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(Click on a
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On a clear day in Curaçao - and that means
most days - you can see Venezeula a few miles across the sea in South
America. But don't spend too much time looking. There's more than enough
to see and do in this large, lively island that has for centuries been a
major cultural and trading crossroads.
The Dutch merchants who colonised the island and built the capital,
Willemstad, had the brightly-coloured houses and warehouses designed to
remind them of their homes in Amsterdam.
| CAPITAL |
Willemstad |
| POPULATION |
152,700 |
| CURRENCY |
Netherlands
Antilles guilder; US$1=Nag1.78; US$ widely accepted |
| OFFICIAL
LANGUAGES |
Dutch and
Papiamentu. Spanish and English also widely spoken |
| POLITICAL
STATUS |
member of the
Netherlands Antilles |
| AREA |
171 square
miles (443 square kilometres) |
| RELIGION |
Roman
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and many other denominations
are represented |
| BUSINESS |
Banks are
open Monday to Friday, 8am-3.30pm. The airport bank is open Monday
to Saturday 8am-8pm, and on Sunday 9am-4pm. The airport also has a
24-hour cash dispenser. Selected bank branches have ATMs that
disburse US dollars. The main banks are ABN-AMRO, Banco de
Venezuela, Banco di Caribe, Banco industrial de Venezuela, Banco
Mercantil Venezuela, Giro Curacao, Maduro and Curiel's Bank,
McLaughlin Bank and SFT Bank. Shops open from 8am-noon and 2-6pm or
later if a cruise ship is in port. Payment cards accepted, |
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