Curacao, pronounced kyoor uh SOH or pronounced koo rah SAH oh, is the largest island of the Netherlands Antilles--two groups of islands in the West Indies. The Netherlands Antilles is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (see NETHERLANDS [Government]).
Curacao covers 171 square miles (444 square kilometers) and has a population of about 150,000. Willemstad, the largest city on the island, is the capital of the Netherlands Antilles. A dry, nearly flat island, Curacao has lovely beaches, warm weather the year around, and picturesque cities and towns. These features attract many tourists. Most of Curacao's people are blacks, or have mixed black and white ancestry. Oil refining, tourism, and trade are the island's main economic activities.
American Indians were Curacao's first inhabitants. The Netherlands gained control of the island in 1634. From the 1600's to the 1800's, the Dutch brought many black African slaves to Curacao.
Contributor: Gary Brana-Shute, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Latin-American and Caribbean Studies, Foreign Service Institute, Washington, D.C. |