Provided by:
Den Harrson/unsplash
Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.
*this will be downloaded as a PDF.Price
€4,95
Curaçao & Willemstad
The guide was updated:
Curaçao is a Dutch Caribbean island of 444 square kilometres, which together with Aruba and Bonaire form the ABC islands in the Leeward Antilles. Beyond the Netherlands, its history and relations are tightly linked to many countries in the Caribbean, making Curaçaoan culture immensely diverse.
Before the 17th century, Curaçao was home to indigenous peoples and later, Spanish colonisers. They brought a plethora of plants and animals from their homeland, but the arid tropical climate proved challenging for some species. Among their less successful ventures was the Valencia Orange. However, it wasn't entirely fruitless — the bitter offshoot known locally as laraha became the bedrock of the globally acclaimed Curaçao drink.
Lots happened during the Dutch rule, from the founding of Willemstad, which soon became a centre for the Atlantic slave trade, to the emergence of oil refineries as a result of ties with Venezuela. After a tumultous 20th century, Curaçao is now an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with a diverse economy and an architectural and artistic heritage waiting to share Curaçao's intriguing stories with you.
Before the 17th century, Curaçao was home to indigenous peoples and later, Spanish colonisers. They brought a plethora of plants and animals from their homeland, but the arid tropical climate proved challenging for some species. Among their less successful ventures was the Valencia Orange. However, it wasn't entirely fruitless — the bitter offshoot known locally as laraha became the bedrock of the globally acclaimed Curaçao drink.
Lots happened during the Dutch rule, from the founding of Willemstad, which soon became a centre for the Atlantic slave trade, to the emergence of oil refineries as a result of ties with Venezuela. After a tumultous 20th century, Curaçao is now an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with a diverse economy and an architectural and artistic heritage waiting to share Curaçao's intriguing stories with you.