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Curaçao History
Dutch Caribbean, Netherlands Antilles.
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ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao) were discovered in 1499
by a lieutenant of Columbus,
Alonso de Ojeda, who found the
islands inhabited by Caiquetos, a
tribe of peaceful Arawak Indians,
who had fled Venezuela from a more
blood thirsty tribe, the Caribs.
De Ojeda claimed the islands for
the Spanish crown, but because there was
no gold there they were declared
"useless islands". |
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Awarak community was largely
transported to work on Hispañola,
and nowadays there are no more full blooded
Indians to be found on Curaçao. |
The island remained Spanish throughout the 16th century, but fell to the Dutch in 1634.
Curaçao became an important trading post and a base for excursions against the Spanish. Some of the plantation houses
("landhuizen") date from this period.
They were used for agricultural purposes, some as cattle farms and
some were country
estates for the rich merchant
families that lived in
Willemstad. |
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of these "landhuizen"
still exist today. Some of them
have decayed into ruins, but
others have been restored and
serve now as restaurants and
museums. |
Conflicts in Europe and the Americas in the 18th century led to Curaçao becoming a commercial meeting place for pirates, American rebels, Dutch merchants, Spaniards and Creoles from the mainland. In 1800 the English took
Cura, but withdrew in 1803, only to occupy
it again in 1807.
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1816, Dutch rule was restored and
the island was declared a free
port. In the 20th century the
economy prospered with the
discovery of oil in Venezuela, and
the subsequent decision by the
Dutch-British Shell oil company to
set up a refinery on Curaçao
because of its political stability
and its good port facilities. The
second world war brought the
offshore industry to Curaçao to
accommodate Dutch companies after
the invasion of Holland by the
Germans.
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After the war, demands for autonomy from Holland began to grow, resulting in the Netherlands Antilles becoming an
autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1982 the Shell refinery closed its doors leaving many unemployed.
Curaçao has now focused on tourism as a substantial source of income besides its offshore industry. |
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Location:
Curaçao is located in the southwestern Caribbean, at latitude 12’ north and longitude 68’west.
The island is just 70 km (44 miles) north of South
America. It is 2.5 hours by air from Miami.
Size:
444 square kilometers (182 square miles); 61 km long; 5 km to 14 km wide.
Population:
144,000. Some 40 to 50 different nationalities live on the island. Willemstad is the island's capital and only city.
Government:
Curaçao, along with neighboring Bonaire and three islands in the eastern Caribbean (St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and
Saba), form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Locals are Dutch nationals and carry European Union passports.
The island remained Spanish throughout the
16th century, but fell to the Dutch in
1634. Curaçao became an important trading
post and a base for excursions against the
Spanish.
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