Aruba
is a 33-kilometre (21 mi)-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern
Caribbean Sea, 27 km (17 mi) north of the Paraguan� Peninsula, Falc�n
State, Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Cura�ao it forms a group
referred to as the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island
chain of the Lesser Antilles.
An autonomous
region within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba has no administrative
subdivisions. Unlike much of the Caribbean region, Aruba has a dry climate
and an arid, cactus-strewn landscape. This climate has helped tourism as
visitors to the island can reliably expect warm, sunny weather. It has
a land area of 193 km2 (75 sq mi) and lies outside the hurricane belt. |