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Curacao Basics - What Should You Know
Government
Curaçao, the neighboring Bonaire and three other islands in the eastern Caribbean (St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba), together form the Netherlands Antilles—an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Locals have Dutch nationality and carry European Union passports.
Willemstad is the capital of Curaçao and the Netherlands Antilles as well. It is also home to the government (the parliament).
Curaçao is part of The Netherlands Antilles, which in turn forms part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands. The form of government is a parliamentary democracy, based on underlying premises as freedom of association, the right to form political parties, freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
The Netherlands Antilles has two levels of government—a central (federal) and an insular (territorial) level.
The Central Government's jurisdiction covers mostly state affairs (legislation) and includes police, communications, taxation, public health, education, economic control, the establishment of enterprises, labor legislation, money and banking, and foreign currency.
The Island Government is responsible for the island territory affairs; it manages its own territorial affairs and has the power to enact laws. The island government is responsible for the infrastructure, harbors, etc.
Location
Curaçao is located in the southwestern Caribbean, at latitude 12° north and longitude 68° west. The island is just 70 km (44 miles) north of South America. It is 2 1/2 hours by air from Miami. The island is 56 km (35 miles) off the coast of Venezuela—a 45 minute flight from Caracas. It is a nine-hour flight to Amsterdam.
Time Zone
Curaçao is on Atlantic Standard Time, one hour later than US Eastern Standard Time (the same time as Eastern Daylight Savings Time) and four hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time.
During the summer, Curaçao has the same time as some of the cities in the U.S. but during winter, the time changes again to one hour later.
In summertime, in Amsterdam it’s 6 hours later than in Curaçao, but during winter it becomes 5 hours. So, during winter, when in New York it is 9:00 am, in Curaçao it is 10:00 am and in Amsterdam it is 3:00 pm.
Tipping
Giving a tip is something we do to show our appreciation and gratuity for rendered services. We truly hope you will tip well, for this will mean you love your stay on our island! It is suggested to tip the porters at the airport Nafl.1 per bag. Taxi-drivers are usually tipped with 10% of the fare. Restaurants usually add 10% and most hotels a 12% service charge to the bill. Hotels charge an additional 7% government tax. Please note that these are not tips. Of course, tipping is left to your own discretion at all times
Water
Not only is Curaçao water safe to drink, it is of the finest quality, too.
In the old times, inhabitants used to rely on rain for drinking water, but as this was never enough, the Indians made “xagueys” (wells) in the soft ground along the southern bays. Spanish and Dutch conquerors found drinking water near the Schottegat and transported it in water butts to “The Point” (Punda). As the population of our island grew, and as industrial and economical development of any country relies on water, more water was needed and the so called Water Plantations came into being. Around 1890, American wind turbines were imported for irrigation of the land. In 1928, a seawater distillery for production of drinking water was put into production. This distillery, now known as Aqualectra, has an excellent quality. It is soft, contains no chloride and little calcium, is tasteless and odorless and has a good bacteriological composition—so it is safe to drink.
For more information visit http://www.aqualectra.com/
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