Aruba is a Caribbean island 15 miles north of the coast of Venezuela. The island is an autonomous dependency of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is 19.6 miles (30 kilometers) long and 6 miles (9 kilometers) across, at its widest point, with an area of approximately 70 square miles (184 square kilometers). This flat, riverless island is renowned for its white sand beaches. Its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit).
Regions
From the tourist point of view, Aruba can be considered to be divided into the southeast and northwest coasts. The southeast has the white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and warm waters. The northwest coast, exposed to the Atlantic, has a few white sand beaches, rough seas with treacherous currents and rocky coastline.
Cities
Other destinations
Understand
Climate
The climate is tropical marine, with little seasonal temperature variation. Because of its location south in the Caribbean there is very strong sun, but a constant light breeze keeps the temperature pleasant. (These persistent winds out of the east shape the island's distinctive, lop-sided divi-divi trees.) The weather is almost always dry, with most rain showers coming at night and lasting only a little while. It lies outside the zone usually affected by hurricanes.
Landcape
The island is flat with a few hills, arid with mostly desert vegetation and neglible natural resources other than white sandy beaches. Highest point: Mount Jamanota (188 meters).
History
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 seceeded from the Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire and Curacao, the ABC-Islands)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.
Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level.
Electricity
Officially 120V 60Hz, which is identical to the U.S. and Canadian standard. Outlets are North American grounded outlets, identical to standard U.S. and Canadian wall outlets. Occasionally non-grounded outlets may be found, which do not accept the third, round pin present on grounded plugs, and require an adapter. Older North American outlets may not be polarized (with one slot wider than the other). Otherwise, adapters are available which accept a polarized plug and adapt it for use with a non-polarized outlet.
Get in
By plane
Aruba no longer has a national airline.
American Airlines is a popular carrier that schedules flights from the gateways of New York, Boston, Miami and San Juan. Other major carriers from the US include United (Chicago, Washington/Dulles), US Airways (Philadelphia, Charlotte), Continental(Newark,Houston) and Delta(Atlanta).
Beginning September 15, 2006, JetBlue Airways will begin daily nonstop lowfare flights between Aruba and New York/JFK airport.
Air 2000 flies charter flights from the UK, and KLM flights to Amsterdam connect to most of the rest of Europe. Avianca and Aires connect Aruba to Colombia.
Daily connections to Venezuela include Caracas, Maracaibo, Las Piedras and Valencia, by Aeropostal, Aserca, Santa Barbara Airlines and Avior.
By boat
Get around
Cabs are available at the airport and at hotels. You can also rent a car or jeep at the Queen Beatrix airport or through the hotel concierge. Additionally there is a bus system called "Arubus."
Because Aruba is small consider not renting a car until you know what you want to do. Many activities are central to the resort area of the island and are within walking distance. Renting cars/jeeps are easy and many rental companies provide pickup service from area hotels.
Driving in Aruba
The most important thing to remember is that there are no turns on red. Also, there are several roundabouts, which can be frustrating to some drivers but are quickly gotten used to. Aruba uses international road signs, which generally have no words or obvious relation to their meaning. Happily tourist maps usually contain quick references to these road signs if you are unfamiliar.
The major road is LG Smith Blvd, on which people usually drive at about 40 mph, though that is a very rough guideline. Because the island is so small, everything of interest is close to everything else of interest, and it takes special talent to get lost - if you don't know where you're going, you can basically just keep driving, and statistically speaking you are likely to end up where you need to go eventually. it should be noted, however, that most of the roads are not identified by signage.
Talk
Languages spoken are Dutch (official), Papiamento, (a creole of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch origin), Spanish, and English (widely spoken).
Buy
Above all, it appears that Arubans are very aware that their economy is completely dependent on tourism - so Arubans are polite to tourists, and even street vendors don't generally seek to rip off their customers (though as in all traveling, don't let advice like this lull you into a sense of complacency). This may be helped by the fact that Aruba is a relatively expensive place to go to, so it tends to attract the reasonably well-off. If you plan to do a lot of activities and/or dine out a lot, it's a good idea to purchase a VisitAruba discount card. With this card you can get deals in a lot of places, sometimes a 5-10% discount. You can also take a look at Free Discount Coupons to save some money.
