Aruba Facts

Aruba is a small Caribbean island located close to Venezuela, and in the recent years has become widely popular as a tourist destination. Most people come here to enjoy its beautiful white sand beaches and its pleasant climate. The resorts and hotels on the island several different types of Aruba all inclusive packages to guests, which makes it very cost effective for most people.

Those who are planning to travel to Aruba should know about a few basic facts about the island which they might find useful while they are there. Given below are some facts about Aruba:

  • Aruba is located 31 km north of Venezuela; the island itself is quite small. Its total area is of 77 Sq. Km and is just over 19 miles long and 6 miles across. This makes the island a comfortable enough place to travel to; most people explore it on foot because it is quite compact.
  • Aruba has a pleasant tropical climate and the temperature here rarely changes from 27 degrees Celsius. It has pleasant sunny days, and unlike most locations in the Caribbean it does not experience hurricanes. Occasionally it does experience strong winds from the northeast due to its geographic location, but other than that the climate here remains quite pleasant year round.
  • As of 2002, the population of Aruba was close to 100,000 people. The life expectancy here is quite long, and the birth and death rates here are quite low.
  • The local time here in Aruba is GMT-4.
  • The native language of the island is Papiamento; however, the official language on the island is Dutch. People do understand and speak Spanish and English quite well here due to the tourism industry so understanding the locals would not be much of a problem.
  • The official currency of Aruba is Aruban Florin. Since it is quite a popular tourist destination, US dollars are accepted almost everywhere. All other currencies can be exchanged here at the banks or at the currency exchange offices. Credit cards and debit cards are also accepted at almost all locations, ATM machine is also available. Most places would also accept travelers checks, however, if you are planning to get a traveler check it is best to get it in either Euro or in US dollars since otherwise there might be additional charges.
  • Aruba falls under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Aruba, which handles all types of legal issues as well as other rules and legislations for the island.
  • Travelling around the island is easy, because of its small size. There is a public bus service available for those who want to use it. Other than buses, taxis are also frequently available.
  • Emergency number here on the island is 911.
  • The tourism office is located in Oranjestad.

These were just a few basic facts about Aruba which might prove to be quite useful for those who are planning on a vacation here on the island.