Curaçao Became a Constituent Country of the Netherlands in 2010

Willemstad's harbor was a key trading center, a history now remembered at the Kura Hulanda Museum.

These colonial country houses are often painted in bright colors and some now serve as museums.

Its position off Venezuela makes direct hurricane hits rare compared with other Caribbean islands.

The Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue in Willemstad dates to 1732, and its congregation to 1651.