Willemstad
| Willemstad | |
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| Coordinates: 12°7′N 68°56′W / 12.117°N 68.933°WCoordinates: 12°7′N 68°56′W / 12.117°N 68.933°W | |
| State |  Kingdom of the Netherlands |
| Country |  Curaçao |
| Established | 1634 |
| Quarters | Punda, Otrobanda |
| Population | |
| • Total | 140,000 |
| Estimated | |
| Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Netherlands Antilles | |
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| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
 Willemstad Harbor |
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| Country | Netherlands |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, v |
| Reference | 819 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
Willemstad (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪ.ləm.ˌstɑt]) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly the capital of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution in 2010, it has an estimated population of 140,000. The historic centre of the city consists of two quarters: Punda and Otrobanda. They are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbour called the Schottegat.
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History [edit]
Punda was established in 1634, when the Dutch captured the island from Spain. The original name of Punda was de punt in Dutch. Otrobanda, which was founded in 1707, is the newer section of the city and is considered to be the cultural center of Willemstad. Its name originated from the Papiamentu otro banda, which means "the other side."
The Snoga Synagogue in Willemstad was built by Sephardic Portuguese Jews from Amsterdam and Recife, Brazil. It is modeled after the Esnoga in Amsterdam. Congregation Mikvé Israel (now Mikvé Israel-Emanuel) built this synagogue in 1692; it was reconstructed in 1732 and is the oldest surviving synagogue building in the western hemisphere.
Geography [edit]
Climate [edit]
Willemstad has a semi-arid climate.
| Climate data for Willemstad (Hato Airport) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.8 (91) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.0 (91.4) |
34.7 (94.5) |
35.8 (96.4) |
37.5 (99.5) |
35.0 (95) |
37.7 (99.9) |
38.3 (100.9) |
36.0 (96.8) |
35.6 (96.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
38.3 (100.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) |
30.0 (86) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.1 (88) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.6 (90.7) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.1 (88) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.2 (88.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.2 (82.8) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.9 (84) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.8 (82) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.5 (77.9) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.1 (79) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.6 (78.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 20.3 (68.5) |
20.6 (69.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.6 (70.9) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.2 (72) |
21.1 (70) |
20.3 (68.5) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 44.7 (1.76) |
25.5 (1.004) |
14.2 (0.559) |
19.6 (0.772) |
19.6 (0.772) |
19.3 (0.76) |
40.2 (1.583) |
41.5 (1.634) |
48.6 (1.913) |
83.7 (3.295) |
96.7 (3.807) |
99.8 (3.929) |
553.4 (21.787) |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.6 | 5.3 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.4 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 7.4 | 9.9 | 11.5 | 70.4 |
| % humidity | 77.4 | 76.7 | 76.1 | 77.2 | 77.2 | 77.1 | 77.8 | 77.3 | 77.5 | 79.0 | 79.6 | 78.9 | 77.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 261.4 | 247.7 | 270.8 | 246.3 | 258.4 | 267.0 | 287.5 | 295.7 | 257.9 | 245.5 | 236.3 | 240.8 | 3,114.9 |
| Source: Meteorological Department Curaçao[1] | |||||||||||||
Economy [edit]
Due to its location near the Venezuelan oilfields, its political stability and its natural deep water harbor, Willemstad became the site of an important seaport and refinery. Willemstad harbor is one of the largest oil handling ports in the Caribbean. The refinery, originally built and owned by Royal Dutch Shell in 1915,[2] was sold to the Curaçao government for the symbolic sum of one guilder in 1985 [3] and is now leased to PDVSA, the state owned Venezuelan oil company.
Tourism [edit]
Tourism is a major industry.
The city has several casinos.
The city center of Willemstad has an array of colonial architecture that is influenced by Dutch styles. The city center, with its unusual architecture and harbour entry, has been made a UNESCO world heritage site. Archaeological research has also been developed there.[4]
Education [edit]
Avalon University School of Medicine is located in Willemstad.
Sports [edit]
Major League Baseball players Jair Jurrjens, Wladimir Balentien, Jurickson Profar, Andruw Jones, and Kenley Jansen are from Willemstad.
Pabao Little League has appeared in five Little League World Series, winning in 2004.
In 2008, another Pabao Little League team won the Junior League World Series, after winning the Latin America Region, then defeating the Asia-Pacific Region and Mexico Region champions to become the International champion, and finally defeating the U.S. champion (West Region), Hilo American/National LL (Hilo, Hawaii), 5-2.
Infrastructure [edit]
Airlines [edit]
Willemstad is served by Hato International Airport, which is the home base of Dutch Antilles Express and Insel Air, Curaçao's airlines.
Bridges [edit]
Punda and Otrobanda are connected by Queen Emma Bridge, a long pontoon bridge. Although still in use, these days most road traffic now uses the Queen Juliana Bridge built in 1967 (rebuilt 1974) which arches high over the bay further inland. Nearby is also the now non-functioning Queen Wilhelmina Bridge draw bridge.
References [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Willemstad, Curaçao |
- ^ "Summary of Climatological Data, Period 1971-2000". Meteorological Department Curaçao. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ "Curaçao Investment Corp page describing the refinery". Retrieved April 2008.
- ^ "Refinery deal in Curaçao". New York Times. 1985-09-26.
- ^ "Willemstad : a road to a methodical way of conducting archaeological research for Curaçao by Amy Victorina". Manioc.org. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
External links [edit]
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