Friday, June 12, 2009

Windsurfing 55

Never heard of Curacao? Don't worry here is some quick info about Curacao.
Curacao or "Korsou" in the local tongue, or written as Curaçao as it should actually be written, is a small island in front of the Venezuelan coast.
Geographically, Curacao is part volcanic, part coral and part sediment.
Curacao is located below the hurricane belt and as such there has not been a
hurricane on Curacao for 180 years. It's mostly dry, with one rain season from
October to November.
The primary wind is the North-East trade wind, called "passaat". It is consistent
almost year round, except in the rain season.
Curacao was discovered in 1499 by the Spanish. It had been conquered and reconquered by the English and Spanish until the Dutch claimed it in 1663.
Curacao was the centre of the Dutch slave trade, until it was abolished in 1863
Curacao is part of the Netherlands Antilles, which consists of Bonaire, Saba,
St Maarten and St Eustatius. The Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and The Netherlands make up the Dutch Kingdom.
Curacao is a melting pot, with more than 50 different nationalities living on the island, which is about 60 kilometre long and at most 15 kilometre wide.
The official language is Dutch, however the language spoken by the majority of people is Papiamento. Papiamento is a mixed language, with properties of Spanish, Dutch, English and African languages. Spanish is also widely spoken.

Curacao has a long Caribbean history, its capital Willemstad is on the UNESCO
world heritage list and consists out of 17 century Dutch Architecture.
Willemstad also contains the oldest Jewish Temple of the Western Hemisphere.
Curacao is exceptionally good for diving, with more than 60 identified divespots.
Mountainbiking trails cover a great deal of the island and Curacao is a yearly
stop of the UCI worldcup. The islands is ideal for any type of water sport.
Windsurfing is hot in Curacao. More and more people of all ages are picking
up the sport. Kids of 8 years old can be seen doing aerial manoeuvres, while
others a speeding on the warm waters.

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