Aruba — map and facts

About Aruba

Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, situated in the southern Caribbean Sea approximately 29 kilometres north of the Paraguaná Peninsula of Venezuela. It has a population of around 110,000 people and its capital is Oranjestad. Aruba achieved a separate status within the Kingdom in 1986, when it was granted Status Aparte, distinguishing it from the former Netherlands Antilles. It has its own parliament, government, and legal system, and uses the Aruban florin as its currency. The official languages are Dutch and Papiamento, the latter a creole language widely spoken across the ABC islands. The economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which accounts for the vast majority of GDP and employment. The island is known for its white sandy beaches, particularly along the calm western and southern shores, its reliable trade winds, and a very dry, sunny climate. Petroleum refining and offshore finance also contribute to the economy.

Geography and Landscape

Aruba is a small, flat island of approximately 180 square kilometres located outside the Caribbean hurricane belt, which contributes to its popularity as a tourist destination. The terrain is largely flat to gently rolling, with the rugged Hooiberg hill rising to 165 metres in the interior and the Arikok National Park preserving the northeastern landscape of desert scrub, cacti, divi-divi trees, and rocky outcrops. The island is arid, receiving less than 500 millimetres of rain annually, and the trade winds blow almost constantly from the northeast, bending the iconic divi-divi trees permanently toward the southwest. The coastline varies from the calm, turquoise waters of Palm Beach and Eagle Beach on the west to the windswept rocky shores of the north and east. There are no rivers. The surrounding waters are clear and support coral reefs and diverse marine life, making diving and snorkelling popular activities.

History

The island was originally inhabited by the Caquetio, a people related to the Arawak, who settled there several thousand years ago. Spanish explorers arrived in 1499, and Aruba came under Spanish control, with the indigenous population largely transported to Hispaniola as labour. The Dutch West India Company seized Aruba in 1636, and the island has remained under Dutch sovereignty almost continuously since. During the colonial period it served primarily as a ranching island. In the twentieth century the discovery of oil off the Venezuelan coast transformed Aruba's economy when the Lago Oil and Transport Company, affiliated with Standard Oil, established a large refinery near San Nicolas in the 1920s. This refinery operated for decades and shaped the island's modern identity. After its closure in 1985, tourism became the dominant industry. In 1986 Aruba separated from the Netherlands Antilles to become an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a status it retains today.