October 10th: Autonomy of Curaçao

Curaçao celebrates its autonomy today, and have been doing so since 2010. We're talking the country, not the drink but the drink does come from there so it does get a mention!

1. Curaçao is an island country in the southern Caribbean Sea, approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) north of the Venezuelan coast. It is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and includes the main island and the uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao").
2. There are a couple of theories as to where the name came from. One is that early explorers left their sick people behind there, expecting them to die, but came back to find them thriving and so named it "Isla de la Curación" (Island of the Cure, or Island of Healing). The other is that the name derives from the Portuguese word for Heart (coracao) because it was known as a centre for trade. The right pronunciation is "Cure a sow".
3. Willemstad, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage City and features brightly coloured buildings influenced by Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese architecture.
4. The people of Curaçao often paint their kitchen walls Red with White polka dots, which is meant to deter flies and Mosquitoes.
5. It is where Curaçao liqueur comes from. The drink is made from the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, which is grown on the island. The laraha developed from the sweet Valencia Orange transplanted by Spanish explorers in 1527. The soil and dry climate didn't produce very good oranges - they were small and bitter, but the peel was aromatic and flavourful. Curaçao is the only place where you'll get the genuine liqueur. The producers of the original drink never got a patent, which is why there are a lot of imitations.
6. A famous bridge in Curaçao is the Queen Emma Bridge, which until 1934 was a toll bridge for pedestrians. However, the toll only applied to people who were wearing Shoes. Rich people would take off their shoes to avoid having to pay, while the poor people, who saw it as a matter of pride to pay the toll, might borrow a pair of shoes from a rich person so they could pay the 2 cent toll.
7. The Mikve Israel Emanuel Synagogue in Curaçao is the oldest Sephardic-Jewish synagogue in the western hemisphere that is still in use. Its floor is covered in sand, not because people go to the beach before worshiping but because in the time of the Spanish inquisition, Jewish settlers in Curaçao were not allowed to practice their religion openly. The sand allowed them to go in and out of the synagogue without the soldiers hearing them.
8. Curaçao's highest point is Sint Christoffelberg at 375m (1,230 ft).
9. Traditional dishes include kadushi (cactus soup) and Keshi Yena (a huge ball of baked gouda cheese stuffed with a stewed mix of meat, raisins, and olives). “Stoba yoana” is another dish you might find on a menu there - Iguana soup.
10. The Flag is a Blue field with a horizontal Yellow stripe slightly below the midline and two White, five-pointed stars in the canton. The blue symbolises the sea and sky, and is divided by a yellow band representing the Sun. The two stars represent Curaçao and Klein Curaçao, and Love and Happiness. The five points on each star symbolise the five continents from which Curaçao's people come.