Travel To Aruba

Aruba is an island of the Lesser Antilles, the westernmost of the Leeward group of about 25 km north of the Paraguana peninsula in northwestern Venezuela and south of the Caribbean Sea, just west of the island of Curacao. He was part of the Netherlands Antilles, but since January 1, 1986 is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, separately from the Netherlands Antilles.Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are not part of the European Union like other European sovereign territories that share this status (ie) Greenland (Denmark), French Polynesia (France) and Cayman Islands (UK). However, there are other areas outside Europe the sovereignty of European Union countries, which themselves are an integral part of it (ie: French Guiana in South America). However, all citizens of Aruba have Dutch passport, and therefore the Aruban enjoy the same rights as citizens of the European Union.Geography

The island is generally flat and without rivers. Sandy beaches has white, located on the western coast and south of the island within the island there are some hills, from which we highlight the Hooiberg (165 m) and Mount Jamanota (188 m) which is the highest point of the island. Oranjestad, the capital, is located at 12 ° 19'N 70 ° 1'O, is located 25 km north of Venezuela.

The local climate is tropical semi-arid type of sea, with small temperature variations in the year, Aruba has no land borders but if Maritimes, with only Venezuela, fixed by the Treaty of 1978 between the Netherlands and Venezuela.

EconomyAbout 70% of GDP comes from tourism Aruba or related activities and 75% of visitors coming from the United States. Before obtaining autonomous status, most activity was the refining of oil, now that business has a small influence on the economy. Agriculture and manufacturing are also a small economic impact. The Aruban guilder has a fixed exchange rate against the U.S. dollar of 1.79:1.Its main trading partners are Venezuela, the United States, Netherlands and United Kingdom.

It is important to note that despite its small size, Aruba is, according to the World Café (2003), the second greatest consumer of coffee worldwide, surpassed only by Finland.Tourism

Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy small, the largest source of employment for the islanders. The rapid growth of tourism during the 1990s has led to substantial expansion of other economic activities. The house-building, with greater capacity in hotels is five times higher than the year 1985. This has resulted in low unemployment figures, resulting in a lack of manpower and an increase in wages.

Transport

Queen Beatrix International Airport Aruba is located near Oranjestad. The airport has daily flights to several cities to destinations in the United States: San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miami, Florida, Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Houston, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington DC , New York and Boston, Massachusetts.In addition there are flights from Aruba to Toronto, Ontario, and South America, with daily flights to international airports in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom and most of Europe through the AirportAmsterdam-Schiphol in the Netherlands.

Activities in Aruba

Sharp geographical differences create a unique combination of land and sea activities. Calm, glittering turquoise waters fringed by marshmallow-soft ivory beaches neighbor a national park encompassing a wild windward coast and unsettled rugged interior.

Quiet horseback rides and leisurely beach walks are good for the soul. Hikers can explore twenty rugged miles of trails in Arikok National Park. Golfing combines the challenge of constant trade winds and tropical sun with desert beauty and sweeping Caribbean views. Tour the island from the comfort of an air-conditioned motor coach or on a jeep safari. Be sure to exercise caution on mountain bikes and all-terrain vehicles!

The water is calm and perfect for swimming at resort areas. Challenging wave conditions and constant trade winds attract an international host of windsurfers as well as kite surfers and wave sport enthusiasts. Hop aboard a pleasure boat or luxury catamaran for a day of sailing. Rent a jet-ski, sunfish, wave-runner or tube for some wet 'n wild fun. Reel in dinner on a fishing excursion or kayak tranquilly along the mangrove coast. Shallow coral formations await snorkelers but reef and wreck diving reveal a brilliant underwater fantasy.

Source: http://www.worldtravelguide.net