Aruba is an island in the south of the Caribbean in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. It is westernmost island of the ABC Islands and of the

Leeward Antilles The Leeward Antilles ( nl, Benedenwindse Eilanden) are a chain of islands in the Caribbean – specifically, the southerly islands of the Lesser Antilles (and, in turn, the Antilles and the West Indies) along the southeastern fringe of the C ...

. It is located 25 km north of the coast of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and 68 km northwest of Curaçao. The island has a total area of and a coast line of . Mount Jamanota of is the highest point. Politically, Aruba is a constituent country of the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

. Oranjestad is the largest settlement with a population of 32,748.

Geography

Geology

Aruba is situated on the Caribbean Tectonic Plate. Aruba, as well as the rest of the ABC islands and also

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, lies on the continental shelf of South America, and is thus geologically considered to lie entirely in South America. The core of the island is made up of

Turonian The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous Epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 93.9 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.8 ± 1 Ma (million years ago). The Turonian is preceded b ...

submarine and subaerial basalts which were formed in the Caribbean large

igneous Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or ...

province. These basalts were

intruded Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form '' intrusions'', such as batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.Intrusive RocksIntrusive rocks accessdate: March 2 ...

by a pluton shortly after their eruption. The shore areas are mainly

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

Mountains and hills

Aruba is almost entirely flat. The two most known rock formations are Ayo Rock Formations and Casibari, both are tourist attractions. Along the northern coast it is more hilly, especially in the Arikok National Park. The highest elevation, known as Mount Jamanota, is only above sea level and the Arikok itself is . The

Hooiberg Hooiberg is a high volcanic formation on the island of Aruba. It is located almost in the center of the island and can be seen from virtually anywhere on the island. The Dutch word ''hooiberg'', literally translates into ''haystack'' in English ...

is . While the Hooiberg is not the highest point on the island, it does look so, because of the flat surroundings it lies in. The Hooiberg can be seen from nearly every point of the island and is so known it has its on place on the Coat of arms of Aruba.

Coast and beaches

While Aruba's northern coast is rocky and mostly formed by corral plateaus with many small sandy bay like openings called 'Bocas', Papiamento for mouths. The sea is rough and dark blue compared with the southern coastal areas and swimming here is discouraged.

Climate

Aruba has a hot semi-arid climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''BSh'') and nearly constant temperatures throughout the year. The rainy season occurs between September and January, but exhibits very high variability due to the powerful influence of the

Southern Oscillation Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, ...

. During strong

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...

years like 1911/1912, 1930/1931, 1982/1983 and 1997/1998 annual (fiscal year) rainfall can be as little as , while in contrast, as much as may fall during a strong

La Niña La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...

year like 1933/1934, 1970/1971, 1988/1989, 1999/2000 or 2010/2011. The highest monthly totals during these La Niña events are between .

Environmental policies

In 2016, in response to a ban of plastic bags by the government, the Minister of Finance, Economic Affair and Culture, Xiomara Ruiz-Maduro, called for further increases to Aruba's environmental initiatives. She cited the fact that no environmental protection law had yet been passed in the territory.

Human geography

The island is divided into eight regions: *

Noord Noord () is a town and region in Aruba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands). This town is known for its low rise and high rise hotels, restaurants, beaches, malls, the California Lighthouse, and other places of attraction. Places of interes ...

/ Tanki Leendert * Oranjestad West * Oranjestad Oost *

Paradera Paradera is a small town and Census Region near the northeast end of the island of Aruba. The census region Paradera encompasses the town of Paradera as well as nearby settlements and neighborhoods within Paradera, including Ayo, Bloemond, Piedra ...

* Santa Cruz *

Savaneta Savaneta is a town and region in southeastern Aruba. Until 1797, it was the island's capital city. It is home to the island's oldest surviving home, a 150-year-old ''cas di torto'', or mud hut. The Savaneta region has an estimated area of 27.76 s ...

* San Nicolas Noord * San Nicolas Zuid

References

External links

* *
Map of Aruba

Maps of Aruba
(including island map, and detail maps of Oranjestad and San Nicolas) {{Geography of North America Islands of the Netherlands Antilles Leeward Islands (Caribbean)