Curacao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, just a few miles off the Venezuelan coast. Its capital is Willemstad. 

Today Curacao has one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean, with a well-developed infrastructure, and (some) of that economic success must be credited to tourism. 

Of all the islands in the Caribbean, Curacao is one of the most stylish, and certainly, one of the most colorful. 

One of many cruise ships that enter the harbor at Willemstad, Curacao throughout the year. 

The colors of Curacao are so pleasing to the eye.

The now colorful gabled buildings that line the Willemstad, Curacao harbor were once all white. In 1817, the local governor complained that the sun's glare off the buildings gave him a headache, so he ordered them painted. What a great decision that was! 

Curacao is a tropical island, and palm trees are everywhere. However, this local casino had two (fake) palms framing its entrance. It seemed somewhat strange to me. 

When cruise ships enter the harbor at St. Anna Bay, the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge swings open to let them in. When no ships are in the harbor, the bridge helps move people across the harbor. 

This is a typical narrow street in Willemstad, the capital of Curacao 

This striking statue in the city center is of Doctor Moises Frumencio da Costa Gomez, the former prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles. He played a major role in the island's fight for autonomy from the Netherlands.

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John Moen is a cartographer who along with his wife are the orignal founders of worldatlas.com. He and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, produced thousands of award-winning maps that are used all over the world and content that aids students, teachers, travelers and parents with their geography and map questions. Today, it's one of the most popular educational sites on the web.

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