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Curacao is located in the southwestern Caribbean. The largest of the Netherlands Antilles, it is 38 miles long and from 2 to 7.5 miles wide. It is located just 35 miles north of Venezuela, 42 miles east of Aruba and only 2 1/2 hours by air from Miami. Curacao is outside the hurricane belt, making it a sure holiday destination for good weather.

Curacao is on Atlantic Standard Time: one hour later than US Standard Time (the same time as Daylight Savings Time) and four hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time.

Curacao is a long, arid, and generally flat island, stretching some 40 miles (64 km) from southeast to northwest, at much the same north-south angles as it's sister islands in the ABC group (Aruba to the west and Bonaire to the east). The island is about 10 miles (16 km) at it's widest point, and the area is about 180 square miles (472 square km), making it the largest island in the Netherlands Antilles group.

Curacao is 444 square kilometers (182 square miles); 61 km long: 5-14 km wide.

The coastline along the south is irregular, peppered with small bays and inlets, including the spectacular bays and beaches at the west end of the island. The largest bays are located along the central-east and east end of the island, where you'll find the capital and major port of Willemstad. Most of Curacao's 170,000 residents live in and around this historic town.

The long north coast of the island, buffeted by constant northeast trade winds, is characterized by a rough coasthne, limestone cliff formations set on top of eons-old volcanic rock, and weather-beaten terrain. It is generally less inhabited than the south coast, but you will find smaller villages and many of the island's famous landhuis, or old plantation house, structures here.

The west end of the island is also characterized by expansive, hilly terrain, most of it encompassed by Christoffel Park. The 4,500-acre (1,820-hectare) park contains Mt. Christoffel, at 1,239 feet (377 meters) the highest elevation on Curacao. The east end of the island comprises flat and mostly barren plain, with few settlements and some secondary roads weaving to and from its coastal inlets. With an average 20 inches (510 mm) of rainfall yearly, Curacao is generally a dry island. There are few standing bodies of water save some saline ponds, and most of the island's water is provided by a large desalinization plant found on the south coast.

Places to go:

Christoffel Park
At the western end of the island is Christoffel National Park, centered by 1237 ft. Mt. Christoffel, the island's highest point. A protected wildlife preserve and garden covering 4,500 acres of land, Christoffel National Park has been open to the public since 1978. The park consists of three former plantations and offers 20 miles of one-way driving trails abundant with flora and fauna, including prickly pear cactus, divi divi trees and exotic flowers. Here, cacti reach up to ten feet in height, and several different species of orchids, some of them extremely rare, can be found blooming on them. Protected wildlife includes iguanas, rabbits, donkeys, several species of birds and between 150-200 small, white-tail Curacao deer which historians believe Indians brought from South American coastal areas, particularly Colombia and Venezuela, in the 14th and 15th centuries. Since 1926, the deer has been a protected animal on Curacao. Deer watching is offered year-round; sessions are held in the afternoon, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Guides lead small groups (maximum of eight people) on a ten-minute walk to the observation tower, for a presentation and to wait for the deer.

Curacao Underwater Marine Park
The Underwater Park consists of over 20km (12mi) of coral reef off the southeastern coast. Divers can explore pristine coral and several wrecks, including a small tugboat covered in orange tube coral. The tug lies in shallow water, so even snorkellers can get an eyeful. A number of good dives are accessible from the shore - revheads can check out the Car Pile sunk right in front of the Princess Beach Hotel. Those who want to get farther afield can hook up with one of numerous boat operators running daytrips to remote sites. All sites within the park are marked with buoys, and the park is at its calmest between autumn and early winter.

Willemstad
Willemstad is the territorial capital of the Netherlands Antilles. Located on the island of Curacao, it has an estimated population of 125,000. The city consists of two sections: Punda and Otrabanda. Punda was established in 1634, when Dutch captured the island from Spain. The original name of Punda originally was de punt in Dutch. Otrabanda, which was founded in 1707, is the newer section of the city and is considered to be the cultural center of Willemstad. Its name originated from the Spanish otra banda, which means "the other side." Punda and Otrabanda are connected by a long pontoon bridge.

Willemstad was a center for oil refining by Royal Dutch/Shell and is considered to be the city in the West Indies with the most European cultural influence. The city center, with its peculiar architecture, has been made a UNESCO world heritage site. The city also is a tourist destination and contains several gambling casinos.

Culture

The cutesy houses are a dead giveaway that the Dutchies have been by, but Curacao is much more of a grabbag than that. West Indian, Latin American, Jewish and African influences are evident in island flavors, sounds and sights.

Papiamento, a melange of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, English and Arawak Indian languages, is commonly spoken on Curacao, as it is on neighboring islands. It's an evocative language (drumi is sleep, for example). More prosaically, bon bini means welcome, bon dia is good day and masha danki is thank you very much. Your Curacaon hosts are adept linguists: Spanish, Dutch and English are also commonly spoken.

Caribbean musical styles like reggae and soca are popular, as is the cumbia of Colombia. The homegrown variety is called tambu and is played on a small drum brought to Curacao by African slaves. In slave times, stories and histories were transmitted orally and through beat and vocal-based muzik di zumbi (slave music). These traditions are kept alive at folk events such as the Easter Great Seu March.

Europeans dominate Curacaon visual and literary arts. Poet and artist Christiaan Engels was born in the Netherlands, but after his arrival in Curacao in 1936 he became a big player in the island's cultural life. He founded Willemstad's Curacao Museum in 1948, stocking it with some of his own expressionist paintings. A vibrant salon soon gathered around Engels and his wife, painter Lucille Engels-Boskaljon. John de Pool is another prominent figure. He's most famous for a satyrical lament, Del Curacao Quese Va, which appeared in 1935 and catalogued the passing of some of the island's old customs. And pretty groovy customs they were too: traditional country kitchens were painted red with white polka dots. The reasoning? It keeps flies away because the dots make them dizzy.

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