National Flag and the official anthem of the island. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) This was done on July 2, which was the date when in 1954 the first elected island council was instituted. Since then, the movement to separate the island from the Antillean federation has steadily become stronger.

Due to an economic slump in recent years, emigration to the Netherlands has been high. Attempts by Dutch politicians 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.

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. Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Leeward Antilles are a chain of Islands in the Caribbean – specifically the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and in turn the 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. The ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. They are the three most western Islands of the Leeward Antilles in the The Paraguaná Peninsula is a Peninsula in Venezuela, situated in the state of Falcón. The Coro region is the hilly and semi-mountainous area in northwest Venezuela, north of the Mérida Andes and east of the Maracaibo Basin, extending north Curaçao has a semi-arid savanna-like climate and lies outside the hurricane belt. A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding The flora of Curaçao differs from the typical tropical island vegetation. Xeric scrublands are common, with various forms of cacti, thorny shrubs, evergreens, and the island's symbolic divi-divis. Scrubland is a Plant community characterized by scrub Vegetation. A cactus (plural cacti) is any member of the Spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round The Divi-divi ( Caesalpinia coriaria) is a leguminous Tree or large Shrub native to Aruba, the Antilles, southern Curaçao's highest point is the 375 metre (1,230 ft) Christoffelberg ("Mount Christoffel") in the northwestern part of the island. The Christoffelberg, also known as Mt Christoffel or Mt St Christoffel, named after the explorer Christopher Columbus, is the highest point on Curaçao 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. In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject Flamingos or flamingoes ( are gregarious Wading birds in the Genus Phoenicopterus and family 15 miles off the coast of Curaçao, to the southeast, lies the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"). Klein Curaçao ( Dutch for little Curaçao) is a small uninhabited island south-east of Curaçao.

Curaçao is renowned for its coral reefs which makes it an excellent spot for scuba diving. Coral reefs are Aragonite structures produced by living organisms found in marine waters with little to no nutrients in the water Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. 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.

Politics

Curaçao gained self-government on January 1, 1954 as an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) 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. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

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. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela In 2006, Emily de Jongh-Elhage, a resident of Curaçao, was elected as the new prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles. Emily Saïdy de Jongh-Elhage (born December 7, 1946) has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles since 26 March

On July 1, 2007, the island of Curaçao was due to become an autonomous associated state, under the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. An associated state is the minor partner in a formal free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a (usually larger nation for which no other specific On November 28, 2006, the island council rejected a clarificatory memorandum on the process. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. On July 9, 2007 the new island council of Curaçao approved the agreement previously rejected in November 2006. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[1] On December 15, 2008 Curaçao will become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (like Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are now).

Education

Public education is based on the Dutch educational system. Until recently, all instruction was provided in Dutch. Now, bilingual primary education in Papiamentu and Dutch is also available. Private and parochial schools also exist on the island. The International School Of Curaçao 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 institute of higher learning is the University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA). The University of the Netherlands Antilles ( UNA) is the state university of the Netherlands Antilles, founded in 1979 by the merger of the then existing colleges of

Economy

Although a few plantations were established on the island by the Dutch, the first profitable industry established on Curaçao was salt mining. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants 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. The history of slavery uncovers many different forms of human exploitation across many cultures throughout history In the 19th century, phosphate mining also became significant. A phosphate, an Inorganic chemical, is a salt of Phosphoric acid. 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. Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer

Today, Curaçao enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean, with a GDP per capita of ca. US$ 18. 000 (2007) and an excellent infrastructure which is among the best in the Caribbean. The main industries of the island include oil refining, tourism and financial services. An oil refinery is an industrial Process plant where Crude oil is processed and refined into more useful Petroleum products, such as Gasoline Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. Shipping, international trade and other activities related to the port of Willemstad (like the Free Zone) also makes a considerable contribution to the economy. With the government realizing that its economy needs be more diverse, significant efforts are being made to attract more foreign investments. This policy is called the 'Open Arms' policy with one of its main features to focus heavily on Information Technology companies. ^[2][3][4] For its size, the island has a considerable diversed economy which doesn't rely mostly on tourism only like on many other Caribbean islands.

