Aruba — tropical island, officially part of the seemingly non-tropical country of the Netherlands. However, only partly — in fact, Aruba is practically an independent state, with its own passports and visas. The most convenient way to get here from Europe is through the Netherlands, but you should keep in mind that a vacation in this paradise costs a lot.
Interesting facts about Aruba
- Aruba Square — 193 square kilometers, which is only slightly larger than the area of Liechtenstein. But three times as many people live in Aruba than in this small principality — about 110 thousand people (interesting facts about Liechtenstein).
- The total length of all beaches in Aruba — about 12 kilometers.
- The locals are very strict about nudity, so you should not appear outside the beaches in swimming trunks or swimsuits. There are no nude beaches here at all.
- Aruba gained independence only in 1986.
- All of Aruba — a duty-free zone, or duty free.
- Currently, there are as many as eight political parties on the island.
- More than a million tourists visit Aruba every year.
- In the country there is a local currency — Aruban florin, but in practice American dollars are readily accepted for payment almost everywhere.
- The flora of Aruba is not too rich — the surrounding area is more like an arid desert with sparse vegetation than a jungle.
- Foreigners who regularly visit Aruba for 20 years at least once a year, the country’s government officially assigns the honorary title «Aruban Goodwill Ambassador».
- On an annual basis, an amateur windsurfer championship is held here.
- Virtually everything that is in Aruba is imported from outside. Tourism is the country’s main source of income.
- In Aruba, you can safely drink water straight from the tap. There are few sources of fresh water here, so the local authorities built a whole desalination plant that receives drinking water from sea water.
- The average temperature on the island does not exceed 28-29 degrees all year round.
- Official languages are in Aruba two — Dutch and Papiamento, but most of the inhabitants also speak Spanish or English (interesting facts about the languages of the world).
- It rains extremely rarely here.