Aruba Information

Aruba is one of the most popular Caribbean destinations for many sun-followers due to it's endless white sandy beaches and clear blue waters. It is the smallest of the ABC Islands at just 30km wide and is located 25km north of Venezuela. It has a population of around 71,000.

Over one million tourists head to Aruba a year looking for the glitz of it's luxurious beach resorts, exclusive restaurants, 24-hour casinos, shops and boutiques. Oranjestad, the capital, attracts many of the visitors as well as the resorts at the Eagle and Palm beaches north of the town. In contrast to the glamour of the capital, the inland portions of the island are much more rugged with cacti, divi divi trees and herds of wandering goats. There are mysterious limestone caves and boulders painted with ancient petroglyphs which are not to be missed.

In 1449 the island was discovered and claimed by Spain, Aruba was later acquired by the Dutch in 1636. Gold was discovered on the island in 1824 but it was the discovery of oil in the early 19th century that led to the beginning of the real economic boom. The in last decades of the 20th century there was a boom in the tourism industry. Today more than half of the population of Aruba is employed by the tourism industry, as a result Arubans have a higher standard of living than those on other Caribbean islands.

Wanting more independence, Aruba became an autonomous members of the Kingdom of Netherlands in 1986 following it's secession from the Netherlands Antilles. This allowed Arubans to have their own parliament, currency, flag and more freedom in their internal affairs. Movement towards full independence was ceased by Aruba in 1990.