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🇨🇼 ABC Islands · Constituent Country of the Netherlands

Curaçao

The “C” in the ABC islands, in the southern Caribbean Sea just north of Venezuela and east of Aruba — famous for Willemstad's UNESCO World Heritage pastel waterfront, the Queen Emma pontoon bridge, and some of the best scuba diving in the region.

171 sq mi island Willemstad capital +599 9 calling code
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🏛️ Capital: Willemstad 👥 Population: ~156,100 💵 Currency: Caribbean Guilder (XCG) 🕐 Time zone: AST (UTC-4) 🚗 Drives on: the Right ☎️ Calling code: +599 9
Get to know it

A Constituent Country of the Netherlands

Curaçao is the “C” in the ABC islands, alongside Aruba and Bonaire, in the southern Caribbean Sea just north of Venezuela. Since the Netherlands Antilles dissolved in 2010, Curaçao has been a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands — like Aruba and Sint Maarten, self-governing on internal affairs (with its own Prime Minister and the Estates of Curaçao as its legislature) while the King of the Netherlands remains head of state, represented locally by a Governor. View map →

Willemstad's Handelskade waterfront — a row of pastel Dutch colonial buildings reflected in St. Anna Bay — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, crossed by the Queen Emma pontoon bridge that swings open to let ships pass. Beyond the capital, the island's 65+ dive sites and 37 beaches make it one of the southern Caribbean's top diving and snorkeling destinations. Read the full fact sheet →

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Curaçao at a Glance

Nationality: Curaçaoan or Dutch · Size: 444 sq km (171 sq mi), plus the small uninhabited islet of Klein Curaçao

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Sea Turtle Conservation Curacao

Seaturtle Conservation Curacao protects sea turtles and their Habitat through Research, Conservation & Education. STCC is an NGO, run by volunteers, staff and board. Most of sea turtles are considered endangered and are protected by law. Sea turtles are an important part of our marine ecosystem. STCC's focus is to ensure their safety and survival, as well as the maintenance of their habitat. They do this through conservation, research and education.

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Curacao
🧭 Tourism

Curacao

Curacao THE NEXT BEST THING TO BEING HERE. No matter where you go in Curaçao you'll be surrounded by beautiful people, places, and things. Get a 360° view of some of the places that make our island so special and feel it all around you. Curacao is a place to be discovered. They could tell you all the reasons their island is so special but they'd rather you'd just FEEL IT FOR YOURSELF.

★ Cool factor: Located outside the Hurricane belt. Visit site

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Curaçao Tours & Activities

These Curaçao tours or activities are independently operated. After booking, the tour operator will contact you directly with your reservation details.

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Curaçao Seabob Adventure | Tugboat Beach
CuraçaoExplore & Book
Curaçao Seabob Adventure | playa piskadó(Sea Turtles)
Sabana WestpuntExplore & Book
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Beyond the beaches

5 Fun Facts About Curaçao

The stories behind the postcard — a few things worth knowing before you go.

1

Colorful Architecture

Willemstad's pastel Dutch colonial buildings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, get their vivid colors from a 19th-century order distinguishing one property from the next — a rule that stuck.

2

Blue Curaçao Liqueur

The island's namesake liqueur was developed here from the dried peels of the local laraha citrus — bright blue (and also made in orange, red and green), it's a staple in cocktails like the Blue Lagoon.

3

Diverse Culture & Languages

Dutch is official, but Papiamentu — a Creole blend of African, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch roots — is what most people actually speak at home, alongside English and Spanish.

4

Flamingo Sanctuary

Jan Kok, a saltwater lake in the island's south, draws large flocks of wild flamingos — especially striking at certain times of year when they gather in numbers.

5

Underwater World

Over 65 dive sites ring the island, from coral reefs to underwater caves, making Curaçao a serious diving destination for beginners and veterans alike.

Don't miss

Top 10 Things to Do

Ranked by locals — the Curaçao essentials.

