Population: 135,000.

Location: in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea, one of the Windward Islands of the Netherlands Antilles.

Total Surface Area: 444 square km. It’s 40 miles (64 km) long and 10 miles (16km) wide

Capital: Willemstad.

Languages: Papiamento, Spanish, English, and Dutch.

First discovered: by the Spaniards in 1499.

Occupied: by the Dutch in 1634.

First Inhabitants:  Arawak Indians.

Oldest Synagogue:  Founded in 1651, it is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere in continuous use.

Main Industries: tourism and oil refining. Offshore banking activities also contribute to the local economy.

Limited Self-government: Gained on January 1, 1954.

Temperature: +/- 30C (80F) all year round.

Religion:  80% Catholic with the Jewish, Muslim, and Protestants faiths practiced freely.

Currency:  Netherlands Antillean guilder (Florin) - abbreviated "Nafl." or "Ang."

Exchange Rate  US$ 1 = Nafl. 1.77 for cash, 1.78 for traveler’s checks.

The Dutch abolished slavery in 1863.