Curaçao

Curaçao, largest island in the Netherlands Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea, near Venezuela. Curaçao is about 64 km (40 mi) long, with an average width of about 16 km (10 mi), and an area of 444 sq km (171 sq mi). For the most part, the terrain is a level plain. A hilly region in the south-western portion has extreme elevations of about 365 m (1,200 ft). The coastline is irregular, with a number of excellent harbours. Noteworthy among them is the harbour of Willemstad (population, 1985 estimate, 125,000), the capital and largest city. The population of the island (1991) is 143,816. The mean annual temperature is about 27° C (80° F).

Curaçao is fully autonomous in internal affairs; external affairs are administered by an appointee of the Dutch government. About 85 per cent of the population is of African descent; the remainder are of Arawak, Spanish, and Dutch ancestry. The official language is Dutch. The majority of the people are Protestant, but some are Sephardic Jews and of other religions. The chief industry is the refining of oil, which is imported in crude form from Venezuela. The island has several small industrial plants. The leading mineral products are salt and phosphate of lime. Recently tourism has become an important source of revenue.

The island was visited about 1499 by the Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda. Curaçao remained a Spanish possession until 1634, when it was seized by the Dutch. The island subsequently changed hands between the Dutch and English several times but was awarded to the Netherlands in 1815. During World War II, after Germany invaded the Netherlands, French and British troops reinforced Dutch defences on the island. In 1942 the United States assumed full responsibility for the defence of Curaçao and the other Dutch islands for the duration of the war. During the late 1960s Curaçao was the scene of much racial strife and general unrest.