Aruba Real Estate

Aruba is unlike most Caribbean-American regions in that it has a non-humid climate and a cactus-strewn, arid landscape. Aruba is a 20 mile long island of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, 17 miles north of the Paraguaná Peninsula, Venezuela. It is in the Realm of Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands which is part of Europe, and the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Caribbean-American regions. With a land area of 75 sq miles, Aruba is famous for its sunny climate and fair weather.

Aruba is a flat and riverless island well-known for its white, sandy beaches along the western and southern parts of the island. The northern and eastern parts have been left untouched by humans since these regions experience fierce ocean currents.

Inhabitants enjoy one of the most comfortable economies in the Caribbean region, and it is believed that tourism has contributed up to one half of Aruba's gross national product, translating in turn to low poverty, unemployment and crime rates. Majority of those who tour the island come from Venezuela, The Netherlands, Spain and England, and the US. The East and South parts of the US make up Aruba's largest trading partner.

Although the island has constantly experienced deficit spending and a relatively high inflation rate, its government enjoys a development aid from the Dutch. The Aruban government has implemented several changes in the collection of tax in 2006, and more rigid measures are taken to lower fiscal deficits. The gross domestic product per capita in the island reaches an estimated $23, 600, one of the highest in the Americas, whereas Aruba's florin is 1.79 to the US Dollar.

After the South American tribal conquests, the first foreign conquerors of Aruba were the Spanish. However, towards the end of the Eighty Years' War between Spain and Holland, the Dutch took possession of the land and remained in power for 200 years. In the early 19th century, the English briefly took possession of the island but returned it to the Dutch in 1816.

The island is fraught with scenes of colonial-style houses opposite architecturally modern buildings. This mixing of old structures with modernist buildings speaks of its diverse culture. The many origins of Aruba's inhabitants and its location have contributed to mixed cultures and celebrations. Every december 5 and 6, the Aruban streets hold venue to the Sinterklaas, an old Dutch holiday. Along with the rest of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba celebrates their Queen's birthday on April 30. Christmas and New Year are celebrated with songs for the gaitas, and typical festival food and drinks such as "ayaca", the "ponchi crema" and "ham".

The native language of Aruba is Papiamento, although many of them speak a minimum of four languages, including Spanish and English. Papiamento, with its cadences and manner, exemplifies the friendliness for which the inhabitants are well-known. The presence of American tourists brought in such new festivals as Thanksgiving and Halloween in November. Like the Mardi Gras, the holiday of Carnival is celebrated a day before Lent, and makes for an important event in the Aruban calendar.

Located near Oranjestad is Aruba's international airport, the Queen Beatrix International Airport. This airport provides for daily flights to cities across the United States, to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Miami, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; New York, and Boston, Massachusetts. The airport allows for tourists and inhabitants of Aruba to access Canada and South America, with daily flights to the international airports of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Spain, England and most of Europe through the Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. In 2005 almost 1.7 millions travelers used the airport, of which 61% were Americans.

There are many full scale realtor with a wide selections of for sale and for rent listings for residential and commercial properties in Aruba. They usually feature homes, villas, condos, apartments, land developments, commercial real estate as well as professional and personalized services.