Oranjestad is filled with nearly identical shops and stalls selling souvenirs. Ironically, many of these souvenirs are imported from the United States, only to be purchased by Americans and brought back to America. Some shops carry cutesy little statuettes that depict acts of sexual intercourse among stylized, cartoony animals, so keep an eye out if you opposed to your children seeing that sort of thing.
Also in Oranjestad is the Renaissance Mall, which contains various American and European major apparel brands (i.e. Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci) at essentially the same prices as in the United States.
American dollars are accepted virtually everywhere at a decent exchange rate - if you are coming from the United States there is no need to change money into the local currency, the Aruban florin. The current exchange rate (as of May 2006) given in shops is about 1.75 florins to the dollar. Because the island is a Dutch dependency, one would assume that Dutch currency is also easy to spend.
Groceries and other supplies are all imported from elsewhere, so prices tend to be high. Ling & Sons Grocery is the closest to the resort area, is not badly priced, had high quality produce and meat and possibly one of the least known to tourists. Ling and Sons is also the only grocery store on Aruba that offers online shopping. Two other major supermarkets are Super Food (LG Smith Blvd) and Kong Hing (various locations). In fact all these (big) supermarkets are in walking distance of each other.
Eat
Stoba di Bestia Chiquito - a hearty goat meat and vegetable stew
Keshi Yena - chicken or seafood with Dutch cheese
Restaurants
El Gaucho - located in downtown Oranjestad. Considered by many a high quality steak house. El Gaucho also sells online gift certificates.
Iguana Joe's - located in downtown Oranjestad. One of a few restaurants to offer authentic Aruban dishes. It has American influenced dishes as well. Very reasonably priced and fresh ingredients.
Blossoms - located within the Westin hotel. Offers Chinese and Japanese cusine. Very good sushi and great asian ambiance. Worth the slightly higher price.
The Flying Fishbone - located south Oranjstead and the beer brewery but north of San Nicholas on the beach. This restaruant has excellent food and ambiance. The service is very slow and the prices are high. The best time to go as sunset as you can enjoy it at your table on the private beach. The drinks and food are very good.
An excellent (though a bit pricey) restaurant is Madame Janette, which combines European and Aruban influences to create dishes that taste wonderful. Attentive service and a dining area that is completely outside are extra plusses. The restaurant does not advertise and it's located away from LG Smith Blvd (the main road in Aruba), but it's worth the trip.
Many chain restaurants, both fast food and upscale, from the United States are present in Aruba (i.e. Texas de Brazil, Wendy's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Hooters, Subway, Tony Romas). The upscale restaurants vary in quality as there are a limited number of them and they have a steady stream of tourist customers, as they advertise in pamphlets available in the hotels. The fast food places are essentially no different than their American counterparts.
Find the right restaurant based on reviews, cuisine, seating or happy hours at the Restaurants Aruba Dining Guide
Drink
Balashi Beer - Aruba's National Beer. It's a must-drink beverage, perfect after spending all day at the beach. Founded in 1996, the name Balashi is derived from the words Bala Bala and Balana and means "near the sea." It is the only beer brewed on the island of Aruba. Daily tours of the brewery are available with an open-aired bar and restaurant on the premises. Balashi Brewery / Tel. 592-2544 / 523-6544. Balashi Gardens open from 6:30 am - 4:00 pm. Tours Monday - Friday.
Night Life
Sleep
Paradera Park, locally referred to as the "Tropical Oasis", is a high quality, intimate apartment resort with Deluxe Studio and 1-bedroom apartments, centrally and conveniently located only a few carminutes from Oranjestad and the major beaches.
Tropical gardens, large swimming pool, cabanas and hammocks add to the tropical ambiance and comfort of Paradera Park's guests.
All apartments very well furnished, fully equipped kitchen, bathroom (h/c water), airco, telephone, cable t.v., complimentary in-room safe and private terrace/balcony. Daily housekeeping.
Property wide high speed wireless internet connection free of charge.
Paradera Park .... offers high quality accomodation and services at affordable prices (winner TripAdvisor "Travellers Choice" Award 2005 and 2006).
Stay safe
Aruba is generally a very safe place at any time of day or night. Contrary to the sensational media circus surrounding the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in 2005, that was an isolated incident and completely unrepresentative of the island; it could have happened anywhere.
However, it would probably be wise to stay away from the area surrounding the Valero refinery on the southeast part of the island at night (in the words of a Valero employee, "you will get some undesirables down there at night"). There is generally no reason for a tourist to go there at all anyway, so this likely will not be an issue.
