Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
lish. At one point, perhaps when it was new, the map was stored folded in half; some of the
ink has rubbed off onto the other side of the fold line, leaving behind a ghostly mirror image.
Compared to the detailed maps of London on the previous page and of Frankfurt overleaf,
this depiction of Curaçao is almost shockingly crude. The coastline shown here is only a very
rough approximation of the island's true shape and orientation; the proportions of the two
large bays in particular are grossly exaggerated. Details of the interior are restricted to wavy
green and brown lines, giving the vague impression of a rugged landscape. The scale bar at
right and carefully-drawn compass indicator imply an attempt at accuracy and precision, al-
though both are labelled upside down in comparison with the rest of the map. The stated scale
is also inaccurate: Curaçao is actually about four times larger than it suggests. A second at-
tempt at a scale bar, near the compass indicator, is unfinished.
Willemstad was founded after the Dutch captured Curaçao from the Spanish in 1634. At
first the town was confined to a small promontory on the east side of the narrow St Anna Bay,
at the entrance to the island's chief harbour. Today this area forms the city's historic district of
Punda, meaning 'The Point'. The square outline enclosing three neat rows of houses may not
be completely accurate, but it readily conveys how small the settlement was during its first
few decades. Only in 1707 did Willemstad expand westward to the other side of the bay. The
other enclosure on this peninsula is Fort Amsterdam, constructed to defend the new colony.
Outside its defensive walls lie a collection of huts for African slaves. For today's viewer,
these are an uncomfortable reminder that European economic success in the Caribbean was
founded on the lucrative trade in human beings.
