Curaçao
- ISS010-E-5190
- 27 October 2004
- 14:15 UTC
The island of Curaçao — situated 41 km west from Bonaire, 77 km southeast from Aruba and 65 km off the coast of Venezuela (see panoramic image) — is the largest of the islands (at 344 km²) that comprise the Dutch-owned Netherlands Antilles (see Notes at right). Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao are often unofficially referred to as the ABC Islands, although in a wider geographical sense they are the westernmost of a long chain of islands, cays and reefs known as the Aruba-La Blanquilla archipelago that parallels the Venezuelan coast for around 600 km.
Measuring 61 km in length with a maximum width of 14 km, Curaçao has an elongated shape, orientated northwest to southeast, consisting of two distinct lobes connected by a narrow (4 km across) central area where the Bullenbaai cuts into the coast. The island is mostly flat, with a few elevated areas — rising to 372 m at the sharp peak of Christoffelberg in the northwest. The interior is dry and can be described as semi-arid. Its ancient volcanic origins have become obscured by erosion, uplift, changing sea levels and by the deposition of sedimentary rocks. The coastline is composed of steep cliffs and beaches of rubble or sand — much of which is bordered by fringing reefs situated between 20 to 250 m offshore. Found commonly on the lower and less exposed southern coasts are a number of lagoons and winding, drowned valleys that are home to mangrove and seagrass environments. Located 10 km off the southeastern tip of Curaçao is the small island of Klein Curaçao.
Curaçao has a low annual rainfall of around 570 mm — strong tradewinds from the east and northeast result in high evaporative rates, giving the island a semi-arid character — most rainfall occurs in a rainy season lasting from October to February. The mean annual temperature is 27.5°C, with daily highs and lows of 26°C and 30°C, respectively. January is generally the coolest month and September the hottest.
Much of the vegetation of Curaçao consists of species that are adapted to the dry landscape: cacti and succulents and drought-adapted trees such as the Divi Divi tree (Caesalpinia coriaria), Mesquite Tree (Prosopis juliflora), Twisted Acacia (Acacia tortuosa), and the Brazilwood tree (Haematoxyln brasiletto).
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
