Willemstad, << VIHL uhm `staht` or WIHL uhm `staht` >> (pop. 50,000), is the capital of the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Curaçao is an autonomous (self-governing) country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Willemstad is on the island’s southwest coast. St. Anna Bay divides the city into two sections, Punda and Otrabanda.
Willemstad has two of the oldest Jewish landmarks in the Western Hemisphere—a cemetery established in 1659 and a temple built in 1732. Many houses in Willemstad are built in traditional Dutch style, and many are painted in pastel colors.
The Dutch founded Willemstad in 1634. Originally, they used the settlement for the slave trade. Between 1915 and 1985, Willemstad was a center for refining crude oil. In 1969, angry refinery workers set much of the city on fire. Today, Willemstad is the southeast Caribbean’s center for warehousing, shipping, banking, and property investment.
See also Curaçao .
