CURACAO
Curaçao Marine Service welcomes you to Curaçao,
largest of the five islands that make up the Netherlands
Antilles
Curaçao has a long and rich history as one
of the important ports in the Caribbean. Once used
mostly as a base for the infamous slave trade by
the Dutch West Indian Company, the island boasts
the second largest natural deep water port in the
world. Due to its location just of the South American
coast it has, over the years become a hub for shipping.
With
the discovery of oil in the Maracaibo area in the
1920's the industrialisation of the port became
a fact. A large refinery was build and still dominates
the port. Nowadays container shipping and the commercial
dockyard are also an active part of the ports industry.
When
entering the harbour through the channel known as
the Schottegat, you will get a chance to look at
Curacao's principal city, Willemstad.
The old structures, dating back to the 1700's, show
you the Dutch influence on the local architecture.
This is well worth a visit as this is also a tourist
attraction.
Languages
are widely spoken throughout Curacao. The principal
language is Papiamento, a mix of Spanish, Dutch,
English, Portuguese and then some.
Dutch, English and Spanish are widely spoken throughout.
The currency is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder,
known as the Naf. It is connected to the U.S. dollar
on a fixed exchange rate basis being
$1. = Naf 1.77.
For
the visiting Yachtsman the Spanish Water is the
best place for landfall.
Being the second largest lagoon in Curacao and completely
enclosed by land, it is an excellent anchoring area.
From the west side of the lagoon there is a regular
bus service to town. Such services such as telephone,
fax, e-mail, water and ice are locally available.
Curaçao, with its well maintained connections
to the U.S. and Europe, by both plane and ships,
nowadays is a very attractive stopping point for
many people. |
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