| Bon Bini! Welcome to Aruba. Aruba is located in the heart of the southern Caribbean, 15 miles from the South American coastline. Aruba's topography and vegetation are unusual for a Caribbean island. On the south and west coasts are miles of pristine white beaches that rank among the most beautiful in the world, rimmed by calm blue seas with visibility in some areas to a depth of a hundred feet. The northeast coast, along the windward shore, is rugged and wild. The interior is dessert like, with a variety of cacti and dramatic rock formations. The island's most famous trees are the watapana, or divi divi trees, all permanently sculpted into graceful, southwest -bending shapes by the constant trade winds. |










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| A Brief History of Aruba: Aruba's first settlers were the Arawak Indians and remnants of their culture can be found throughout the island. In 1499, the Spanish explorer, Alonso de Ojeda, arrived and claimed the island for Spain. With little to interest them, the Conquistadores dubbed Aruba as Isla Inutil (useless island) and left. In 1636 the Dutch made Aruba into a satellite for the Dutch West Indies Company after being expelled from St. Maarten during the Spanish-Dutch war. The island was captured briefly by the British in 1805 during the Napoleonic War, but was returned to Holland as part of the 1815 Treaty of Paris. By then merchants had begun building Oranjestad. In 1824, gold fever hit and there was a flood of immigrants hoping to strike it rich at the Bushiribana mines. The bubble burst in 1916 when the exhausted mine was closed for good. In 1929, the world's largest oil refinery was built on the southeastern coast. An economic boom followed, turning San Nicolas into a major commercial center and Aruba's second largest city. On March 18, 1976, Aruba celebrated its first National Day with its national anthem and flag. In 1986 Status Aparte (an autonomous status within the kingdom of the Netherlands) was granted. An important date in Aruba's history, archived by Betico Croes, after three generations in the making. This unique status was considered the first step towards autonomy. Tourism had become the mainstay of economy and today Aruba is famous as a vacation haven attracting almost two million international visitors yearly. |
| Community Service The following links are in the native language, dedicated to the Aruban Community. As part of the community service to the island, the IPA- Aruba is proud to contribute to a better Aruba by providing Crime Prevention information/tips. This way we can help keep Aruba's community safe and also to our visitors, Servicio pa Comunidad International Police Association Aruba, orguyosamente kier contrubi na un Aruba sigur. Di e forma aki nos ta dunabo conseho/tips pa evita cu abo, bo famia, cas, negoshi etc, por bira victima di un criminalidad. |
| International Police Association Aruba Discounts/Specials @: ►The Driftwood Restaurant, Downtown ►Econo Car Rental ►Dollar Rent a Car ►The Boardwalk Boutique Hotel ►Lite Life Medicab "Special Transportation" *Please contact us for Discounts/Specials* at info@ipa-aruba.org |





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