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Caribbean History
Caribbean Area
Economy
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The Territory of Curaçao
The Territory has a total area Of some 384 square miles, or about a quarter that of Rhode Island. The islands form two groups lying at almost opposite ends of the curving chain of the Lesser Antilles. The southern group ("Benedenwindsche Eilanden"), 20 to 60 miles off the Venezuelan coast, comprises the islands of Aruba (70 sq. mi.), Curaçao (170 sq. mi.), and Bonaire (108 sq. mi.). The northern group ("Bovenwindsche Eilanden"), some 500 miles to the northeast, comprises St. Eustatius ("Statia," 12 sq. mi.), Saba (5 sq. mi.), and the southern part of St. Martin ( St. Maarten, 13 sq. mi.), the northern part being French.
Saba and St. Eustatius belong to the main chain of volcanic islands of the Lesser Antilles. They are built of relatively young volcanic materials: lavas, loose ash, stones, and boulders. A well preserved extinct cone ( 1975 ft.) with a crater occupies the southern part of St. Eustatius, and a more thoroughly dissected cone (965 ft.) the northern part. Saba is a single dissected cone rising to a height Of 2887 feet. St. Martin, on the other hand, is one of the outer fringe of islands bordering the volcanic chain from Guadeloupe northward (see p. 17) in which there are no recent volcanic forms. In the French part of St. Martin a foundation of old volcanic rocks has been partly overlaid with calcareous deposits, but in the Dutch part volcanic rocks (quartz-diorites) predominate. The highest point is on the boundary in the interior (1266 ft.).
In the southern islands there has been no volcanic activity in recent geological times. All three islands are lower than those of the northern group (highest point on Curaçao, 1220 ft.; on Aruba, 617 ft.; on Bonaire, 787 ft.). Upon the relatively level surface of much-worn-down volcanic rocks and remnants of sedimentary rocks limestones were laid down at a time when the surface was submerged beneath the sea. The present islands owe their origin to subsequent uparchings of the limestones and their foundation rocks along lines that trend about northwest-southeast.
On Curaçao and Aruba erosion has removed most, and on Bonaire a part, of the limestone, exposing the underlying predominantly volcanic basement rocks, which erode more easily. The limestone, however, has not been entirely stripped away from Curaçao and Aruba, but some of the original cover remains in the form of discontinuous ridges or cuestas around the coasts. A slight recent lowering of the land in relation to sea level has permitted the sea to "drown" certain of the steep-walled valleys that cut through these coastal ridges as well as part of the wider valleys behind the limestone ridges. This is the origin of the distinctive fanshaped embayments with their bottle-neck entrances that are found on Curaçao and Bonaire -- for example, the harbor of Willemstad on Curaçao consists of St. Anna Bay, a narrow passageway through the limestone, leading into the extensive basin of the Schottegat.
Exposed to surf driven by the prevailing northeasterly trade winds, the windward coasts of Aruba and Curaçao are cliff-lined and almost harborless. A coral barrier reef fringes the leeward side of Aruba, separated from the shore by lagoons, but on Curaçao the coral reefs along the leeward side are attached to the mainland.
Over the southern and most of the central part of Bonaire limestones of recent origin form a low and generally level surface, but in the central and northern parts of the island erosion has sculptured the older, and for the most part volcanic, rocks to form a hilly terrain.
CLIMATE
The islands lie in the zone of the trade winds, which blow with great steadiness from the east and northeast. Normally the variation in temperature between the seasons is less marked than that between day and night. The evenness of the temperature is evident from Table V.
All the islands receive a somewhat scanty rainfall, but those of the northern group are the more fortunate, in that the precipitation is not only about twice as great as in the southern islands but is more dependable. Nowhere, however, is the rainfall sufficient to maintain continuously flowing streams.
In the three southern islands, which may be said to have a tropical steppe climate, the problem of drought is perennially serious. Wells are maintained by the government in the country districts. Two plants are operated on Curaçao and one on Aruba for distilling sea water for use when other sources give out. In the northern islands there are some wells (only three on Saba), but most of the drinking water is collected in cisterns.
The northern islands lie in the path of the hurricanes, but the southern group is somewhat to the south of the main path.
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