Curaçao at a Glance History The first inhabitants of Curaçao immigrated probably from what is now called Venezuela. Their first settlements date back to 2900 BC. In 1499 the Spaniards arrived on the island and took it, though they considered it an isla inútil, as they found no gold. In 1634 the Dutch took over the island and deported the Spaniards and most of the Indians. As the island is very arid, it couldn’t easily be used for large-scale agricultural purposes, so it became a trading post. In the early 1640s, the first African slaves were brought to the island. Curaçao rapidly developed into a large distribution center in the slave trade. After 1713, however, when the Dutch lost the asiento (the exclusive right to trade slaves to the Spaniards) to the English, the number of slaves traded via Curaçao rapidly dwindled. In 1863 slavery was abolished. The country then went through a period of great poverty, and many men emigrated to neighboring countries and islands, especially Cuba and Panama. In 1920 a large oil refinery was established on the island, and this led an enormous economic boom. The population rose from a little over 32,000 in 1921 to almost 119,000 in 1956. Immigrants came mainly from neighboring Caribbean Islands, especially the British West Indies, Surinam, and Portugal. In 1954 the Netherlands Antilles, consisting of the Leeward Islands Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire and the Windward Islands St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius, achieved an autonomous status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands exercised full autonomy in internal affairs while the Netherlands were responsible for external relations and defense. In 1985 Aruba parted with the Netherlands Antilles and received the status of an autonomous island within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2010 the Netherlands Antilles ceased to be: Curaçao and St. Maarten also became autonomous states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, whereas the smaller islands Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius became Dutch municipalities.
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