Stay healthy
The running water in Aruba is absolutely safe to drink; the island's desalination plant is the second largest in the world.
Respect
Nature is very cherished by the Aruban people. 18% of their island is dedicated to the Arikok National Park .
Aruba is a 32 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, 27 km north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Falcón State, Venezuela. It is in the Realm of Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of a European part (The Netherlands) and a Caribbean-American part ( Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). Unlike much of the Caribbean-American region, Aruba has a dry climate and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism as visitors to the island can reliably expect warm sunny weather. It has a land area of 193 km² and lies outside of the hurricane belt.
History
Europeans first learned of Aruba when Amerigo Vespucci and Alonso de Ojeda came across it in August 1499.
Vespucci in one of his four letters to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici describes his voyage to the islands along the coast of Venezuela and describes an island where most trees are of brazilwood, and that from this island he went to one ten leagues of where they had houses built as in Venice. In another letter he describes an island inhabited by very large people, that as small as it was, first they thought was not inhabited.
In 1508 Alonso de Ojeda was appointed as Spain's first Governor of Aruba, as part of "Nueva Andalucia".
It remained a Spanish colony for over a century.
The Cacique or Indian Chief in Aruba Simas welcomed the first priests in Aruba and received from them a wooden Cross as a gift .
Another known Governor appointed by Spain is the Factor Juan de Ampues.
A "cédula real" decreed in November 1525, gave Juan Martinez de Ampués, factor of Española, the right to repopulate the depopulated islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. The native under Spanish rule enjoyed a certain measure of liberty, his position being actually better than that of the North European farmer of the period.
Ampues was later replaced in 1528 by a representative of the "House of Welser"
Aruba has been under Dutch administration since 1647, initially under Peter Stuyvesant. Under the Dutch W.I.C. administration, as "New Netherlands and Curacao" from 1648-1664 and the Dutch government regulations of 1629, also applied in Aruba. The Dutch administration appointed an Irishman as "Commandeur" in Aruba in 1667.
Aruba was under British occupation from 1799-1802, and again from 1805-1816.
General Francisco de Miranda and a group of 200 freedom fighters on their voyage to liberate Venezuela from Spain stayed for several weeks in Aruba in August 1806.
The island's economy has been dominated by four main industries: gold mining, aloe export, petroleum, and tourism.
During World War II Aruba became a British protectorate from 1940-1942 and a U.S. protectorate from 1942-1945.
On February 16, 1942, its oil processing refinery, which was at the time one of the largest in the region, was attacked by a German submarine (U-156) under the command of Werner Hartenstein. The mission failed miraculously. Aruba's Refinery was the main supplier of oil to the Allies at the time. The U-156 was later destroyed by a US plane as the crew was sunbathing, only one survived.
In March 1944: Eleanor Roosevelt paid a brief visit to the American troops stationed in Aruba during World War II. To be in attendance of Mrs. Roosevelt at Aruba were: His Excellency, Dr. P. Kasteel, the Governor of Curaçao, and his Aide, Lieutenant Ivan Lansberg; Rear Admiral T. E. Chandler and his Aide, Lieutenant W. L. Edgington; Captain Jhr. W. Boreel and his Aide, Lieutenant E. O. Holmberg; and the Netherlands Aide to Mrs. Roosevelt, Lieutenant Commander v.d. Schatte Olivier.
In August 1947, Aruba presented its first "Staatsreglement", for the status of an Independent, completely autonomous State within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, under the authority of the crown, defined the same as in Britain's Statute of Westminster, an equal status of the Dominion Parliaments with the British Parliament, establishing that the Dominions were under the authority of the Crown, and not the government of Britain.
In 1972, at a Conference in Surinam, Betico Croes (MEP) proposed Aruba's Independence, and a "sui-generis" Dutch Commonwealth of four states: Aruba, the Netherlands, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles. Mr. C. Yarzagaray, a parliamentary member representing the AVP political party proposed a referendum to be held in Aruba for the people of Aruba to determine Aruba's separate status or "Status Aparte" as a completely autonomous state under the authority of the crown.
In 1976, preparing the people of Aruba to exercise Aruba's Self-determination Right and Independence, the National Flag and National Anthem was introduced by a special committee appointed by Betico Croes. The National Flag symbolized Aruba's "Status Aparte" as Independence: obtaining hereby for Aruba the Status of an Independent State, with special ties with a Commonwealth of Nations.
