Klein Curaçao () is a uninhabited island belonging to, and lying 10 km south-east of, Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Dutch Caribbean.
Description
Klein Curaçao has a desert climate (in the Köppen climate classification BWh and BWk), a climate in which there is an excess of evaporation over precipitation. The only structures on the island are an old lighthouse, a beach house, and several huts. Klein Curaçao is well known as a beautiful diving spot because of its coral and underwater caves. The island has no permanent inhabitants, only a few palm-frond-covered sheds for day trippers from Curaçao, and apart from some coconut palms has little vegetation. There are some fishermen's huts where fishermen normally stay for some days. They get water from the Coast Guard of Curaçao. The windward side is a graveyard for boats that did not stay out far enough or lost power. A small tanker, the Maria Bianca Guidesman, is gradually being demolished by the constant pounding of the waves since 1988. The remains of four or five boats have been washed far onshore. As with Curaçao, hurricanes are few, but several storms have left their mark; the 1877 hurricane destroyed the first lighthouse. The next lighthouse, which still survives, was built in the interior of the island.
History
Klein Curaçao played a role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Dutch West India Company transported many enslaved people from Africa to Curaçao. Before arriving on the main island, the sick were quarantined on Klein Curaçao, where the remains of the first quarantine building can still be seen in the northwest. Those who did not survive the journey, including enslaved Africans and other passengers, were buried on the island, with several graves still present in its southern part.
The Dutch West India Company also held licenses to hunt the now-extinct Caribbean monk seal on Klein Curaçao. In 1871, English mining engineer John Godden visited the island and discovered a significant phosphate deposit. From 1871 to 1886, the Dutch government operated phosphate mines there, exporting the mineral to Europe.
Environment
Once the phosphate was mined out, the level of the island dropped, and seabird populations plummeted. The island is now approximately 3 meters lower than it was before mining began. Goats were once allowed to roam the island, which contributed to its desertification. The goats were eradicated in 1996, as were feral cats by 2004.
Gallery
<gallery>
File:KleinCuraçaoLocation.PNG|Location of Klein Curaçao
File:Klein Curacao Leuchtturm (34071059804).jpg|Klein Curaçao lighthouse
File:Wrack Klein Curacao (34873647236).jpg|Maria Bianca Guidesman aerial view
File:Klein Curacao Strand (34071071304).jpg|Klein Curaçao beach
File:Ausflug Klein Curacao (36530508962).jpg|Klein Curaçao
File:Klein Curacao lighthouse (36699677165).jpg|Klein Curaçao lighthouse
File:Shipwreck klein curacao.jpg| Maria Bianca Guidesman Shipwreck
File:Beach of Klein Curacao.jpg|Beach at Klein Curaçao
</gallery>
See also
- List of lighthouses in Curaçao