Curaçao has strong business ties with both the United States and the European Union. It has an Association Agreement with the European Union which allows companies which do business in and via Curaçao to export many products to European markets,^[5] free of import duties and quotas. It is also a participant in the US Caribbean Basin Initiative allowing it to have preferential access to the US market. ^[6]

As in the Netherlands, prostitution is legal. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. A large open-air brothel called "Le Mirage" or "Campo Alegre" operates near the airport since the 1940s. "Le Mirage" is a large open-air brothel which has operated near the main Curacao airport since the 1940s The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be As prostitution exists in most parts of the world, Curaçao has implemented a different approach on handling prostitution. By monitoring, containing and regulating it, the workers in these establishments are given a safe environment and access to medical practitioners.

Demographics

Ethnicities

Because of its history, the island's population comes from many ethnic backgrounds. There is a majority of mixed Afro-Caribbean and European descent, and also sizeable minorities of Dutch, Latin American, South Asian, East Asian, Portuguese and Levantine people. The Dutch people ( Dutch:) are the dominant Ethnic group of the Netherlands. The Portuguese people (os Portugueses literally the Portuguese) are the Ethnic group or Nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the 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. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Dutch Brazil, also known as New Holland, was the northern portion of Brazil, seized by the Dutch during the Dutch colonization of the Americas The years before and after World War II also saw an influx of Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Many Portuguese and Lebanese also migrated to Curaçao in the early 19th century due to the financial possibilities of the island. East and South Asian migrants came to Curaçao during the economic boom of the early 20th century. There are also many recent immigrants from neighbouring countries, most notably the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Anglophone Caribbean and Colombia. The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: The term Anglophone Caribbean is used to refer to the independent English -speaking countries of the Caribbean region Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. In recent years the influx of Dutch pensioners has increased significantly, dubbed locally as pensionados. A pension is a steady income given to a person upon Retirement, typically in the form of a guaranteed annuity.

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. The term charismatic movement describes the adoption from the early twentieth century onwards of certain beliefs typical of those held by Pentecostal Christians — specifically Other major denominations are the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Methodist Church. The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Alongside these Christian denominations, some inhabitants practice Montamentu, and other diasporic African religions. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Like elsewhere in Latin America, Pentecostalism is on the rise. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism There are practicing Muslims as well as Hindus. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical

Though small in size, Curaçao's Jewish community has a significant impact on history. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ 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 Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of The Jewish Community of Curaçao 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. The Touro Synagogue is a Synagogue in Newport Rhode Island, that is the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America and the Also see List of Caribbean Jews. Here is a list of some prominent (non Latin- Caribbean Jews arranged by country of origin

Culture

Language

Curaçao is a polyglot society. The languages widely spoken are Papiamentu, Dutch, Spanish, and English. Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the Language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Many people can speak all four of these languages. Spanish and English both have a long historical presence on the island alongside Dutch and Papiamentu. Spanish remained an important language throughout the 18th and 19th centuries as well due to the close economic ties with nearby Venezuela and Colombia. The use of English dates back to the early 19th century, when Curaçao became a British colony. In fact, after the restoration of Dutch rule in 1815, colonial officers already noted wide use of English among the island (van Putte 1999). Recent immigration from the Anglophone Caribbean and the Netherlands Antillean islands of (St. Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten)—where the primary language is English—as well as the ascendancy of English as a world language, has intensified the use of English on Curaçao. Sint Eustatius, also known as Statia, or Saint Eustace, is one of the islands which make up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern Leeward SABA was a German manufacturer for electronic equipment from the Black Forest up to the 1980s For the island of St Martin on the whole see Saint Martin, for the French side see Saint Martin (France and for other uses see Saint Martin (disambiguation For much of colonial history, Dutch was never as widely spoken as English or Spanish and remained exclusively a language for administration and legal matters; popular use of Dutch increased towards the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century (van Putte 1999).

Historically, education on Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire had been predominantly in Spanish up until the late 19th century. There were also efforts to introduce bilingual popular education in Dutch and Papiamentu in the late 19th century (van Putte 1999). 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). The twentieth century of the Common Era began on An expatriate (in abbreviated form expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing Royal Dutch Shell plc, commonly known simply as Shell, is a multinational oil company of Dutch and British origins Papiamento was tentatively re-introduced in the school curriculum during the mid-1980s. 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 will improve the quality of primary and secondary school education. Proponents of Dutch-language instruction argue that students who study in Dutch will be better prepared for the free university education offered to Curaçao residents in the Netherlands.

