Location: Caribbean

Area: 444 square kilometers

Expansion: approx.  60 km long and 3-11 km wide

Population: approx. 151,000

Population density: approx. 340 per square kilometer

Capital: Willemstad

CET:  - 5 hours

Difference to Central Europe is -5 hours in winter and -6 hours in summer.

 

Curaçao is an island in the Caribbean Sea that belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It lies about 60 kilometers off the coast of Venezuela and is the largest island of the ABC Islands.
 

Curacao is a relatively flat island. In the northwest it becomes hillier. The highest mountain, the Christoffelberg, is also located here. It is 375 meters high. The island is characterized by sparse vegetation. Many columnar cacti characterize the landscape.

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Curaçao is a year-round travel destination.

That means it's sunny and warm here in summer and winter. 

 

The average temperature is 27.5°C. The temperature between summer and winter only differs by 2.5°C on average. 

During the day it feels like 30 degrees 

The steady northwest trade wind makes the climate here so pleasant.

Curaçao lies outside the “hurricane belt”. There are also no earthquakes or forest fire problems here.

 

The rainy season is between the end of October and the beginning of February but rainy season on Curacao does not mean that it rains all day. Short rain showers and often only at night don't ruin your vacation.

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Tourism is growing

The pleasant climate with warm temperatures and little rain makes Curacao a popular year-round travel destination.

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In addition, the capital is also a little pearl. Large parts of downtown Willemstad (Punda, Otrobanda, Scharloo and Pietermaai) are historic buildings of Dutch colonial architecture.

These districts are almost completely protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are therefore of course a major tourist attraction.

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Until 2019, the number of tourists grew annually. Around 465,000 tourists were counted, of which more than 50% came from Europe. Above all, of course, guests from the Netherlands. Another considerable part comes from North and South America. But more and more Canadians are also discovering the island.

 

Since 2022/23 (after Covid) Curacao became a record year.

The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) proudly announces a historic milestone in tourism, marking 2023 as the best record year for overnight guests. In total, Curaçao recorded 582,409 overnight guest arrivals in 2023, representing a growth of 19% compared to 2022.    

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The tourism potential in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)  is approx. 10. million people and is far from being exhausted, as Curacao is still very little known in these countries.

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Form of government: Constitutional monarchy/parliamentary democracy

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Curacao has been an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2010.

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Head of State: King Willem-Alexander

Represented by Governor Lucille George-Wout since April 2013

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There are the following parties:

Korsou di Nos Tur or KdnT 
Korsou Esun Miho or KEM [
Movementu Futuro Korsou or MFK [Gilmar PISAS]
Movementu Progresivo or MP 
Movishon Antia Nobo or MAN 
Partido Antia Restructurea or PAR 
Partido Inovashon Nashonal or PIN 
Partido Nashonal di Pueblo or PNP 
Pueblo Soberano or PS 
Trabou pa Kòrsou or TPK 
Un Korsou Hustu 

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In 2021 the election was as follows:

MFK 28.1%, PAR 14.1%, PNP 12.6%, MAN 6.5%, KEM 5.4%, TPK 5.3%; seats by party - MFK 9, PAR 4, PNP 4, MAN 2, KEM 1, TPK 1; composition - NA

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Since 2021, the head of government has been called Gilmar Pisas.

Elections are coming up again in 2025.

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Religion:                                

Most of the residents are Roman Catholics (approx. 73%), plus Protestants with a share of approx. 18%. There are minorities of Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Evangelists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims.

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Curaçao's airport named "Hato" is an international airport. Its runway of almost 3,500 meters also allows jumbo jets to take off and land.

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There are daily direct connections to Amsterdam, Miami, New York, Sint Maarten, various Caribbean islands and places in Venezuela and to Bogotá in Colombia.  

There are also non-stop/direct connections from Toronto, Monteral and Charlotte.

The flight time from Canada is only 4-5 hours.

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Amsterdam is the most important hub for all Europeans.

From here, the airlines KLM, Tui Fly and Corendon take direct flights to Curacao.

 

From November 2011 to the end of September 2017 air Berlin weekly non-stop to Curaçao. After the bankruptcy of AirBerlin  started in  November 2018Condor a direct flight from Frankfurt to Curaçao  Due to the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook, the airline was to be sold. However, Corona is thwarting the sales plans, so there is currently no direct connection from Germany to Curacao. gives. However, it is to be expected that sooner or later Curacao will again be served by a German airport.

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The flight time from Germany or  Amsterdam to Curaçao is approx. 8.5 to 10 hours.

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The local currency in Curacao is the Antillean Guilder (ANG)

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Curacao is a dual-currency country, with a fixed exchange rate of 1:1.77 between the guilder and the US dollar.

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US dollars are accepted everywhere on the island - as are all common credit cards.

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The economy is growing

Willemstad is an important financial center for offshore banking, which, along with tourism, is a key economic sector.

In addition, the local dry dock is one of the largest in the western Caribbean.  

The international trade center is intended to help expand Curaçao's position as an important transshipment point for goods from Europe and the USA and South America.

The service sector accounts for over 84% of gross domestic product. Curaçao is the wealthiest island in the former Netherlands Antilles. Curaçao continues to have a very high per capita income.

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After a protracted recession, Curaçao's economy experienced robust but uneven growth in 2021-22. Production increased by 4.2 percent in 2021 and is expected to increase by 6.5 percent in 2022. Growth was supported by a strong recovery in tourism and private investment

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Most of the residents are black or mixed race.

They are the descendants of former slaves. Only about 6% of the residents are white - the majority Dutch.

Descendants of Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal who fled the Inquisition in the 17th century also live here.

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Guest workers and their families also live on Curacao - from Asia, South America and other parts of the Caribbean.

The national languages are Dutch, Papiamentu and English.

iAs a rule, the population speaks all three languages. It will  also spoke Spanish and even understood German.

Papiamentu is a Creole language spoken by only  Approximately 330,000 people on the ABC Islands in the Caribbean speak it.

These  Language, is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English and to a lesser extent French as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak)

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The population is very friendly, helpful and open. There is an infectious  cheerful living atmosphere.

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