21. The legal drinking age in Aruba is 18 for beer, wine, and spirits.
22. Aruba’s first multi-story resort hotel–the Caribbean Hotel–opened in 1959.
23. Littering laws are quite strict in the island nation. So be careful and do not throw empty bottles of beer or wine on the beaches!
24. Aruba does not have any significant natural sources of fresh water. You can drink Aruba’s tap water without any worries, as it is supplied from a saltwater desalination plant.
25. Today, It is a densely populated country with limited land resources and a huge population.
26. Most Arubans are multilingual, and are able to communicate in English and Spanish, as well.
27. While on the island, dial 911 if you require an ambulance, and 100 for police.
28. The license plate of Aruban cars is adorned with their slogan – ‘One happy Island.’ Aruba still issues new plates every year – possibly because of the value of used plate sales to tourists.
A car’s license plate from Aruba. Image credit – Roger W
29. Aruba was a Spanish colony for at least 100 years.
30. The Aruban currency has images of the rattlesnake and the owl.
31. Aruba does not utilize Daylight Saving Time.
32. Aruba sees an average annual temperature of 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit).
33. Foreign workers are restricted to three years residency on the island. This immigration law was enforced in 2007 to restrict population growth.
34. Officially, Aruba is not a part of the European Union.
35. Tourism, aloe exports, and petroleum refining dominate the island’s economy.
36. The official currency of Aruba is Aruban florin. However, many businesses operate using U.S. dollars instead of florins because of a large number of American visitors to the island. You can pay in U.S. dollars at hotels and resorts on the island.
Aruba – country at a glance
Capital City
Oranjestad
(12°31′N 70°2′W)
Largest City
Oranjestad
(12°31′N 70°2′W)
Total area
180 sq km
(slightly larger than Washington, D.C.)
Population
125,063 (2024 est.)
Official Language
Dutch and Papiamento
Demonym
Aruban
Borders
Bordered by the Caribbean sea on all sides. (No land borders)
Currency
Aruban florin (AWG)
Literacy
97.8% (2024 est.)
Suffrage
18 years of age
Religion
Catholicism
Life expectancy at birth
78.5 years (2024 est.)
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.
Natural resources
NEGL; white sandy beaches foster tourism
Coastline
68.5 km
Terrain
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Lowest point
Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest point
Ceru Jamanota 188 m
Climate
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Agricultural land
11.1%
Birth rate
11.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate
8.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Sex ratio
0.9 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Government type
parliamentary democracy (Legislature); part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
