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Travel to Aruba
Aruba has one of the highest rates of repeat visitors anywhere in the Caribbean. What continues to draw people back over and over again is the great pride and care that Arubans take to ensure that tourists have everything they could possibly need to make their stay both enjoyable and exciting. Arubans are famous for their friendliness and hospitality. The climate is perpetually sunny and welcoming, and great care has been taken to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the environment.
Capital: Oranjestad
Location: Located about 12 degrees north of the equator, approximately 29km (18 miles) off the Paraguana Peninsula of Venezuela. The island, one of the Lesser Antilles islands, is about 30 km (19 miles) long and about 8 km (5 miles) wide with an area of 193 sq km (75 sq miles)and a population of some 89,000.
Climate: Tropical marina; little seasonal temperature variation. Aruba offers constantly warm weather. Summer never ends here. The temperature difference between June and December or midnight and noon is rarely more than four degrees either side of 82F. A dependable cooling trade wind blows from the east, and fewer than 22 inches of rain fall anywhere on the island during a year. Since the equator runs about 12 to south, the sun is strong, especially between 11 am and 3 pm, and visitors enjoy morning sunrises and evening sunsets at roughly the same times each day, regardless of the seasons.
Terrain: Flat with a few hills; scant vegetation. Aruba is a generally flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches.
Language: Dutch, Papiamento, English (widely spoken)
Currency: Aruban florin (AWG)
Time zone: GMT -4
Internet TLD: .aw
Calling code: +297
The tourist industry here is extremely well-organized, developed, and diversified, catering to a wide variety of different interests. Those who prefer privacy can find a secluded stretch of beach or go exploring through the countryside on their own, while those who are more outgoing can take advantage of Aruba's vibrant nightlife, the casinos, the discotheques, the different theme parties, the music and folkloric festivals. Those interested in another kind of wildlife can go bird-watching in a protected sanctuary or take a tour of a coconut plantation or hike through the Arikok National Park tracking the island's exotic flora and fauna.
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
More facts about Aruba:
Aruba, country profile
Local Travel News:
IFA Luxury Yacht Ownership Club adds the Caribbean 
IFA Luxury Yacht Ownership Club adds the Caribbean.
Caribbean Airlines to Streamline Maintenance Operations
Caribbean Airlines to Streamline Maintenance Operations.
Royal Caribbean declares its Independence
Royal Caribbean International has announced its third Freedom-class cruise ship is to be named Independence of the Seas.
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 Scuba diving in Aruba |
