About Aruba
“Bon bini”- Welcome to Aruba, home of Ocean105 where peace is no longer a dream !

Location
Aruba is located in the heart of the southern Caribbean, about 43 miles north of the Paraguana Peninsula Venezuela. It takes about two-and-a-half hours by air from Miami, Florida and within easy flying distance of other U.S. cities.

Population and History
Aruba has approximately 100.000 inhabitants, the population is made up of an international mixture of people. The original inhabitants were Caquetio Indians from the South American mainland an they lived from fishing and agriculture.

The island was claimed by the Spanish when explorer Alonso de Ojeda discovered Aruba in 1499 but the Dutch occupied the island in 1636 and established a naval base in the Caribbean during their 80-year war with Spain and brought further economic development through the Dutch West India Trading Company.

Aruba is a safe, stable and friendly island with Dutch roots. It formed a part of the Netherland Antilles before gaining its autonomy in 1986. Aruba now functions as an independent entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its government is founded on democratic principles with a Prime Minister, a Council of Ministers and a Parliament.

Aruban people are very friendly and cosmopolitan. They speak many languages including English, Spanish and Dutch in addition to the national language Papiamento.

Economic development
In 1824, gold was discovered in the north coast and mining was done until 1916. The city of San Nicolas, named after Shon Nicolaas van der Biest, a former landowner came into existence with phosphate mining in 1879 and in 1924 the Lago Oil and transport Company was established in San Nicolas due to Aruba’s favorable geographical position and its peaceful political climate. Thousands of immigrant workers arrived from the other Caribbean islands as well as merchants from Europe and the Near East. In about fifty years the population increased seven-fold from 9.000 in 1924 to 60.000 in 1972.

During the past two decades Aruba has become one of the most sought-after vacation destinations in the world due to the excellent weather year-round, safe environment, stable government, magnificent beaches, convenient airlift, location out of the hurricane belt and its multi-lingual, friendly and service-oriented population.

Climate
Aruba enjoys consistently warm temperatures. Temperatures range from 75 degrees to 88 degrees and Aruba’s tradewinds from the East make it very comfortable. There is no major rainy season. Ocean temperature is around 82 degrees all year long. January through March is the most popular time to visit. From mid-April through September, the atmosphere is more relaxed with less crowds.

Things to do and Places to visit
Aruba is famous for its windsurfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing, deep-sea fishing, water skiing or just a lazy swim. Its beaches consist of white sand with calm and incredibly blue waters filled with neon-yellow fish, flame-bright coral reefs and billowing rainbow-colored sails. They are considered to be some of the best beaches in the world. On our website pages Activities and Sightseeing we have listed activities and events we can highly recommend.

For ecological travellers and Nature Lovers
Aruba has an array of interesting spots to visit including: The Alto Vista Chapel, The Arikok National Park, The Ayo & Casibari Rock Formations, The Bushiribana Goldruins, The California Lighthouse, The mountain Hooiberg, The Lourdes Grotto Caves, the Aruba Aloe Factory and the Aruba Desalination Plant.

Water
Aruba has possibly the best quality drinking water in the world. The Aruba Desalination Plant is the third largest in the world and visits can be arranged for those interested in learning about the purifying process of fresh ocean water.

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