  • 1Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge
  • 2The Hato Caves
  • 3Visit Curaçao's Ostrich Farm
  • 4Shete Boka National Park
  • 5Cliff jumping at Grote Knip “Playa Abou” (see beaches below)
  • 6Visit the Suplado Blow Hole
  • 7Handelskade — the stretch of colonial Dutch buildings painted pink, blue and yellow along St. Anna Bay
  • 8Playa Lagun
  • 9Christoffel National Park
  • 10Stroll Riffort Village for shopping
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National anthem

“Himno di Kòrsou”
(“Anthem of Curaçao”)

The serious facts

Curaçao Fact Sheet

Nationality
Curaçaoan or Dutch.
Capital
Willemstad — 12°7′ N, 68°56′ W.
Geography
Curaçao proper, plus the small, uninhabited islet of Klein Curaçao (Little Curaçao) offshore — a popular day-trip destination reachable only by boat.
Size
444 sq km (171 sq mi).
Population
156,115 as of 1 January 2025 (Central Bureau of Statistics Curaçao) — up from the legacy page's outdated 2018 estimate of 160,012, which appears to have overstated the figure at the time.
Currency & credit cards
Caribbean guilder (XCG), fixed at US$1 = Cg1.79 — replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder as legal tender on 31 March 2025, with the old currency fully withdrawn by 30 June 2025. Major credit cards and US dollars are widely accepted.
Government
A constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since the Netherlands Antilles dissolved on 10 October 2010 — the same status as Aruba and Sint Maarten. Self-governing on internal affairs, with its own Prime Minister and Council of Ministers; the King of the Netherlands is head of state, represented locally by a Governor.
Sovereign state
Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Legislature
Estates of Curaçao.
Autonomy history
The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010; the “BES islands” (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba) became special municipalities of the Netherlands itself, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten became separate constituent countries.
Time zone
Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4) year-round — no daylight saving.
Drives on the
Right
Calling code
+599 9
Religion
72.8% Roman Catholic.
Lingo
Dutch and Papiamentu — the widely spoken creole language of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), derived from African and Portuguese roots with Spanish, Dutch and English influences. Curaçao's own variety, Papiamentu, is distinct from Aruba's Papiamento; Bonaire's is sometimes called Papiamen.
Climate
Semi-arid, savanna-like, with a dry season from February to September and a wet season from October to January; temperatures stay fairly constant year-round, and trade winds cool the island by day and warm it by night. Curaçao lies outside the hurricane belt.
Food
Local cuisine, called Krioyo, blends Caribbean and Latin American influences — stobá (stew made with beef, goat or papaya), guiámbo (seafood-and-okra soup), kadushi (cactus soup), funchi (cornmeal paste) and plenty of fish and seafood, usually with fried plantain on the side. Pastechi (fried pastry with cheese, tuna, ham or ground meat) is the everyday breakfast staple.
Plants
The trademark Watapana tree (known as the Divi-Divi tree on Aruba) always points southwest, shaped by the constant trade winds — attempts to grow it elsewhere in that distinctive form haven't worked. Also found: mondis (cactus forests), Caribbean pines, hibiscus, bougainvillea and wild orchids.
Brief History

Curaçao gained self-government on 1 January 1954 as an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles — an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Saba, governed as a parliamentary democracy modeled on the Dutch system.

On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became their own constituent countries within the Kingdom, each with its own Prime Minister, Council of Ministers and legislature (Curaçao's is the Estates of Curaçao), while Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba became special municipalities administered directly by the Netherlands.

That history still shapes daily life today: Curaçao elects its own government and sets its own laws on most internal matters, while remaining part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for defense, foreign affairs and a shared monarch — a distinct arrangement from Bonaire's more direct governance, even as Papiamentu, Krioyo cooking and Blue Curaçao liqueur keep a shared ABC-islands identity alive across all three.

Pick your pace

Curaçao Beaches

🏖 Grote Knip (Playa Kenepa Grandi)

Often called Curaçao's most iconic beach — white sand below dramatic cliffs, with excellent swimming and a lookout point popular with early-morning photographers.

🏖 Cas Abao Beach

Crystal-clear water paired with real amenities — shaded palapas, water sports rentals and even massages — making it a favorite for families.

🏖 Playa Porto Marie

Known for its unique double reef just offshore, with calm, fish-filled water that makes it a standout for snorkeling and diving.

🏖 Playa Lagun

A narrow cove framed by cliffs and one of the island's best snorkeling beaches — sea turtles and schools of fish are regular visitors close to shore.

🏖 Klein Curaçao

An uninhabited islet reachable only by boat, with powder-soft sand, shipwrecks, sea turtles and some of the bluest water around — a full-day excursion rather than a quick stop.

From a local

Caribbean Tip of the Day

Bring a good book as flights are regularly delayed due to... well the relaxed island mentality.

Tips by Liz Strauss, an experienced traveler and piano entertainer. www.lizpiano.com · Disclosure

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