Welcome to Curacao, my 19TH Territory out of a global total of 71 and the 17th island of our Caribbean Cruise. After my blog photos below are the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about this destination.
We spent 18 January on Curacao and 19 January at sea sailing from Curacao to Jamaica. After my presentation of Curacao (text, photos and facts), I present a Special Feature on “THE WEST INDIES” and explain what this is and how it got started.
Curacao is very similar but different from its close neighbour Aruba. Similar because both have lots of Cacti. Different because Curacao has a signature drink called THE BLUE LIQUEUR which is made from fermentation of the peel of a bitter orange that only grows in Curacao.
This was the most efficient day for us. The car rental office was literally opposite the ship and we got moving at a record 820am after alighting first at 8am. We even managed a dag dance and interview at the port before driving off !!! Record time. Like Aruba, Curacao is not overly green or lush and has no rainforests or jungles or peaks. It is mostly flat and like Aruba sports many cacti and rock formations but nowhere near the concentration of Aruba. One thing is certain – Curacao has way more houses all over the island. Curacao also has many attractions. We visited the following: CAPITAL: Curacao Sign in Jewish Quarter, Handelskade Promenade (Colourful Houses).
CLOCKWISE FROM CAPITAL: Flamingo Observation Tower, Playa Lagun, Kenepa Chiki Beach Wexstpunt Baai Viewpoint, Shete Boka NP (Natural Bridge & Viewpoint), Shete Boka Attraction, Boka Tabla Viewpoint, Landhuis San Pedro Ruins, Hato Caves, Curacao Liqueur Distillery, Caracas Bay Lookout.
The highlight was the capital city and the Hato Caves. The capital is like a mini-Amsterdam. Colourful narrow dwellings lining the main river. It also features a floating pontoon bridge – longest in the world which moves away at one end by boat motor outboards to allow vessels to pass by. Strangest thing. The buildings in the capital and indeed outside in local villages are very well kept and streets are clean. Roads were generally good and much better than Aruba.
The Hato Caves are brilliant. They are solid limestone with stalactites and stalagmites a plenty. What makes them stand out is the colourful minerals leaching out as you will soon see for yourself. The caves themselves are hot and humid inside as a stark contrast to cold caves everywhere else in the world. We were impressed by our young teenage guide who spoke fluent Dutch, Spanish and English.
The beaches in Curacao are not long. They are generally small half-moon shapes nestled between limestone cliffs. Very scenic but not good for laps let-alone distant swimming so it was just a dip for Bundy and Yiannis. This day had high wind so the beaches in the west were wild as were those close to the capital. I am certain that if there was no wind the beaches would have made a much bigger impression since the water colour and clarity was typical Caribbean.
After all is said and done, the twin Dutch Territories of Curacao and Aruba are certainly worth visiting as I am sure you will agree from below…
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CURACAO IN A NUTSHELL:
• Population (2025): 156,115.
• Population Density: 335.2 people per km².
• Aging Trend: 33.8% is aged 60 or older.
• Gender Ratio: 81.9 males per 100 females.
• Urbanization: 80.8% of the population lives in urban areas, primarily in the capital, Willemstad.
• Life Expectancy: 78 years.
• GDP Growth (2024): 5.0%.
• GDP per Capita (2023): $USD21,061.70.
• Inflation (2024): 2.6%.
• Unemployment (2024): 7.8%. Youth unemployment 16.3%.
• Poverty: 30.4% of households live below the poverty line.
• Currency: Currently uses the Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ANG), pegged at 1.79 per USD.
• Visitors (Jan–Apr 2025): 680,992, including 283,555 stayover arrivals and 381,193 cruise passengers.
• Economic Impact: Tourism accounts for roughly 48% of Curaçao's GDP.
• Land Area: 444 km² (171 sq. miles).
• Highest Point: Mt. Christoffel at 372 meters.
• Climate: Semi-arid tropical marine climate with an average rainfall of 60 cm/year.
• Renewable Energy: Approximately 18.3% of electricity production comes from renewable sources.
BRIEF HISTORY OF CURACAO:
The history of Curaçao spans from its indigenous origins to its current status as a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• The island's first inhabitants were the Arawak and Caquetio peoples, who migrated from South America around 2500–2900 BC.
• In 1499, a Spanish expedition led by Alonso de Ojeda "discovered" the island, naming it Isla de los Gigantes (Island of Giants) due to the tall stature of the natives.
• In 1515, the Spanish deported almost the entire indigenous population to Hispaniola for forced labour.
• In 1634, the Dutch West India Company (WIC) invaded and seized Curaçao to establish a strategic naval base and a trade hub.
