With its seemingly endless supply of
white sandy beaches and turquoise
blue waters,
ARUBA is one of
the more popular Caribbean
destinations for many sun-worshipers
and cruise-ship passengers. The
smallest of the ABC islands, Aruba
is 25km north of Venezuela and only
30km wide. Over one million visitors
a year come to this tiny island of
90,000 to indulge in the glitz
associated with its luxurious
beachside resorts, elegant
restaurants, 24-hour casinos, shops
and boutiques. The harbourside
capital
Oranjestad attracts
many of the visitors, as do
resort-filled
Eagle and
Palm
beaches just north of town. In
stark contrast to these glamorous
areas, the rugged interior is dotted
with stands of cacti, twisted divi
divi trees and herds of wandering
goats. In the Mars-like landscape of
Arikok National Park ,
mysterious boulders painted with
ancient petroglyphs and limestone
caves are sights not to be missed.
Gold was discovered here in 1824,
but the real economic boom began in
the early 1900s when oil was
discovered off the coast of
Venezuela and a refinery was built
here in San Nicolas . After
its decline in the 1980s, the Aruban
government launched a new
initiative, focusing its attention
on large-scale tourism. Seeking more
independence and greater control of
its finances, Aruba gained s tatus
aparte in 1986, thus allowing
Arubans to have their own
parliament, flag, currency and more
freedom in their internal affairs
than their counterparts in the
Netherlands Antilles. Today more
than half of the population is
employed by the flourishing tourism
industry and Arubans enjoy a higher
standard of living than those living
on many other islands in the
Caribbean.