Effective July 1, 2007, the Netherlands Antilles declared Dutch, Papiamentu, and English as official languages, in recognition of the Dutch-speaking, Papiamentu-speaking and English-speaking communities of all the islands. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

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 Papiamento. The oral traditions of the Arawak indigenous peoples are lost. The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in The term Indigenous Peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any Ethnic group who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest historical West African slaves brought the tales of Anansi, thus forming the basis of Papiamento literature. Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore The first published work in Papiamento was a poem by Joesph Sickman Corsen entitled Atardi, published in the La Cruz newspaper in 1905. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Throughout Curaçaoan literature, narrative techniques and metaphors best characterized as magic realism tend to predominate. A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of Magic realism, or magical realism, is an artistic Genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" Novelists and poets from Curaçao have made an impressive contribution to Caribbean and Dutch literature. ---- Caribbean literature is the term generally accepted for the Literature of the various territories of the Caribbean region Similar to other literary traditions Dutch literature is not restricted to the Netherlands alone Best known are Cola Debrot, Frank Martinus Arion, Pierre Lauffer, Elis Juliana,Guillermo Rosario, Boeli van Leeuwen and Tip Marugg. Cola (Nicolaas Debrot (1902-1981 was a Writer, Lawyer, Medical doctor and Politician active in Curacao. Frank Martinus Arion, pseudonym of Frank Efraim Martinus, was born on December 17, 1936 in Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles. Silvio Alberto (Tip Marugg ( Willemstad Curaçao, 16 December 1923 &ndash 22 April 2006) was a Dutch-Antillian writer and poet of

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. Aruba is a -long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela The Island Territory of Bonaire ( Dutch: Eilandgebied Bonaire, Papiamento: Teritorio Insular di Boneiru) is one of five island areas 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 papaya (from Carib via Spanish) is the Fruit of the Plant Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. Beef is the Culinary name for Meat from Bovines especially domestic Cattle (cows The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe Okra ( American English:, British English,) also known as lady's finger, bhindi ( Hindustani) and gumbo, is a Seafood is any Sea Animal or Seaweed that is served as Food, or is suitable for eating particularly saltwater animals such Fufu, variants include foofoo, foufou, foutou or fu fu, is a Staple food of West and Central Africa. Ugali (also sometimes called sima or posho) is a Cornmeal product and a staple Starch component of many African meals especially Polenta is a dish made from boiled Cornmeal. Although the word is borrowed into English from Italian, the dish (under various names is popular in The ubiquitous side dish is fried plantain. The plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking in contrast to the soft sweet Banana (which is sometimes called the Local bread rolls are made according to a Portuguese recipe. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. 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. In Venezuelan cuisine an hallaca (alt spelling "hayaca" typically involves a mixture of Beef, Pork, Chicken, Cod can be preserved by salting, drying, or both Dried and salted cod is usually called salt cod cod which has been dried without the addition of salt 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 bitter oranges. Curaçao is a Liqueur flavored with the dried peels of the Laraha Citrus fruit grown on the island of Curaçao. For the fruit known as "Chinese Bitter Orange" see Trifoliate orange. Surinamese, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian and Dutch culinary influences also abound. Suriname ( Dutch: Suriname; Sranan Tongo: Sranan) officially the Republic of Suriname (traditionally spelled Surinam by The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The island also has a lot of Chinese restaurants that serve mainly satay, nasi and lumpia. Satay or sate is a dish consisting of chunks or slices of dice-sized Meat ( Chicken, Goat, Mutton, Beef, Pork For the Arab month by this name see Nasi (month. Also the Malay/Indonesian word for rice Lumpia/h are Pastries of the Philippines and Indonesia of Chinese origin and are similar to Spring rolls The term lumpia Dutch specialties such as croquettes and oliebollen are widely served in homes and restaurants. The croquette or croquet is a parcel of food containing Minced meat, Shellfish, Mashed potatoes or Vegetables encased in An oliebol (plural oliebollen ( is a traditional Dutch food. Oliebollen (literally oil balls) are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve

Sports

For the past seven years the baseball team from Willemstad, Curaçao has made it all the way to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Little League World Series is a Baseball Tournament for children aged 11 12 and 13 years old Williamsport is a city in and the County seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States The team features players from ages 11 and 12 who get a chance to represent the Caribbean region. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting In 2004 the team from Willemstad, Curaçao won the title game against the United States champion from Thousand Oaks, California. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Thousand Oaks, commonly referred to as "TO" by residents is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. The following year the team from Curaçao 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. Ewa Beach (ˈεvə in English is a Census-designated place (CDP located in Ewa District and the City & County of Honolulu along the leeward coast of O{{okina}}ahu The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the In 2007 the team lost to Japan in the International Championship game.

