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Curaçao...
.... is located in the
southwestern Caribbean, just 60 km (37 miles) north
of Venezuela. It is a nine-hour flight from and to
Amsterdam. The largest and most populous of the Netherlands
Antilles is located between Aruba and Bonaire. The
island is 60 km (38 miles) long and varies between
3.2
and 13 km (2 to 8 miles) in width.
Spectacular beaches line
the southwest, leeward coast. Curaçao is outside
of the hurricane belt, which makes it a safe holiday
destination!
Geographically...
...it
falls within the Atlantic Standard Time Zone, 5 hours
earlier than MESZ (6 hours during european daylight
saving time) and 4 hours earlier than GMT. There is
not much in the way of vegetation except for cacti,
and the Curaçao Orange, which is used to make
the liqueur of the same name.
What the island lacks in
beauty in the interior, it makes up for with its pretty
beaches. The capital of Willemstad was built by dutch
merchants and is full of brightly colored houses, reminiscent
of Amsterdam. The first language spoken is dutch, but
english is also widely understood.
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UNESCO
World Heritage Sites
The United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) is committed
to preserving the culture and heritage
of major sites around the world. The
latest World Heritage list includes
varied places like the Pyramids of
Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia,
East Africa’s Serengeti—and
Curaçao’s Willemstad.
In 1997, the UNESCO World Heritage
Site committee selected the historic
city centre of Willemstad — one
of just six caribbean sites chosen — because
of its “outstanding value and
integrity, which illustrates the
organic growth of a multicultural
community over three centuries, and
preserves to a high degree significant
elements.”
History
Curaçao has
a turbulent history.
1499 Alonso
de Ojeda, a spanish lieutenant of Columbus,
discovered the paradise and settled.
1634 The
dutch conquered the island.
Until the early 19th century
the island passed over alternating into english and dutch
hands, finally it concerns a piece of paradise.
1815 The
dutch attained again the control over the island.
The 'colonial' status Curaçaos
and the other islands of the Dutch Antillean was changed
1954 when the Dutch Antillean received complete autonomy
within the Dutch Kingdom.
If you want the story of
Curaçao yet a little more exactly, you will be
enthused in the visit of one of the islands museum. Curaçao
Museum in Otrobanda, the Maritime Museum in Punda and
the Kura Hulanda Museum to name only a few.
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