In 1977, the first Referendum for Self Determination was held with the support of the United Nations.
In 1983, Aruba reached a final official agreement with the State of the Netherlands, the State of the Netherlands Antilles and the Island Governments, to become a Member State within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its own Constitution/Grondwet. Aruba's Constitution and Independence was unanimously approved and proclaimed in August 1985, and an election was held for the people to elect the State of Aruba's first national parliament and institute its first national government.
Aruba's Independence from the Netherlands Antilles on January 1, 1986, as an independent, self-governing member state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in preparation for its full independence for 1996. This last achievement is largely due to the diplomatic prowess of the late Betico Croes and his political support of other nations like the USA, Panama, Venezuela and other European Countries. Movement toward full independence by 1996 was postponed upon the request of Aruba's prime minister, Nelson O. Oduber, in 1990. It was decided to postpone Aruba's independence date until the people decide otherwise through a referendum. Betico Croes, after his death in 1986, was proclaimed as the Libertador di Aruba.
Politics
As a Constituent Country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba's politics take place within a framework of a 21-member Parliament and an eight-member Cabinet. The governor general is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten (or "Parlamento") for four-year terms. The Staten is made up of 21 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve a four-year term.
Together, the State of the Netherlands, the State of the Netherlands Antilles, and the State of Aruba form a Commonwealth.
As they share the same Dutch citizenship, these three countries still also share the Dutch passport as the Kingdom of the Netherlands passport. Aruba does still recognize a local citizenship for Aruba, and does reserve some privileges and rights for Arubans.
Law
Legal jurisdiction lies with a Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg (Court of First Instance) on Aruba, a Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie voor de Nederlandse Antillen en Aruba (Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba and the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden (Supreme Court of Justice of the Netherlands).
Geography
One of the Lesser Antilles, specifically in the Leeward Antilles island arc, Aruba is a generally flat, riverless island renowned for its white, sandy beaches. Most of these are located on the western and southern coasts of the island, which are relatively sheltered from fierce ocean currents. The northern and eastern coasts, lacking this protection, are considerably more battered by the sea and have been left largely untouched by humans. The interior of the island features some rolling hills, the better two of which are called Hooiberg at 165 metres (541 ft) and Mount Jamanota, which is the highest on the island, at 188 metres (617 ft) above sea level. Oranjestad, the capital, is located at .
As a separate member state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the island has no administrative subdivisions. On the east are Curaçao and Bonaire, two island territories which form the southwest part of the Netherlands Antilles; Aruba and these two Netherlands Antilles islands are also known as the ABC islands.
The local climate is a pleasant tropical marine climate. Little seasonal temperature variation exists, which helps Aruba to attract tourists all year round. Temperatures are almost constant at about 28 °C (82 °F), moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean. Yearly precipitation barely reaches 500 mm (20 in), most of it falling in late autumn.
Economy
Aruba enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean region, the lowest crime rate, with low poverty and unemployment rates. About half of the Aruban Gross National Product is earned through tourism or related activities. Most of the tourists are from Canada, the European Union and the United States, which is the country's largest trading partner. Before the Status Aparte (Secession from the Neth. Antilles) oil processing was the dominant industry in Aruba, despite expansion of the tourism sector. Today, the influence of the oil processing business is minimal. The size of the agriculture and manufacturing industries remains minimal.
The G.D.P. per capita for Aruba is calculated to be around $23.600,00 ; one of the highest in the American Continent.
Deficit spending has been a staple in Aruba's history, and modestly high inflation has been present as well, although recent efforts at tightening monetary policy may correct this. Aruba receives some development aid from the Dutch government each year, which will stop in 2009 as part of a deal where each year the Netherlands will lower their financial help to the island. The Aruban florin is pegged to the United States dollar with a fixed exchange rate where 1.79 florin equals 1 U.S. dollar.
In 2006 the Aruban government has also changed several tax laws in order to further reduce the deficit. Direct taxes have been converted to indirect taxes as proposed by the IMF. The inflation for 2006 has been calculated to 2.5%.
Demographics
Aruba is situated in the deep southern part of the Caribbean.
Because of almost no rainfall, Aruba was saved from plantation and the economics of the slave trade.
