Aruba, together with Bonaire and Curacao, is one of the ABC islands in the Leeward Antilles. Known for its reliably warm and dry climate due to the cooling trade winds, Aruba is a favorite destination among windsurfing, snorkeling and parasailing enthusiasts.

Although the island is just 6 miles wide and 19.5 miles long, Aruba is home to many different cultures. The Arawak tribes had been there for hundreds of years by the time Alonso de Ojeda of Spain landed in 1499 and laid claim to the island. Following the Eighty Years’ War with Holland, Spain surrendered Aruba to the Dutch in 1642. Between 1805 and 1815, the island was under British control, but it was a Dutch possession once more by 1816 and became a separate entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1986. The island’s proximity to Venezuela ensures strong Latin American influences on Aruban culture. Spanish, Dutch, English and the local language, Papiamento, are spoken throughout the island.