City Information

With its seemingly endless supply of white sandy beaches and turquoise blue waters, ARUBA is one of the more popular Caribbean destinations for many sun-worshipers and cruise-ship passengers. The smallest of the ABC islands, Aruba is 25km north of Venezuela and only 30km wide. Over one million visitors a year come to this tiny island of 90,000 to indulge in the glitz associated with its luxurious beachside resorts, elegant restaurants, 24-hour casinos, shops and boutiques. The harbourside capital Oranjestad attracts many of the visitors, as do resort-filled Eagle and Palm beaches just north of town. In stark contrast to these glamorous areas, the rugged interior is dotted with stands of cacti, twisted divi divi trees and herds of wandering goats. In the Mars-like landscape of Arikok National Park , mysterious boulders painted with ancient petroglyphs and limestone caves are sights not to be missed.

Gold was discovered here in 1824, but the real economic boom began in the early 1900s when oil was discovered off the coast of Venezuela and a refinery was built here in San Nicolas . After its decline in the 1980s, the Aruban government launched a new initiative, focusing its attention on large-scale tourism. Seeking more independence and greater control of its finances, Aruba gained s tatus aparte in 1986, thus allowing Arubans to have their own parliament, flag, currency and more freedom in their internal affairs than their counterparts in the Netherlands Antilles. Today more than half of the population is employed by the flourishing tourism industry and Arubans enjoy a higher standard of living than those living on many other islands in the Caribbean.

Aruba is an island in the Caribbean Sea, just a short distance north of the Venezuelan Paraguaná Peninsula, and it forms a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, it has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism, however, as visitors to the island can reliably expect warm, sunny weather. Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, south of the Gulf of Mexico.

Aruba is a part of Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Carribean. Aruba has full autonomy in internal affairs; the Dutch government is responsible for defense and foreign affairs. The main religion is christianity. The main languages are Dutch and Papiamento. Aruba is Dutch since 1634. The island is a parliamentary democratic dependency.
Aruba was 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.