Oostpunt Land van Maal
Landhuis Klein Sint Joris
Oostpunt Location in Curaçao
Coordinates: 12°03′31″N 68°46′51″W / 12.0587°N 68.7807°W / 12.0587; -68.7807
State	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Country	Curaçao
District	Bandariba[1]
Area [2]
• Total	54.24 km2 (20.94 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[3]
• Total	555
• Density	10/km2 (27/sq mi)

Oostpunt (also Land van Maal)^[2] is a geozone (region) on the island of Curaçao. It is located on the easternmost point of the island.^[2] Since the 1870s,^[4] the area has been privately owned by the Maal family, and most of the area is off-limits,^[5] with the exception of the villages of Oostpunt, Sint Joris, and Santa Catharina. The geozone of Oostpunt covers about 10% of the island.^[6]

History

Plantation Klein Sint Joris (also San Juan) was founded in 1662 by Matthias Beck and is one of the oldest plantations on Curaçao.^[7] Around 1840, Oostpunt was inhabited by 150 to 200 people, most of whom were slaves.^[5] The Maal family, army officers from the Netherlands, arrived in Curaçao in the late 18th century^[8] and had acquired five plantations by the 1870s. The plantations were used for agriculture, livestock, and mining,^[4] however, the vast majority of land is pristine wilderness.^[2][8] The coral reefs in Oostpunt are considered one of the best preserved reefs of the Caribbean.^[9][10][11]

Settlements

The village of Oostpunt is only inhabited by Willy Maal and his mother.^[12] Sint Joris consists of a collection of houses across Landhuis Klein Sint Joris, and is mainly inhabited by locals who have been born there. Santa Catharina is a recent addition which started to develop in the 1960s, and has attracted many Dutch citizens.^[13] There are paved roads to Sint Joris and Santa Catharina. As of 2011, the remainder of Oostpunt can only be accessed via unpaved paths with large holes.^[14]

National Park and Curaçao Marine Park

In 1987, the Government of Curaçao approached the Maal family to develop a conservation plan, and discuss the proposed development of a tourist resort in Oostpunt. In 1993, an area of 4,400 hectares (11,000 acres) was unilaterally declared a national park in which no development was possible.^[4] Along the coast, the Curaçao Marine Park was announced to protect the coral reef.^[15] The Maal family responded by suing the government for ƒ100 million (~US$56 million) for breach of contract.^[16] A long legal battle followed, and the resort was built in the Bahamas instead.^[4] On 7 June 1999, the Government of Curaçao was ordered to allow development in 50 percent of the area, and pay the Maal family ƒ20 million plus interest in damages.^[17]

In 2010, the development plans of the Maal family were approved by the States of Curaçao.^[18][4] The battle is not over, because CARMABI, the national institute for protected areas, wants to prevent any development,^[19] and is backed by the International Coral Reef Society, National Geographic, NOAA, and others.^[9] In April 2016, an attempt was made to stop the development plans using an outdated map^[20] which resulted in a threat from the Maal family to resume litigation.^[16] In December 2016, the development plans were once again approved by the States.^[21]

References

Bibliography

• "Buurtprofiel Oostpunt" (PDF). Government of Curaçao (in Dutch). 2011.

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