Geography of Aruba


Aruba is an island in the south of the Caribbean in the Caribbean Sea. It is westernmost island of the ABC Islands and of the Leeward Antilles. It is located 25 km north of the coast of Venezuela 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. Oranjestad is the largest settlement with a population of 32,748.

Geography

Aruba's terrain is mostly flat with a few hills. There are some little ways of vegetation or outstanding physical features and no inland water. Aruba's best-known geographical feature is its white-sand beaches, which are the basis of an active tourism industry that is the mainstay of the island's economy.

Geology

Aruba is situated on the Caribbean Tectonic Plate. Aruba, as well as the rest of the ABC islands and also Trinidad and Tobago, 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 submarine and subaerial basalts which were formed in the Caribbean large igneous province. These basalts were intruded by a pluton shortly after their eruption. The shore areas are mainly limestone that capped hills and ridges, with cliffs on the northern and northeastern coasts and coral reefs on the southern coast.

Mountains and hills

Aruba's terrain is almost entirely flat. Rock formations characterize the interior of the island. 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 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

Aruba has three deepwater harbors located at Oranjestad, Aruba-Oranjestad, Barcadera, and San Nicolaas. The southern coastal area is known for its white-sand beaches and the calm waters surrounding Aruba are clear, making it a popular tourist destination. While its 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’s hot desert climate varies little seasonally, with an average annual temperature of, varying from about in January to in September.
The rainy season occurs between October and December, but exhibits very high variability due to the powerful influence of the Southern Oscillation. During strong El Niño years like 1911/1912, 1930/1931, 1982/1983 and 1997/1998 annual rainfall can be as little as, while in contrast, as much as may fall during a strong La Niña year like 1933/1934, 1970/1971, 1988/1989, 1999/2000 or 2010/2011. The highest monthly totals during these La Niña events are between.
Most rain brought by the prevailing easterly winds of the region falls on the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, leaving Aruba in a rain shadow. Rainfall averages or less annually, and the island’s residents rely on one of the world’s largest desalination plants for most of their drinking water.

Human geography

The island is divided into eight regions: