Curaçao is an island in the Caribbean, among the group known as the ABC Islands alongside Aruba and Bonaire. This trio is located near Venezuela, and are considered to be outside the Caribbean's so-called "hurricane zone." This means that vacations to the island are rarely disrupted by such tropical storms. Curaçao is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
One of the most notable things about the island is its culture. This Dutch Caribbean island features building styles you'd find in the Netherlands, but painted in beautiful pastel shades. However, the people of the island have developed a culture, and even a language, of their own. Papiamentu (also spelled Papiamento), is the island's native Creole. Papiamentu is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch. Official spelling has existed for only a few years.
Curacao has a tropical Savannah climate, with little rain and warm temperatures throughout the year. Travelers will enjoy the low humidity and frequent breezes penetrating the heat of the day.
The native language of Curaçao is Papiamentu, which is a richly unique mixture of African languages and Portuguese, Spanish, with some influences from Amerindian languages, English, and Dutch. Most people from the island speak this language in addition to Dutch, English, and Spanish. Almost everyone speaks some English. A few people also speak French, Portuguese or German.