• Willemstad: The capital, Willemstad, was founded in 1634 around the Schottegat harbour.
• By 1662, Curaçao became the primary centre for the Atlantic slave trade in the Caribbean, serving as a distribution point for enslaved Africans.
• Fleeing persecution in Europe and Brazil, Sephardic Jews settled in the mid-17th century.
• During the Napoleonic Wars, the British occupied the island twice (1800–1803 and 1807–1815), before returning it to the Dutch under the Treaty of Paris.
• The Netherlands officially abolished slavery in 1863, leading to a significant economic depression as the plantation system collapsed.
• In 1914, the discovery of oil in Venezuela transformed the economy; Royal Dutch Shell opened a massive refinery on the island in 1918, making it a vital Allied fuel supplier during World War II.
• Curaçao became part of the Netherlands Antilles in 1954, gaining internal self-governance.
• 1969: labour riots against racial and economic inequality led to significant political reforms and greater local influence.
• Autonomous Status: On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, and Curaçao became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CURACAO:
Curaçao is a vibrant Dutch Caribbean island known for its colourful colonial history, unique geography, and diverse culture.
1. The capital city, Willemstad, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its famous waterfront, the Handelskade, features bright, pastel-coloured Dutch colonial buildings originally painted to reduce the glare of the tropical sun.
2. As of 31 March 2025, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are transitioning to a new official currency called the Caribbean Guilder (XCG). This replaces the long-standing Netherlands Antillean Guilder.
3. The Queen Emma Bridge, often called "The Swinging Old Lady," is the world’s longest floating pontoon bridge.
4. Most locals speak Papiamento (a unique blend of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and African languages), Dutch, English, and Spanish.
5. Outside the Hurricane Belt.
6. The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, built in 1732, is the oldest continuously operating synagogue in the Western Hemisphere.
7. The world-famous Blue Curaçao Liqueur is made on the island using the dried peels of the Laraha orange, a bitter citrus fruit unique to the island.
8. The island’s waters are home to five out of the seven species of sea turtles found worldwide, including the Green, Hawksbill, and Loggerhead turtles.
9. One of the island's most famous dive sites is the Mushroom Forest, named for massive, mushroom-shaped coral formations created by years of erosion at their bases.
10. The Hato Caves, formed millions of years ago, contain ancient petroglyphs and drawings left by the island’s first inhabitants, the Arawak and Caquetio Amerindians.
SPECIAL POST: What is the “West Indies” ?
The “West Indies” is a term invented by Christopher Columbus in 1492 by mistake because he thought he had reached what he called the “Indies” of East Asia covering Malaysia and Indonesia. When he realised, he was nowhere near East Asia he added the word “West” to “Indies” to distinguish the Caribbean islands he had found. “Indies” then became “East Indies” for East Asia.
“West Indies” therefore covers all the Caribbean Islands sighted by Chrostopher Columbus except for the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands: all 13 independent full-member UN Countries and the 13 of the 15 territories.
The West Indies is subdivided into 3 broad archipelagos based on geographical location:
Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles and Lucayan.
The history of the West Indies is defined by its transition from a diverse indigenous landscape to a major theatre of European colonial rivalry and the subsequent rise of independent nations.
The region was first inhabited thousands of years before European contact by various groups migrating from South and Central America: Taíno, Ciboney, Arawak and Kalinago (Carib) peoples.
Spain initially dominated the region after Columbus's arrival, establishing the first permanent European settlement in 1496 on Hispaniola.
In the 17th century, Britain, France, and the Netherlands challenged Spanish control, establishing colonies of their own.
By the mid-1600s, the region shifted to a plantation economy centred on sugar. This labour-intensive industry fuelled the "Triangular Trade" and led to the mass importation of millions of enslaved Africans to this region mainly from West Africa (Slave Coast).
The combination of European diseases and harsh treatment caused a rapid decline in indigenous populations, while the slave trade made people of African descent the largest demographic group in the region.
Haiti (formerly Saint-Domingue) became the first Caribbean nation to gain independence after a successful slave rebellion in 1804, becoming the world's oldest black republic.
Most other islands remained under colonial rule until the 20th century. Major independence movements occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, following the short-lived West Indies Federation (1958–1962), which had attempted to unite British Caribbean colonies into a single independent state.
Today, the population of roughly 44 million is a multicultural blend of African, European, Indigenous (Arawak/Carib), and Asian descendants.
Today, while Spanish, English, French, and Dutch are official, many residents speak Creole languages like Papiamentu or Haitian Creole.
Today, the term "West Indies" is most strongly associated with the English-speaking Caribbean, particularly through the West Indies Cricket Team, which represents multiple independent nations.
END OF POST
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