Hallo, hola, halo, olá, hello,
You can say all of these in Curaçao, and chances are the other person will understand you. People in Curaçao often speak and write fluenty in up to five languages, including Dutch, English, Portuguese, Spanish and their own language, Papiamentu, which is unique to the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao! They regularly speak Papiamentu in their homes or amongst the locals.
Curaçao has a long history dating back to the people which were known as the Arawaks, an indiginous group that originally paddled over from nearby South America. On a good day, I can actually see Venezuela from my home, and almost every day you can see a break in the sunset's beams caused by the shadow of probably Cerro Santa Ana, a mountain in Venezuela. Despite the proximity of the South American mainland, the journey between Curacao and Venezeula would have been treacherous and prone to rough waves and major trade winds.
Not much is known about these early Indigenous people, but the island's name is thought to have originated from what they called themselves.
