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Aruba Travel Guide – Aruba Holiday Guide

By TheHolidayAbroad on | From aruba.theholidayabroad.com

PALM BEACH- ARUBA

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Aruba Travel Guide – Aruba Holiday Guide

A new photo-visual travel guide portal for travellers planning to go to Aruba on holiday or vacation abroad.

Why not try a holiday or a vacation in Aruba? Wonderful beaches, hot blue skies and in the evening you could try the Island’s favourite cocktail drink, called the “Aruba Ariba’ It contains vodka, rum, fruit punch, and banana and orange liqueur.

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Read some of what Wikipedia (a highly reputable source of information on the web) has to say about Aruba.

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Aruba ( /ə ˈ r uː b ə / ə-ROO-bə) is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, it forms a group referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles.

Aruba, which has no administrative subdivisions, is one of the four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands, together with the Netherlands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. Aruban citizens hold Dutch passports. Unlike much of the Caribbean 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 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) and is densely populated with its estimated 103,000 people. It lies outside the hurricane belt.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Aruba

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magnify clip Aruba Travel Guide Aruba Holiday Guide

Map of Aruba

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Baby natural bridge in Aruba

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Natural bridge in Aruba

Aruba is a generally flat, riverless island in the Leeward Antilles island arc of the Lesser Antilles. Aruba is renowned for its white, sandy beaches on the western and southern coasts of the island, relatively sheltered from fierce ocean currents, and this is where most tourist development has taken place. The northern and eastern coasts, lacking this protection, are considerably more battered by the sea and have been left largely untouched by humans. The hinterland of the island features some rolling hills, the best known of which are called Hooiberg at 165 meters (541 ft) and Mount Jamanota, the highest on the island at 188 meters (617 ft) above sea level. Oranjestad, the capital, is located at 12°19′N 70°1′W / 12.317°N 70.017°W / 12.317; -70.017.

To the east of Aruba are Bonaire and Curaçao, two island territories which once formed the southwest part of the Netherlands Antilles; this group of islands is sometimes called the ABC islands.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Aruba

The isothermal temperature of Aruba’s pleasantly tropical marine climate attracts tourists to the island all year round. Temperature varies little from 28 °C (82.4 °F), moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean. Yearly precipitation barely reaches 500 mm (19.7 in), most of it falling in late autumn.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Aruba

Aruba enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean region including a low unemployment rate. About three quarters of the Aruban gross national product is earned through tourism or related activities. Most tourists are from Venezuela and the United States (predominantly from eastern and southern states). Before the “Status Aparte” (a separate completely autonomous country/state within the Kingdom), 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 sectors also remains minimal.

The GDP per capita for Aruba was calculated to be $23,831 in 2007; among the highest in the Caribbean and the Americas. Its main trading partners are Venezuela, the United States and the Netherlands.

Deficit spending has been a staple in Aruba’s history, and modestly high inflation has been present as well. Recent efforts at tightening monetary policy are correcting this and Aruba will have its first balanced budget in 2009.^{[citation needed]} Aruba received some development aid from the Dutch government each year through 2009, as part of a deal (signed as “Aruba’s Financial Independence”) in which the Netherlands gradually reduced its financial help to the island each successive year. The Aruban florin is pegged to the United States dollar, with a fixed exchange rate of 1.77 Florin to 1 U.S. dollar.^{[citation needed]} In most stores near Oranjestad, the exchange rate is 1.75 florin to 1 U.S dollar.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006 the Aruban government has also changed several tax laws to further reduce the deficit. Direct taxes have been converted to indirect taxes as proposed by the IMF. A 3% tax has been introduced on sales and services, while income taxes have been lowered and revenue taxes for business reduced by 20%. The government compensated workers with 3.1% for the effect that the B.B.O. would have on the inflation for 2007. The inflation on Aruba in 2007 was 8.7%.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Aruba

wikipedia

Ornate buildings in Oranjestad, Aruba.

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 “Sinterklaas” on December 5 and 6 and other national holidays like April 30, when in Aruba and the rest of the Kingdom of the Netherlands the Queen’s birthday or “Dia di La Reina” (Koninginnedag) is celebrated.

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 “ponche crema” and “ham”, and other typical foods and drinks. Millions of dollars worth of fireworks are burnt at midnight on New Year’s.

On January 25, Betico Croes‘ birthday is celebrated.

The holiday of Carnival is also an important one in Aruba, as it is in many Caribbean and Latin American countries, and, like Mardi Gras, that goes on for weeks. Its celebration in Aruba started, around the 1950s, influenced by the inhabitants from the nearby islands (Venezuela, St Vincent, Trinidad, Barbados, St. Maarten and Anguilla) who came to work for the Oil refinery. 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).

In June there is the celebration of the “Dia di San Juan”, with the song of “Dera Gai”.

Tourism from the United States has recently increased the visibility of American culture on the island, with such celebrations as Halloween and Thanksgiving Day in November.

Religion also has its influences; the days of Ascension and Good Friday are also two holidays on the island.

According to the Bureau Burgelijke Stand en Bevolkingsregister (BBSB), as of 2005 there are ninety-two different nationalities living on the island.

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