Curacao is the largest of the six islands comprising the Netherlands Antilles. The island of Curacao has a land area of 448 square kilometers. With an estimated population of 150.000, it’s located in the Caribbean Sea within view of the Venezuelan coast, between the islands Aruba and Bonaire.
Curacao has a multi-cultural population, has Dutch, Papiamentu and English as official languages. The landscape is aris and mostly flat, except in the northwest, where hills rise to 375 meters. Curacao’s flora best-known specimens are the divi-divi tree, the campech of brazilwood tree, the aloe, and a variety of cactuses. Tamarind and coconut palms, guava, mango and papaya trees are found in cultivated areas. Catch the most amazing aerial views of Curacao from a helicopter!
There are no large native animals, besides the biná, a small deer. With a variety of lizards, of which the largest is the iguana. With more than one hundred types of birds, the palabrua (barn owl), the trupial (a songbird), and the tortolica (a small pigeon); pelicans roam the coast in great numbers.
Willemstad is the capital of the Netherlands Antilles as well as of Curacao. Willemstad is divided by the Sint Annebaai. This bay connects the Caribbean Sea with the natural harbor, Schottegat. The city centre, with its unique architecture and harbour entry, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The economy centers on the oil refinery, shipbuilding and repair, construction, small local industries, tourism, financial services, and the transit trade.
Curacao has a semi-arid climate with dry and wet seasons and lies, fortunately enough, just outside of the Caribbean hurricane belt. The reasons that the climate is so consistent throughout the year is because of its location as an island in relation to the equator.
Local food is called krioyo and boasts a blend of flavours and techniques best compared to Caribbean cuisine and Latin American cuisine. Popular dishes: stobá (stew with various ingredients such as papaya, beef or chicken), Guiambo (soup made grom okra and seafood), funchi (cornmeal paste similar to fufu, ugali and polenta) and a lot of fish and other seafood. Plasa Bieu is the place to be to taste krioyo; local dishes. The Curacao liqueur was developed here when a local experimented with the rinds of locally grown variety of bitter oranges. Or visit just like Prins Willem Alexander in 1999 and try Netto Bar‘s World Famous Ròm Bèrdè.
Curacao’s baseball team from Willemstad, has made it all the way to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The warm clear water around the island makes Curacao a mecca for diving. Or surf the sky like a superhero or swim like a dolphin with this new sport: Flyboarding.
[su_quote]Overall, Curacao is truly a hidden gem in the Caribbean that is worth visiting![/su_quote]
