Aruba

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Quick Facts
Capital	Oranjestad
Government	parliamentary democracy
Currency	Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
Area	total: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 193 sq km
Population	70,441 (July 2002 est.)
Language	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Religion	Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish

Aruba is a Caribbean island off the coast of Central America and north of Venezuela. The island is an autonymous dependency of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a flat, riverless island 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).

Map of Aruba

Regions

From the tourist point of view, Aruba can be considered to be divided into the south-east and north-west coasts. The South East has the beaches, tourquoise seas, and warm waters. The northern coast, exposes to the Atlantic, has much rougher seas, sharks, and rocky beaches.

Cities

Oranjestad - Capital
Barcadera
Sint Nicolaas

Other destinations

Understand

Climate

Tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation. Because of its location south in the Caribbean there is very strong sun, but a constant breeze keeps the temperature pleasant.

Natural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

Terrain

The island is flat with a few hills, scant vegetation and neglible natural resources other than white sandy beaches.

Highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m

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 seceded 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.

Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March
Constitution: 1 January 1986

Electricity

Officially 120V 60Hz, which is identical to the U.S. and Canadian standard. Outlets are North American NEMA 5-15 grounded outlets, identical to standard U.S. and Canadian wall outlets. Occasionally non-grounded NEMA 1-15 outlets may be found. Non-grounded outlets do not accept the third, round pin present on grounded plugs. Adapters are available to allow equipment with grounded (three-pin) plugs to plug into non-grounded outlets while avoiding the otherwise necessary step of cutting the grounding pin off of the plug.

Additionally, U.S. and Canadian outlets are polarized. Polarized means that one of the two vertical blades is taller/wider than the other. This is a safety feature which restricts a non-grounded plug from being inserted into an outlet "upside down". Older North American outlets found in much of Central and South America, the Caribbean and other areas may not be polarized. As such, polarized plugs may not fit into non-polarized outlets. To remedy this, the wider vertical blade on a polarized plug may be filed down to match the width of 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

American Airlines is a popular carrier that schedules flights from many US and international cities to Aruba's Queen Beatrix Airport. Air 2000 flies charter flights from the UK, and KLM flights to Amsterdam connect to most of the rest of Europe.

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

Get around

Talk

Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino (http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/AUABR) Tel: 011 297 5 836000 Fax: 011 297 5 834389 . The all-new Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino features 558 newly renovated rooms and suites and the finest amenities and activities on Aruba. Two distinctive lodging options at this Aruba hotel offer both style and a tropical elegance. The Renaissance Marina Hotel is a hip destination for couples and the Renaissance Ocean Suites is perfect for families. Both Aruba resort options have pools or you can enjoy the 40-acres of private beach on Renaissance Island, which features inviting hammocks, a casual restaurant and bar, and many sporting activities. For a special treat, book a massage at our exclusive Spa Cove on the Island. Spa Cove includes a private cabana with a 2-person lounge chair and 2-person hammock. Aruba's best shopping; dining, casinos, and nightlife are all at the Renaissance Aruba Resort. For groups, the Renaissance Convention Center offers 22,000 sq ft of function space as well as special themed events on Renaissance Island. The Renaissance Aruba Resort is a Caribbean vacation from the ordinary.

Wyndham Aruba Resort, Spa and Casino (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/AUAPB/main.wnt?aff=wyn11) J.E. Irausquin Blvd 77. Tel: 011 297 5 864466. Fax: 011 297 5 868217. The Wyndham Aruba Beach Resort & Casino is the perfect island destination offering the charm of the Dutch Caribbean, a magnificent beach, glittering casino and a host of outdoor pleasures.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

External links

http://www.aruba.com/ - Official Tourism and Travel Website of Arbuba.

The rest of this article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and integrate it into the article above.

Geography

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 N, 69 58 W
Area: total: 193 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 193 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Coastline: 68.5 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
Land use: arable land: 10.53% (including aloe 0.01%)
permanent crops: 0%
other: 89.47% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0.01 sq km (1998 est.)

People

Population: 70,441 (July 2002 est.)
Nationality: noun: Aruban(s)
adjective: Aruban; Dutch
Ethnic groups: mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish

Government

Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Flag description: blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy

Economy - overview: 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. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years. The government's goal of balancing the budget within two years will hamper expenditures, as will the decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the 11 September terrorist attacks.

Labor force: 41,501
Labor force - by occupation: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Agriculture - products: aloes; livestock; fish
Exports - commodities: live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs
Currency: Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)
Currency code: AWG
Exchange rates: Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 33,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,402 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: more than adequate
international: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 50,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 20,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .aw
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Internet users: 24,000 (2002)

Transportation

Highways: total: 800 km
paved: 513 km
note: most coastal roads are paved, while unpaved roads serve large tracts of the interior (1995)
unpaved: 287 km
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)

Transnational Issues

Illicit drugs: transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity

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