Curacao

=**__General Information:__**=

Curacao is a Caribbean country covering over 150 square miles. The capital ,and also the largest city, is Willemstad. Curacao is almost totaly flat and is quite dry. The country has beautiful beaches and a warm climate all year.#1 Some of the people there say that the native language ,which is Papiamentu, is a mixture of Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, African and a bit of an Indian language.#3American Indians were Curacao's first people. The Netherlands took control of the island in 1634. From the 1600's to the 1800's, the Dutch brought black Africans slaves to Curacao.#1



__This is a map of Curacao.__
Although there were a few plantations in Cuarao, the first profitable industry was the mining of salt. The mineral was a extremely lucrative at the time and became one of the major factors responsible for making the little island into international commerece. The other factors were the fact the Curacao has many open ports, at an ideal location in the Carribean, making it a favorite by merchants and traders. Today, the main industries of the island are oil refining for major companys such as Royal Duch Shell, tourism, and offshore banking. The shipping of goods has olso made a considerable contribution to the econamy.#3/4 Curacao has a small population estimated to be about 170,000+. Curacao is the largest of the Netherland antillies and can be found in between Aruba and Bonaire. It is about 35 miles off the northern coast of Venezuela and about 800 miles north of the equator. Curacao is 38 miles long and about 5 miles wide. Amazing beaches line the southwest, leeward coast.#2
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This is the Curacao flag.
=**__Specific Information:__**=

Weather:The weather in Curacao is mainly dry all year around. The average rainfall is about 22 inches a year. Mostly sunny weather all year around. But, the tradewinds keep it fairly cool, about 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The are many different beaches to choose from, 38 to be exact. The are some beaches with towering cliffs and others with many hotels and beach resturants.#2 Curacao is also one of the best spots for bargain-hunters. The duty-free shopping makes for some of the greatest deals in the carribean on imported electronic equipment, china, crystal, jewelry, linens, and perfumes. The are also many festivals all year around with dancing and gambling.#2This is a picture of a cafe in Curacao. Curaçao is a shopper's paradise. Some 200 shops line the major shopping streets such as Heerenstraat and Breedestraat. Right in the middle of Willemstad is the 5-block shopping district known as Punda.#9 Curaçao 's more than 100 dive sites are famous all over the world with water temperatures as warm as 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The Curaçao Underwater Park is a 12.5 mile coral reef that has been protected as a National Park. If you don't know how to scuba dive, that's not a problem in Curacao! Fortunatley, they provide lesson for beginners.#4
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1. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar143820&st=curacao 2.http://www.geographia.com/curacao/introduction.htm 3.http://www.geographia.com/curacao/introduction.htm 4.http://www.geographia.com/curacao/activities.htm 5.http://www.traveligo.pl/repository/images/Curacao.gif 6.http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapimages/caribbean/curacao/curacao.gif 7.http://www.lovetripper.com/issues/issue-58/curacao-1-PR.jpg 8.http://www.curacao-toucandiving.com/graphics/outside.jpg 9.http://www.frommers.com/destinations/curacao/0178010031.html
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