The prevailing trade winds and warm water make Curaçao a very good location for windsurfing, although the nearby islands of Aruba and Bonaire are far better known in the sport. ^[7][8] One factor is that the deep water around Curaçao makes it difficult to lay marks for major windsurfing events, thus hindering the island's success as a windsurfing destination. Similarly, the warm clear water around the island makes Curaçao a mecca for diving. ^[9]

Notable people from Curaçao

Famous people from Curaçao include:

• Andruw Jones, Major League Baseball outfielder currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Andruw Rudolf Jones (born April 23, 1977 in Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles) is a Major League Baseball player for the Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA
• Izaline Calister, a singer of jazz, ethno-jazz, and Curaçao krioyo music
• Pernell Saturnino, a graduated percussionist of Berklee College of Music
• Randal Corsen, jazz and fusion pianist
• Tania Kross, mezzo-soprano singer
• Morto Kacho, a political death metal band whose lyrics are in Papiamento
• 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, admiral in the Venezuelan War of Independence
• Manuel Carlos Piar, general and competitor of Bolivar 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 Atlanta Braves
• Shad Gaspard, WWE Pro Wrestler
• Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez, father of the autonomy of the Netherlands Antilles
• Wladimir Balentien, Major League Baseball outfielder currently playing for the Seattle Mariners
• Curt Smith, NCAA Baseball first baseman for the University of Maine. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Ethno Jazz, a form of Ethno Music is sometimes equaled to World Music or is regarded as its successor particularly before the 1990s 2007 Grammy nominee percussionist Pernell Saturnino is continuing a prominent musical legacy established by his distinguished family in the exotic Caribbean island of Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945 is an independent music College in Boston Massachusetts. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Tula (executed October 3, 1795) was a slave on Curaçao and a leader of a 1795 slave revolt that convulsed the island for more than a month Year 1795 ( MDCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves. Slave rebellions have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery and are amongst the most feared events Daniel De Leon ( December 14, 1852 &ndash May 11, 1914) was a Curaçao -born American socialist and Syndicalism Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Kizzy Yuanda Constance Getrouw (born on March 14, 1979) is a Dutch Singer-songwriter and Television personality. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention George John Lionel Maduro (born in Willemstad (Curaçao) July 15 1916; died Dachau concentration camp, February 9 1945 Madurodam is a Miniature city located in Scheveningen, The Hague, in the Netherlands. Pedro Luis Brión ( July 6, 1782, Curaçao &mdash September 27 1821, Curaçao) was a military officer who fought in The Venezuelan War of Independence was the war fought for the emancipation of what is today Venezuela, between 1811 and 1823 Manuel Carlos Piar (April 28 1774 - October 16 1817 was General -in-Chief of the Army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence The Venezuelan War of Independence was the war fought for the emancipation of what is today Venezuela, between 1811 and 1823 Hensley Filemon Acasio Meulens (born June 23, 1967 in Willemstad, Curaçao) is a former Major League Baseball player who played Randall Carlito Simon (born May 25, 1975 in Willemstad, Curaçao) is a first baseman who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies Churandy Martina (born 3 July 1984) is a sprinter from the Netherlands Antilles. Jair Francoise Jurrjens (born January 29, 1986 in Willemstad, Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles) is a Dutch Shad Chad Javier Jesus Roman Chittick Gaspard (born January 13 1981) Biography Early life and career Shad is the son of Benjamin Gaspard Wladimir Ramon Balentien (born July 2, 1984 in Willemstad Netherlands Antilles) is a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run The University of Maine, established in 1865 is the Flagship University of the University of Maine System.
• Bob Pinedo, oncologist

Sources

• 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 Curaçao. 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.
• Dede pikiña ku su bisiña: Papiamentu-Nederlands en de onverwerkt verleden tijd. van Putte, Florimon. , 1999. Zutphen: de Walburg Pers

Footnotes

External links

• [4] - CIA World Factbook page on Netherlands Antilles, of which Curaçao is a part
• Curacao-gov.an - official website of the government of Curaçao
• Rinkes Curacao - Rinkes website about (the architecture of) Curaçao
• Curaçao is at coordinates 12°11′N 69°00′W
• Curaçao travel guide from Wikitravel
• Curacao-Photos.com - pictures of Curaçao sent in by various photographers

Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide.

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