In 1515, the first Spanish Governor of this region, Alonso de Ojeda had the entire population transported to Hispaniola where they all had to learn the fifteenth century vulgar "Spanish" spoken there and work in the copper mines; most were allowed to return when the mines were tapped out.
The Dutch, who took control almost two centuries later, left the Arawaks, who spoke the "broken Spanish" their ancestors had learned in Hispaniola, to farm and graze livestock, using the island as a source of meat for other Dutch possessions in the Caribbean. The Arawak heritage is stronger on Aruba than on most Caribbean islands. No full-blooded Aboriginals remain, but the features of the islanders clearly indicate their genetic heritage. The majority of the population is descended mostly from Arawak, Spanish, Italian and Dutch and a few French, British and African ancestors.
Recently there has been another substantial immigration to the island from neighboring American and Caribbean nations, attracted by the lure of well-paying jobs.
Culture
On March 18 Aruba celebrates its National Day. In 1976, Aruba presented its National Anthem (Aruba Dushi Tera) and Flag.
The origins of the population and location of the island give Aruba a mixed culture. Dutch influence can still be seen, as in the celebration of the "Sinterklaas" Day on December 5 and 6 and other national Holidays like April 30, when in Aruba and the Dutch Kingdom celebrates the Queen's birthday or "Dia di Reina" (Koninginnedag).
Christmas and New Year are celebrated with the typical music and songs of gaitas for Christmas and the dande for New Year, and the "ayaca", the "ponchi crema" and "ham", and other typical foods and drinks. Millions of dollars worth of fireworks are burnt at midnight on New Year's.
In June there is the celebration of the "Dia di San Juan", with the song of "Dera Gay".
Tourism from the United States has recently also increased the visibility of American culture on the island, with such celebrations as Halloween and Thanksgiving Day in November.
The holiday of Carnival is also an important one in Aruba, as it is in many Caribbean and Latin American countries, and is related to Mardi Gras, celebrated in New Orleans. Its celebration in Aruba started during World War II, around the 1940s, either influenced by the American Troops from New Orleans stationed in Aruba, or/and the Refinery workers brought to Aruba from Trinidad. Over the years the Carnival Celebration has changed and now starts from the beginning of January till the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with a large parade on the last Sunday of the festivities (Sunday before Ash Wednesday).
According to the Bureau Burgelijke Stand en Bevolkingsregister (BBSB), as of 2005 there are ninety-two different nationalities living on the island.
Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport is located near Oranjestad. This airport has daily flights to various cities across the United States, to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; New York, and Boston, Massachusetts. It also connects Aruba with Canada and South America, with daily flights to the international airports of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Spain, England and most of Europe through the Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.
According to the Aruba Airport Authority, in 2005 almost 1.7 millions travelers used the airport, of which 61% were Americans.
Language
Language can be seen as an important part of island culture in Aruba. The cultural mixture has given rise to a linguistic mixture known as Papiamento, the predominant language on Aruba. The two official languages are the Dutch language and Papiamento. Papiamento is a language that has been evolving through the centuries and absorbed many words from other languages like Spanish, Dutch, English, African dialects, and Portuguese. However, like many islands in the region, Spanish is also often spoken. English has historical connections (with the British Empire) and is known by many, English usage has also grown due to tourism. Other common languages spoken based on the size of their community is Portuguese, Chinese, German and French. The latter is offered in high school and college, since a high percentage of Aruban students continue their studies in Europe.
In recent years, the government of Aruba has shown an increased interest in acknowledging the cultural and historical importance of its native language. Although spoken Papiamento is fairly similar among the several Papiamento speaking islands, there is a big difference in written Papiamento. The orthography differs per island and even per group of people. Some are more oriented towards the Portuguese roots and use the equivalent spelling (e.g. "y" instead of "j"), where others are more oriented towards the Dutch roots.
In a book The Buccaneers of America first published in 1678, is stated by eyewitness account that the Indians on Aruba spoke "Spanish". The oldest government official statement written in Papiamento, dates from 1803.
Aruba has four newspapers published in Papiamento: Diario, Bon Dia, Solo di Pueblo and Awe Mainta and two in English : Aruba Today and The News.
Aruba also has 18 Radio Stations (2 AM and 16 FM) and three TV stations.
Places of interest
* Collapsed September 2, 2005
See also
External links
