Geography
Curaçao is the biggest of the Netherlands Windward Islands
(444 km2). Its capital is Willemstad. South-east of Curaçao
lies the islet of Klein Curaçao (‘Little Curaçao’).
Map of Curaçao, click for a larger
version.
History
The island was already inhabited about 5000 years ago. In the
late 15th century Curaçao was inhabited by Arawak Indians.
In 1499 the Spaniard Alonso de Ojeda claimed the island for the
king of Spain.
At the end of July 1634 a fleet of the Dutch Republic
conquered the island for the WIC (Dutch West India Company);
the reason was that the WIC needed a base of operations for trading
and buccaneering. Another factor was that the Republic needed
large
quantities of salt; there were good saltpans on Bonaire and the
coast of Venezuela.
The WIC turned Curaçao into a free port
and thus acquired a pivotal function in international trading.
As a result the island achieved a degree of prosperity, particularly
in the 17th century, but in the 18th century there was a considerable
decline.
When the WIC was dissolved in 1791 Curaçao became a colony of the Dutch
Republic. In 1800 the island was occupied by the English, who were expelled by
the local population in 1803. However, in 1807 the English occupied the island
again. Since 1816 Curaçao has been directly under Dutch rule.
On 15 December 1954 it was laid down in the Charter for the Kingdom
of the Netherlands that from then on the Netherlands, the Netherlands
Antilles and
Surinam would
jointly constitute the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as equal administrative
units. Surinam became independent in 1975. For other developments
see under Aruba.
Information about the other islands
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