Page 7 - Discover Curacao

1. Population: 150,000.
2. Location: Southern part of the Caribbean Sea. Curaçao is
located between the islands of Aruba and Bonaire, just 35
miles north of Venezuela.

3. Total surface area: 444 sq. km/171.4 Sq Miles 64 km/ 40
miles long and 16 km/ 10 miles wide.
4. Capital: Willemstad.

5. Four Languages are widely spoken: Papiamentu, English,
Dutch and Spanish.

6. Discovered: 1499 by the Spaniards
7. Dutch territory as of 1634.
8. Earliest inhabitants: Arawak Indians.
9. Oldest Synagogue in the Western Hemisphere in continued
use is the Mikvé Israel-Emanuel (1651).
10. Slavery: abolished in 1863.
11. Self-governing as of December 15, 1954 and became
autonomous within the Dutch Kingdom on October 10, 2010.
12. Major industries include tourism, oil, and offshore banking.
13. Average Temperature of 27ºC / 80ºF year round.
14. Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic (80%) Others:
Jewish, Protestant and Muslim.
15. Currency: The Netherlands-Antillean Guilder, abbreviated as
Nafl. or ANG. Fixed exchange rate of US$1 = 1.77 Nafl.
16. Tap water in Curaçao is of excellent quality and can be drunk
directly from the tap.
17. The main voltage on Curaçao is 110-130 Volt / 50 Hz.
18. Cars drive on the right side of the street in Curaçao. The
traffic rules are almost the same as in the US and Canada.
19. Curaçao is on the Atlantic time zone (GMT -4). The time will
remain the same throughout the year.
20. A ‘live and let live’ attitude - Curaçao welcomes visitors of
all races, orientations, and religions with a “live and let live”
philosophy. The island has the most hotels and attractions
with IGLTA memberships in the Caribbean.